With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s time to start planning the feast centered around a bird that Benjamin Franklin thought should have been chosen as our national symbol.
His love for turkeys may seem odd, but he had great respect for wild turkeys. They are smarter and more agile than their modern domesticated counterparts, who have such large breasts that they cannot breed naturally.
Besides the abundance of white meat that makes today’s turkeys so top-heavy, what else is in your Thanksgiving bird?
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As the old adage goes, “you are what you eat,” and turkeys are not exempt from this rule.
If you buy an organic turkey, you'll be eating the natural proteins and fats the turkey’s body makes from the food it consumes. Organic tends to be more expensive, but you get what you pay for.
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If you buy a conventionally-raised turkey, you may get some unwanted additives in the form of pesticide residues from all the grain the turkey consumed during its lifetime. These chemicals tend to build up in the fat of animals. Research shows that pesticides can cause a number of health problems.
Many conventional turkeys are also fed antibiotics, both to prevent infection and to speed growth. It is not known why antibiotics make animals grow faster, but many industries, including the beef industry, regularly add antibiotics to animal feed. Turkeys are taken off the antibiotics for a “withdrawal period” before they are slaughtered and the USDA randomly monitors turkey flocks for antibiotic residues.
Often, turkeys are injected with a solution to help preserve them and tenderize or flavor the meat. These turkeys are required to be labeled with the percent of a solution and what the solution is made from.
Such solutions usually contain saline (salt water,) or broth, but may also contain “butter” or “vegetable protein” made up of soy, wheat or corn. If you have a family member with allergies, look for a turkey labeled “natural,” which should not have any additives.
L-tryptophan is the chemical in turkey that has a reputation for making us sleepy. It's a natural essential amino acid that your body can transform into serotonin and melatonin, two neurotransmitters involved in sleep. However, you have to take L-tryptophan on an empty stomach, without other proteins, to feel its effect. Your post-Thanksgiving nap would probably take place with or without the turkey.
Finally, your turkey will probably harbor some bacterial hitchhikers. That’s why it’s important to thaw your turkey in the fridge to prevent microbial growth. Immediately clean up any raw turkey juice, wash anything that touches the raw bird and make sure that you cook it thoroughly. You don’t want to send your guests home with a Salmonella enteriditis infection!
So, you can choose organic, natural, Kosher or self-basted, but read the label so that you know exactly what you’ll be eating. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, try to get your hands on a wild or heirloom turkey, and see what the real thing tastes like!
