Here is a look at the benefits of white and dark meat turkey and some surprising facts that might have you and your health conscious aunt fighting for the drumstick.

Keep in mind that the serving size for the following analysis is for a three and a half-ounce serving of Thanksgiving turkey meat without skin. This eyeballs to about the size of a deck of cards.

Round One: Nutrition

Calories per serving: White meat contains 161 calories. Dark meat contains 192 calories.

Fat per serving: White meat contains 4 grams. Dark meat contains 8 grams.

Protein per serving: White meat contains 30 grams. Dark meat contains 28 grams.

Iron: White meat contains 1.57 mg. Dark meat contains 2.4 mg.

Zinc: White meat contains 2.08 mg. Dark meat contains 4.3 mg.

Thiamine: White meat contains .04 mg. Dark meat contains .05 mg.

Riboflavin: White meat contains .13 mg. Dark meat contains .24 mg.

Selenium: White meat contains 32.10 mcg.  Dark meat contains 40.90 mcg.

Folate: White meat contains .01 mcg. Dark meat contains 10 mcg.

Round Two: Taste and Leftover Potential

When it comes to taste, dark turkey meat contains an undeniably richer taste than white meat, but its higher fat content also lends itself to tasting a bit more on the slimy side, which may detract those who are hypersensitive to the texture of their food or prefer lighter-tasting eats.

In regards to their leftover potential, dark meat’s higher fat content gives it a juicier flavor and therefore protects it from suffering from the dry taste that accompanies white meat turkey once it has sat in the refrigerator for a few days. Therefore, for a sandwich, salad or soup protein-punch, dark turkey meat is the clear winner, but if you’re looking to undo some of the gluttinous Thanksgiving Day damage, then you might want to reach for the white meat to save a few calories and fat grams.

Post-Match Commentary

Drumstick-lovers rejoice! Dark turkey meat delivers a much more nutrient-dense wallop than white turkey meat. With greater amounts of vitamin B like riboflavin, thiamine and folate and minerals like iron, zinc and selenium, dark turkey meat’s sullied reputation for being too high in fat deserves to be overturned considering these impressive nutrition numbers.

When it comes to calories and fat, the difference between the two is not that signficant. In fact, dark turkey meat contains a mere 30 calories more than white meat and just an additional four fat grams. Place your fork down just one bite shy of finishing off that slice of pumpkin pie and you will have balanced out any extra calories you consumed by choosing dark meat over white.

To reap the powerful nutrition benefits of the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving meal, whichever kind of meat you select, just make sure to remove the skin and go easy on the turkey gravy. These two items tax on some serious, albeit delicious-tasting, fat and calories, so you’ll keep your dinner on the leaner side without them.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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Food Fight: White Turkey Meat Versus Dark Turkey Meat

Consumer Reports took four ice cream makers and selected two of the same flavors that each of them sells, one full-fat and one light and compared them on calories, fat, price and overall taste. Here’s the skinny (or the chunky):

Haagen Daz Coffee vs. Haagen Daz Five Coffee

Don’t expect to get slim eating Haagen Daz, but the Five version ran off with less calories and fat (220 and 12 grams of fat) and a better overall taste and texture than the full-fat kind. Of all the four brands tested, Haagen Daz also won the most expensive award with one serving costing more than one dollar.

Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food vs. Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food Light: If you thought that “light” and Ben & Jerry’s was an oxymoron, you’re right. While most light ice creams come in at just about 120 calories or less per half-cup serving, Ben & Jerry’s Light Phish Food ice cream weighs in at 210 calories and 6 grams of fat while the full-fat version contains 270 calories and 12 grams of fat per serving. In regards to taste, the full-fat version runs off with the yummy award since the Phish Light is rumored to have a slighter sweet, but more artificial, taste to it.

Edy’s/Dreyer’s Grand Mint Chocolate Chip vs. Edy’s/Dreyer’s Slow Churned Light Mint Chocolate Chip

With probably the most robust menu of ice creams to choose from, Edy’s/Dreyer’s ice creams have something for everyone’s taste buds and waistline. In regards to the war between their mint chocolate chip varieties, the full-fat, Grand style comes in at 170 calories and 9 grams of fat per half-cup serving while the Light comes in at 120 calories and 4.5 grams of fat per serving. Both versions received glowing reports for their taste (lots of mint with big flavorful chips) and among all of the four ice cream brands tested, Edy’s/Dreyer’s wins the wallet-friendly award with each serving costing less than $.42.

Breyers All Natural Butter Pecan vs. Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Light Butter Pecan

There isn’t too much difference in the calories between these two styles: The All Natural contains 150 calories and 10 grams of fat per half-cup serving and the Smooth and Dreamy Light contains 130 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving. Consumer Reports taste testers reported a pretty even face-off between the two, but the overall winner actually goes to the Light version with its smoother and more buttery taste. Similar to Edy’s/Dreyer’s, financially, Breyers is a pretty economical bet for your wallet with each serving amounting to just $.40.

So there you go: Grab your spoon, pick your flavor and dive in!

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Food Fight: Light Ice Creams vs. Full-Fat Ice Creams

Who doesn’t love egg rolls? Crispy on the outside, stuffed with soft veggies and spices and dipped in a sweet sauce…they are a Chinese take-out staple. But considering that an average egg roll packs about 400 calories and 16 grams of fat, they kind of sabotage the lean calories in your well-intentioned steamed Buddha’s Feast.

