What is the difference between White and Dark Meat?

White and dark meat refers to the flesh of chicken and turkey, and most people prefer white meat. Dark meat contains more myoglobin, which helps to provide oxygen to the muscles during physical activity. Birds such as turkeys and chickens possess more of these myoglobin’s in the leg area because they do more walking than flying.

Dark meat is better for you in terms of added nutrients, as it contains vitamin B and additional minerals such as zinc, selenium, and iron. White meat is said to have a meatier texture, and it also has fewer calories. In other words, it is a leaner protein, while dark meat has a lot of heart-healthy fats that satiate you.

Foremost, let's discuss dark meat. Dark meat contains a higher constituent of myoglobin, which is a biological pigment present in the cells of your muscles, providing oxygen to them while exercising. This myoglobin is very much present in the legs of chickens and turkeys due to the fact that they do more walking than flying; whereas the meat in the other areas of their body is more of white meat. Dark meat is found to have more B vitamins as well as other minerals like iron and zinc. Dark meat is proven to contain more nutrients than white meat. When it comes to white meat, it seems to be more popular or available than dark meat. It is known to have contained higher calories than dark meat. A higher percentage of the fat that you consume in the dark meat is actually of good health to the body. White meat does not contain many nutrients like dark meat, including selenium, which serves as an oxidant for preventing diseases.

It can be confusing for some people who do not cook to know the difference between white and dark meat. Aside from a difference in their appearance since white meat will appear to be whiter, dark meat will get its appearance because it has more red fibers.

If you would look at the pieces of chicken closely, you will notice that some parts are darker than others. You can usually determine by the number of fibers that are available. Another thing that will help you determine their difference is the taste. White meat will become bland once overcooked. Dark meat will be more flavorful.

Talking about dark meat, it contains a higher constituent of myoglobin. This myoglobin is found in the muscle cells as a biologic pigment, and it provides oxygen to the body during physical exertion such as exercise. This myoglobin is found more at the leg of walking birds like chickens and turkeys than another part of their bodies. Thus, good examples of dark meat are the legs of these birds. Dark meat has more vitamin B and other minerals like iron and zinc. On the other hand, white meat has fewer calories compared to dark meat.

Also, when it comes to the fat content in white meat, it is still less than that of dark meat. Many actually choose white meat above dark meat for this reason, but dark meat has more nutrients than white meat. Though the legs of birds like turkey and chicken are a good source of dark meat, the other parts of the birds are a better source of white meat.