There’s no need to chicken out

If you are not a vegetarian but are committed to a plant-based diet that includes healthy animal proteins, you know that salmon, sea trout, herring, and anchovies are good options. They’re loaded with heart-healthy omega-3s, protein (3.5 ounces of salmon has 20 grams) and vitamins A, D and B12, plus calcium.

But what about poultry? Chicken skin is packed with inflammatory, heart-damaging saturated fats (40 grams in 3.5 ounces). But skinless chicken and turkey, for example, have far less saturated fat than when they’re cooked with the skin on — and a lot less than beef (12 grams fat in 3 ounces of sirloin vs. 3 grams in skinless chicken breast and 1.4 grams in skinless turkey breast). Plus, skinless chicken and turkey provide selenium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamins B12, B6, niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin. Other good poultry choices are skinless quail and pheasant.

You want to be careful though with packaged ground chicken and turkey — the amount of fat that they contain can vary wildly. Aim for ground chicken with 2.5 grams of saturated fat and ground turkey (85% lean) with 4 grams of saturated fat in 3.5 ounces. And avoid all fried poultry. For example: One Popeyes fried chicken breast has 20 grams of fat (8 grams of saturated fat) and 1 gram of trans fat. Opt for grilled, baked or stir-fried.

For healthy poultry recipes, check out Dr. Mike’s “What to Eat When Cookbook” for Spring Chicken Ragout. And Dr. Oz’s Youtube video helps you find the healthiest chicken options: “Here’s Why the Chicken You Buy Matters.”

Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iherb. com, the world’s leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1’s).