Is turkey good for us? Some people love it, and others are happy with some other celebratory protein at holidays. So, what is it about turkey that has us in a flap! If you have trouble with eating turkey, you may have eaten too much, combined a lot of different foods or you might be allergic or have an intolerance to it.

A food intolerance is different than a food allergy. An allergy causes a range of symptoms such as digestive, respiratory and skin-related issues, however an intolerance is typically less severe and mainly produces digestive symptoms. 

Since turkey has large amounts of tryptophan, it can make you sleepy so try to not fall asleep at the table!

Be careful to handle the turkey in such a way as to not have pathogens present. Some turkeys are raised in unclean conditions so beware as those pathogens can include clostridium perfringens, campylobacter, and salmonella. These can cause diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, and can last a few hours or days.

If you are fine with eating turkey, it is rich source of minerals such as selenium, zinc, and phosphorus. Selenium helps your body produce thyroid hormones, which regulate your metabolism and growth rate. Zinc is an essential mineral needed for many different bodily processes, such as gene expression, protein synthesis, and enzyme reactions. Finally, phosphorus is vital to bone health. Turkey also provides small amounts of magnesium and potassium.

Turkey is a great source of high-quality protein, as well as many B vitamins.

When I have time, I do brine turkey. It does take up some fridge space so make this a determining factor when you are considering brining.

The basic process for brining involves soaking meat like turkey, chicken, or pork chops in a container full of heavily salted water. During brining, the meat absorbs some of that water. More importantly, that water stays put, even after the meat is cooked, and can decrease the amount of total moisture loss by 30 to 40 per cent.

Brine:

1 gallon water, divided

1 1/2 cups kosher salt 

3/4 cup sugar

1 large lemon, lime and orange

1 medium onion, thickly sliced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

4 leaf bay leaves

1 TBSP dried thyme

Bring 4 cups of water to a low boil in saucepan. Add the salt and sugar and stir until they are completely dissolved.

Cut the fruit into 8 pieces each. Add the fruit, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme to the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Pour this mixture into a large pot. Add the remaining 12 cups of cold water and refrigerate until it is completely cooled.

Place the poultry and brine in a large non-reactive container. The poultry should be fully surrounded by the brine. Keep the turkey refrigerated throughout the brining time. Brine for 1 hour per pound and not more than 24 hours. 

Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey before cooking. Otherwise, the turkey will be too salty. Please visit my website for more information about my scans and recipes. 

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