Health Matters – Guide to Good Health – D is for Duck

D is for Duck

An A to Z Guide to Good Health – D is for Duck

Go on, “love a duck”!  Correctly cooked duck is tasty and nutritious and has been eaten all over the world for thousands of years. Duck is not as difficult to cook as many people think, but care must be taken to ensure the fat is released during cooking, by pricking the duck all over and placing it on a grill tray inside the meat dish so the fat drains away.

The other concern is that duck has a higher fat content than other poultry, but duck fat is richer in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats than many other types of meat.  This may help maintain a good level of HDL cholesterol the good cholesterol. Research suggests duck meat may even help reduce the bad LDL cholesterol. Also, if you eat the breast and the legs meat without the skin this will further reduce the fat content.

Duck meat is a good source of essential amino acids, which the body needs to produce energy. It also contains the following:

🦆 Duck is a good source of all the B vitamins.  A typical serving provides over twice as much thiamine and riboflavin as chicken and is a good source of niacin.

🦆 Duck contains three times as much iron as chicken.

🦆 Duck is a good source of potassium, selenium, and zinc.

🦆 A 100g serving of duck provides 339 calories with the skin and 189 calories with the skin removed, with 25g protein and 10g of fat.

It is good to have variety in our diets so why not try duck for a change – it can be delicious while providing good quality protein plus vitamins and minerals.

Live with joy and health. 💚

Elizabeth Beetham