Dr. Mercola November 01 2007 95,449 views
Confused about what makes white meat “white” and dark meat “dark?" You’re not alone. Misleading data about the good and bad sides of white and dark meat abound. Finally, here is the real truth about the meat you eat.Dark MeatSimply speaking, dark meats are dark because the muscles are used more (think drumsticks vs. breast meat). They have more myoglobin proteins, which help ship oxygen to your muscle cells. When dark meat is cooked, the myoglobins turn into metmyoglobins, which are very high in iron.White MeatWhite meat contains glycogen, which is a polysaccharide of glucose, an animal starch. Animal starch is stored in your liver, then broken down into glucose when it’s needed by the white muscle.Nutritional DifferencesDark meat contains more zinc, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, vitamins B6 and B12, amino acids, and iron than white meat. Dark meats also contain more saturated fats, along with omega-3 and omega-6 fats.USDA Gradings: What do They Mean?Outside of white and dark meat, there’s also “red” meat, which is typically beef. When choosing red meat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grades them based on the marbling (the fat between the muscle tissue). Here is a breakdown of what the gradings mean:
Hmm...I think I am a protien type...or I could be a mixed type
I am a poor college student who is trying to figure out her nutritional type without buying anythign that will explain it to me.
I wonder if I could just "feel" if I am a protien type or not. Many imes throughout the site, I have been feeling more Protien than Mixed...but sometimes I TOTALLY feel mixed...
I LOVE dark meat, but white meat is alright...but it has to be moist and yummy.
I too have always preferred dark poultry meat to white. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find places that serve dark meat any more. Everyone is on the low-fat band wagon, and protein types like me suffer for it.
People think that I'm crazy for eating a high-protein, higher-fat, lower-carb diet and tell me that I'll wind up dead from it. But I'm sure that my death will come much later than if I had stayed on the diet that another doctor tried to kill me with. The more that I cut dark and red meat, eggs, dairy products, and salt out of my diet, the worse I felt and the more bloated with edema I became. Because my blood sugar plummetted between meals, I ate breads and fruits almost non-stop to keep it at a normal level. The other doctor refused to consider that the diet he recommended was part of my worsening problem. In his opinion, I got worse because I needed even less salt and less fats in my diet. He was nearly deadly wrong for me.
I'm thankful that Dr. Mercola's nutritionist helped me find foods that were more appropriate for my body and who told me to salt my food. When I switched to a low-carb diet and put iodized salt on my food (can anyone say "THYROIDS NEED IODINE"?), I felt much better. I eat meats, eggs, cheeses, and vegetables and limit the higher-carb items, including fruit. When I stick to this diet, my blood sugar doesn't bottom out in the 40s and 50s, and I don't feel as if I'm starving to death or about to pass out. I can go several hours between meals without a problem.
I listen to my body because, if I feel literally as if I'm going to die between meals, something definitely isn't right. It's too bad that more doctors aren't smart enough to realize this. No wonder so many older people have so many health problems. What kind of diets are they typically told to stick to? Low protein, low fat, low salt. If that's not the kind of diet your body needs, it will ravage you.
Funny. I hate dark meat. I also have high iron levels. Even when I was pregnant I didnt need to take extra iron cuz my body made enough. I love information like this..