Dietary turkey dishes: 12 recipes for weight loss

Turkey for weight loss is an indispensable product, as it contains more vitamins and protein. It contains only 104 kcal per 100 grams. There are many recipes for dietary dishes with turkey: cutlets, salads and others. However, eating meat has limitations: gout, kidney problems, and salt should not be used if you have hypertension. The turkey diet includes, in addition to poultry, eating vegetables and drinking at least 2 liters of water per day.

Turkey is considered beneficial for weight loss because it contains an incredible array of vitamins and, most importantly, protein, which promotes easy weight loss. Also, the bird can be prescribed by the attending physician for certain diseases in order to restore the body as quickly as possible.

To prove the need to eat turkey when losing weight, you can refer to its qualities such as:

low calorie content (only 104 kcal per 100 grams);
the ability to “accelerate” metabolism;
feeling full after eating;
the opportunity to free yourself from a couple of extra pounds in just a few days.

Moreover, the red appearance of its meat is in no way inferior in taste even to beef.

To absolutely get the desired effect from a diet that includes this bird, you need to drink about 2 liters of liquid per day, but the exact required volume varies depending on the person’s weight.

Expert opinion

Yulia Mikhailova

Nutrition expert

Losing weight on such a diet does not imply the exclusive consumption of meat, since it must be diluted with vegetables and fruits rich in fiber. Prohibited foods, however, are flour, sweet and fried foods.

Despite the fact that the meat of this bird is a storehouse of beneficial properties, one cannot help but take into account the fact that some people are not recommended to consume it, for example, those who:

suffers from gout;
has kidney problems.

Those who have hypertension should not use salt when preparing dishes, so as not to cause a “jump” in blood pressure.

We recommend reading the article about meat for weight loss. From it you will learn about eating boiled and fried meat for weight loss, a diet with meat, permitted and prohibited meat products, and recipes for dietary dishes. And here is more information about jellied meat for weight loss.

There are many recipes for dietary turkey dishes; chefs love it for its compatibility with mushrooms, vegetables, and other products. You can cook cutlets, bake the bird in the oven or make a salad.

Turkey cutlets for weight loss

To make turkey cutlets for weight loss tasty and appetizing, and not just dietary, you can add the following ingredients:

vegetables (zucchini, cabbage, etc.);
seasonings like basil, allspice and rosemary;
carrots, which will help give a golden hue;
oatmeal or sesame seeds for use as a breading.

Making turkey cutlets
If you make minced turkey meat at home, you can avoid getting cartilage in it, and to make it tender, you can pass it through a meat grinder twice.

Preparing this dish will not require you to put in a lot of effort. The sequence of actions is as follows:

Peel and finely chop (preferably mince) the vegetables.
Add the resulting vegetable porridge to the minced meat.
Add seasonings, egg and kefir, mix thoroughly.
Wet your hands with water and form future cutlets.
Bake for 45-55 minutes at 200 degrees.

Watch the video about cooking turkey cutlets:

Dumplings according to Dukan

Ingredients:

Ground turkey - 300 grams
Onion – 1 piece
Oat bran - 2 tbsp. spoons
Gluten - 2 tbsp. spoons
Corn starch - 2-4 tbsp. spoons
Salt - To taste
Skim milk - 3 tbsp. spoons
Eggs – 1 piece

How to cook “Dumplings according to Dukan”

1. Grind the bran using a coffee grinder or blender, sift it and add gluten, starch, egg and a little salt. Knead the dough, gradually adding milk.
2. The dough should be dense, not sticky to your hands, but at the same time elastic. Roll it into a ball and, covering it with a towel, leave for 20-30 minutes for gluten to form.
3. Divide the rested dough into two parts, roll them out using a rolling pin into layers 1-2 mm thick. The dough does not tear and stretches well.
4. Mix the minced meat with finely chopped onion, add salt to taste. Place one of the dough layers on the dumpling maker and fill it with minced meat.
5. Cover the dumpling maker with a second layer of dough, roll it out with a rolling pin so that the edges of the dumplings are sealed. This way you will get about 60-80 dumplings.
6. Now the dumplings are ready for cooking. You can also freeze them in reserve and cook them as needed.
7. Cook the dumplings as usual in boiling water for 7-10 minutes. Dukan dumplings are ready! Bon appetit!

Spicy Turkey

The easiest to prepare and at the same time low-calorie food for weight loss is prepared using the following method:

Place the onion in water, previously poured into the pan, and heat to 100 degrees.
Add poultry breast, seasonings and celery root to the boiling liquid.
Boil the mixture until tender, serve the dish, decorated with herbs.

Spicy Turkey

Turkey dish with broccoli for weight loss

To prepare this simple turkey dish for weight loss, you will need a slow cooker, but you can do without it.

Wash and cut the poultry into small cubes.
Divide the broccoli into florets (or defrost ready-made vegetables sold in the store) and finely chop the onion.
Simmer this “composition” and then serve it with some vegetable salad.

Turkey with broccoli

Salad with corn and turkey fillet for weight loss

Wash and boil the turkey fillet, cut into small cubes.
Peel the cucumbers, prepare the greens and corn.
Mix the ingredients, you can season with Greek yogurt or vegetable oil. To improve the taste, add black pepper.

There are an incredible variety of similar recipes for weight loss. It is also impossible to limit the field of “amateur activity”, because due to the huge possibility of combinations, it is difficult to generate a frankly tasteless dish.

