Turkey burger nutrition is phenomenal!  We know that lean meats were a large part of the paleolithic diet and turkey burger fits right in. Turkey is a good source of iron, zinc, potassium and, of course, protein.  It is such a great source of protein that eat it everyday.

Of course, wild turkey would be best, but for convenience and cost, lean turkey burger is a great choice.

Turkey Nutrition Highlights (per 4oz)

• 19 g Protein (40% DV)
• 1.6 mg Iron (8% DV)
• 1.6 mg Zinc (8% DV)
• 0.4 mg Riboflavin (20% DV)
• 336 mg Potassium (8% DV)
• 25 mcg Selenium (36% DV)

Turkey is Low in Saturated Fat

Turkey is one of the leanest meats making it a great protein for those watching their saturated fat intake.  A typical 4 ounce serving of very lean hamburger has much more saturated fat than the same very lean turkey burger.  Whether saturated fat is categorically causal in heart disease has been questioned recently. Nonetheless, eating lean meats will allow you more control of the types of fat you decide to eat.

Turkey Burger Staves hunger

Lean turkey burger is great for reducing your appetite. In fact, it takes more energy to metabolize protein than other macronutrients. So you can burn more calories just metabolizing turkey/protein compared to other foods. According to researchers, “There is convincing evidence that a higher protein intake increases thermogenesis and satiety compared to diets of lower protein content.” [1]

Finding good Turkey Burger

Theoretical turkey burger is great but, I have found it very difficult to find LEAN turkey burger that is both convenient and cheap. I’m told that many of you have found the same.

So…I was thrilled to find easy-to-cook, lean turkey burger at a great price at Costco!  You have to get the patties and not the ground turkey as the “ground turkey” sold is much higher in fat.

Costco turkey burgers compared to other brands is both very LEAN and cheap…about $2.50 per pound.  It is also very convenient to grill and freeze.

Kirkland Turkey Burgers

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Burger
Amount per Serving
Calories 200 Calories from Fat 50
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 1.5g 8%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 85mg 28%
Sodium 390mg 16%
Potassium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 0g
Protein 35g 70%

Turkey Burger Ingredients

Maybe the best part of Costco’s turkey burger patties is the simplicity of the ingredients:

Ingredients listed on the back of the package:

• White Turkey,
• Kosher Salt,
• Natural Flavor,
• Black Pepper

It doesn’t get any simpler and natural than that!  Well, I guess we could do without any added salt, but this is about the best I’ve seen.

[1] Dept. of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA., http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/23/5/373
Wild Turkey Photo above: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickh710/ / CC BY 2.0

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