Why is turkey good for runners?

Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend, and millions of Canadians will gather to eat a traditional turkey dinner. Runners shouldn’t need to rely on a holiday to fill up on a healthy alternative to chicken and beef. Do you know the benefits of having turkey as a part of your training diet?

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For people who are looking to avoid red meat, chicken can get quite boring after a while, and turkey is a great substitute. Turkey is high in protein, and there are only a few foods that offer more protein per calorie. Whether you are having turkey with dinner or after a tough workout, it helps your body recover. Turkey is also high in vitamin B, which is essential for a wide range of cellular functions, helping break down carbohydrates and transporting nutrients to your muscles.

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There are some other options for turkey consumption, such as ground turkey, which you should find at your local grocery store. With ground turkey, the world is your oyster. You can make turkey burgers, meatballs or turkey teriyaki with rice. You should eat turkey on more days than just Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are many recipes out there on what you can cook with ground turkey — and most are easy to make quickly.

Turkey Burgers Recipe:

• Mix about 3 lbs of lean ground turkey with parsley and garlic. (Other seasoning is also recommended) but avoid using spices that contain salt, as it will pull moisture from the meat
• Crack and mix one egg into the mix and add a dash of Worcestershire sauce and form the burgers
• You can add bread crumbs to mix the burgers crispier
• Cook the burgers on low to medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes on each side (only flipping them once)