HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - DARK MEAT VS. WHITE MEAT

Do you choose breasts over thighs because they’re lower in fat, even though you prefer the taste of dark meat over white meat? Health editor Janice Kerr says it’s time to rethink your choices. -- AP

Anastasia, it’s true that the dark meat of the chicken has more fat than the white meat. However, the meat from the drumstick and thigh is only slightly fattier than breast meat. And 60% of that fat mono and polyunsaturated fat -- the kind of fat that’s good for you. Also, leg meat contains twice as much zinc as breast meat, 20% of your recommended daily allowance.

Remember, too, that at least half of the fat in a chicken comes from the skin. So the best thing to do is remove the skin, but do so after you cook the chicken. The meat won’t absorb the fat as it cooks, but the cooked chicken will turn out juicier.

Here’s how the fat and calories stack up in the various sections of a chicken:
SKINLESS BREAST
165 calories
1 gram saturated fat
1.2 grams mono-saturated fat
.7 grams poly-saturated fat

SKINLESS DRUMSTICK 175 calories
1.5 grams saturated fat
1.9 grams mono-saturated fat
1.4 grams poly-saturated fat

SKINLESS THIGH 209 calories
3 grams saturated fat
4 grams mono-saturated fat
2.5 grams poly-saturated fat

Interesting stats, Janice. Thanks for sharing! So readers, are you dark meat lovers or white meat lovers? Let’s hear from you. Post a comment to enter the drawing for a book from this week's Book Club Friday author. -- AP