Food manufacturers have been hard at work creating low-fat and low-cal egg rolls that serve up heaps of taste, but not heaps of weight. When it comes to store-bought egg rolls, we love both Kahiki’s new veggie egg rolls and Trader Joe’s. So we’ve decided to pin them against each other in a food fight. Here are how their stats stack up:

In the right corner is Kahiki Vegetable Egg Rolls. With a mere 70 calories and 2 grams of fat and protein, these egg rolls can be nuked in the microwave and still maintain a decently crispy shell. But for the record, we like ours best baked in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Stuffed with cabbage, carrots and spices, these yummy rolls have a peppery taste that is offset by the 10-calorie sweet and sour sauce packet that comes with it. For $3-$5, depending upon the grocer, you get four egg rolls.

In the left corner is Trader Joe’s Stir-Fried Vegetable Egg Rolls. Coming in at 110 calories, 4 grams of fat, 5 grams of protein, these rolls have higher stats all around than Kahiki’s, but they are also loaded with Vitamin A and stuffed with tofu, bean spouts, Chinese celery, carrots and onions. Their flavor is a bit on the sweet side and the shell when baked is crispy and chewy. You get five good-sized egg rolls in a pack for $3.99.

And the winner is: For taste, the prize goes to Kahiki. Its peppery veggies and stir-fry sauce tastes natural, authentic and so yummy! For nutrition, while Kahiki packs fewer calories and fat grams, Trader Joe’s contains more protein, fiber and vitamins. So we give the nutrition award to Trader Joe’s.

This food fight was particularly tough to call since both egg rolls get high marks all around when it comes to taste, nutrition, cost and preservation of the crispy egg roll shell. Both products can be found in the freezer section and while the microwave is super convenient, our panel prefers the taste and texture of both egg rolls when they are baked in an oven.

Happy eating!

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Food Fight: Kahiki Vegetable Egg Rolls vs. Trader Joe’s Stir-Fried Veggie Rolls

Stepping into our Food Fight ring this week are two rich, fudgy and decadent contenders- No Pudge Original Fat Free Fudge Brownie and Betty Crocker Low-Fat Fudge Brownie. Are brownies a health food? No! Do you need to indulge occasionally? Yes! And when you do, shouldn’t you do it responsibly? Yes!

Fighter Notes
Betty Crocker is of course the beloved baked-goods-at-home-made-easy brand. It was the only brand at the grocery store that offered a low-fat variety, making it my only choice for competition against No Pudge. They do not mention this product on their Web site.

No Pudge has been taking the fat out of this dreamy dessert since the 90s.

Round 1: Nutrition Facts

Serving size, as printed on the package, is a 32g serving of cooked brownie (1/12 of package for No Pudge, 1/18 of package for Betty Crocker). Nutrition Facts are for prepared mix.

Calories: NP = 120, BC = 140
Fat: NP = 0g, BC = 3g
Sat Fat: NP = 0g, BC = .5g
Trans Fat: NP = 0g, BC = .5g
Cholesterol: NP = 0mg, BC = 10mg
Dietary Fiber: NP = 1g, BC = 1g
Sugars: NP = 24, BC = 20
Protein: NP = 3g, BC = 2g

Obvious kudos go to No Pudge for being fat free, having no saturated or trans fats, zero cholesterol and more protein. That’s an impressive lead that gives Round 1 to No Pudge.

Round 2: Taste and Ingredients

If you served these side by side with no explanation of which is which- no one would recognize that one is fat free- or that one is lower in fat. Both No Pudge and Betty Crocker get points for having a moist, rich, fudgy and truly cravable brownie without a lot of the extra fat and calories. No Pudge has a richer chocolate color and is not as overwhelmingly sweet as Betty Crocker- which has a classic chocolate brown color and a lot of sugary taste.

I give them some credit for having the only low-fat brownie mix on the shelf. An A for effort.

We would call this round a tie- except that Betty Crocker’s ingredients leave a lot to be desired. Enriched flours, processed cocoa, partially hydrogenated oils (the trans fat source), artificial flavors and a lot of other stuff. To make the batter, you add an egg, vegetable oil and water. The No Pudge has only all natural ingredients- a simple list including pure cane sugar, unbleached wheat flour, dutch cocoa and egg whites. To make this batter, you only had no-fat vanilla yogurt.

No Pudge comes in other Fat Free flavors like Cappuccino, Raspberry and Mint.

No Pudge clearly wins this round.

Round Three: Cost and Accessibility

Betty Crocker is available nationwide in probably every grocer you can imagine. This one pound box was $2.69. It’s also available in a case of 12 from Amazon for $21.60. There is no mention of this product on its brand Web site.

No Pudge is also available nationwide in most every grocer as well. They have a store finder on their site. This 13.7oz. box was $3.69. It’s available for sale on their Web site for $3.35 (a case of 6 is $18). No Pudge is also available on Amazon, a 6 pack is $17.91.

No Pudge claims round three as well.

Post-Match Commentary
A clear winner from the first turn of the mixer, No Pudge Brownies are an ideal alternative to the traditional fat-filled brownies, for anyone craving those chewy, gooey treats while still trying to maintain healthy eating habits. Betty Crocker gave a valiant effort, but at the end of the day, the fat content, poor ingredients, trans-fat and low access will leave it resting on the shelf.

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Food Fight: Brownies