White meat has long been held up as the pinnacle of healthy and lean protein, but dark meat isn't really so different. And both types of meat can fit in healthy diet, experts tell TODAY.com.
The visual differences between white meat and dark meat come down to the amount of myoglobin (a protein that transports oxygen to muscle) found in each part of the chicken, Whitney Linsenmeyer, Ph.D., assistant professor at Saint Louis University and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells TODAY.
com. White meat has lower levels of myoglobin than dark meat because those muscles are used less often, which leaves the meat a lighter color, she explains. But the differences between white meat and dark meat go beyond what you can see.
Nutritionally, both white meat and dark meat contain a good amount of protein and healthy fat. "It's just the amounts that play differently," Grace Derocha, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells TODAY.com.
White meat portions are lower in fat and calories, and a bit higher in protein, Linsenmeyer explains. Dark meat tends to be higher in fat and, therefore, calories, and moderately lower in protein. But the differences aren't as significant as you might think.
“There’s this image in people’s mind that dark meat is bad and white meat is good ...
but as far as nutrients go, (they’re) pretty similar,” Derocha says. Linsenmeyer agrees: "Across the board, chicken is going to be a ," she .