Salad with corn and turkey fillet

Due to the absence of sharp restrictions and fundamental changes in diet, losing weight on this meat is easily tolerated and has a positive effect on the functioning of the entire body. The purpose of such changes is not to sharply limit calorie intake, but to increase the amount of protein consumed, which has a beneficial effect on all systems of the human “inner world” and is a “building material” for it.

Watch the video about the turkey diet:

The best low-calorie recipes for losing weight

Turkey soufflé

A popular recipe for meat soufflé, with which you can prepare a light dish with a delicate taste and a minimum number of calories. The dish is perfect for everyday and special occasions. Required list of ingredients:

milk – 0.5 cups;
eggs – 2 pcs.;
bread - 3 slices;
turkey breast – 0.5 kg;
hard cheese – 50 grams;
salt, white pepper and paprika - add to taste.

Soak the bread slices in milk and mash them thoroughly using a regular fork. Wash the turkey fillet and then grind it using a meat grinder. Add grated cheese, egg yolks, a little salt and spices to taste and stir well. Cool the egg whites, then beat vigorously with a mixer. Gradually add them to the minced meat and place the soufflé base in the prepared form. Bake the dish for about 45 minutes in a preheated oven.

To serve beautifully, the soufflé can be prepared in small portions in small silicone muffin tins.

Baked fillet in foil with vegetables

Dietary turkey fillet cooked in foil retains its natural taste, juiciness and has an appetizing aroma. To prepare this dish you will need the following ingredients:

turkey fillet – 600 grams;
onions – 2 pcs.;
sweet pepper – 2 pcs.;
garlic – 3 cloves;
soy sauce – 100 ml;
honey – 1 tablespoon;
sea salt, spices - add to taste.

Rinse the breast with cool water and cut into medium pieces. Then peel and press the garlic twice. Add it along with honey to the soy sauce, then add salt and spices to taste in the marinade. Place the turkey in this mixture and leave to marinate for 1 hour.

Chop the peeled peppers and onions, then place the vegetables on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place the marinated fillet on top and cover with another layer of foil. Bake the dish in the oven at 190 degrees for about 40 minutes. After this interval, turn off the oven and leave the meat in it until it cools, removing the top layer of foil. Serve this dish with herbs and dietary sauces to taste.

Meatballs

Tender meatballs will become the basis for a hearty lunch or dinner on a diet. They go well with porridges and vegetable side dishes to taste. Necessary ingredients for cooking:

turkey fillet – 500 grams;
bell pepper – 1 pc.;
carrot – 1 pc.;
onion – 1 pc.;
garlic – 2 cloves;
egg – 1 pc.;
tomato juice (natural) – 1 liter;
salt, spices - to taste.

Rinse the turkey fillet thoroughly and dry it. Then cut it into arbitrary pieces and pass through a meat grinder several times. Peel sweet peppers, carrots, onions and garlic and grind in a meat grinder in the same way. Add the egg, salt and spices to taste and mix the meatball base thoroughly.

Form small balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with paper. Bake the meatballs for about 20 minutes in the oven. Next, put them in a mold, pour in tomato juice and simmer for another 20-25 minutes in the oven. Serve with herbs and a light side dish of your choice.

In cranberry marinade

A savory turkey breast recipe that will diversify your diet menu. The berry marinade adds a slight sourness and complements the natural taste of the meat. For cooking you will need the following products:

turkey breast – 500 grams;
sesame seeds - 2 tablespoons;
cranberries (frozen berries are suitable) – 100 grams;
flower honey – 1 tablespoon;
table salt, spices - add to the meat to taste.

Rinse the fillets under running water and remove any small films. Cut the meat into portions. Then puree the cranberries using a kitchen blender. Add melted honey, salt and your favorite spices to it. Place the turkey pieces into the mixture and let them marinate for 1 hour. Next, roll them in sesame seeds and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the fillets for about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. The dish is served with fresh salad of cabbage, cucumbers and tomatoes with herbs.

Attention! This dish can also be prepared in a slow cooker (you must activate the “Baking” mode) or steamed.

Cutlets

Low-calorie cutlets without adding bread will be an excellent source of protein while losing weight. They are characterized by a delicate taste and great juiciness. Required list of products:

turkey breast – 500 grams
potatoes – 2 pcs.;
onion – 1 pc.;
sea salt, spices - add to the dish to taste.

Carefully peel the onions and potatoes and rinse with water. Rinse the breast under the tap and dry with paper towels, then grind in a meat grinder. Grate the potatoes and onions on a fine grater, mix the ingredients and add spices and salt. Form small patties using ground turkey.

The prepared cutlets should be placed in the freezer for about an hour so that they retain their shape.

Next, bake the cutlets on a baking sheet for about 30-40 minutes depending on the size. Serve the meat dish with lettuce and fresh herbs.

Casserole

This light broccoli casserole is ideal for a diet menu. The combination of vegetables and lean meat perfectly satisfies hunger and saturates the body with nutrients. For preparation you need:

turkey breast – 600 grams;
potatoes – 1 kg;
broccoli – 400 grams;
milk – 0.5 liters;
butter – 20 grams;
whole grain flour – 100 grams;
table salt, pepper - add to the dish to taste.

Rinse the meat and cut into small pieces. Chop the peeled potatoes into cubes. Prepare a baking dish and place the turkey in it first, then the potatoes and broccoli florets. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Prepare the creamy sauce: melt the butter in a frying pan, add flour to it and simmer a little until lumps appear. Then pour in the milk and stir until the sauce is gone, add salt. Pour the resulting dressing into the dish and bake it for about 1 hour at 180 degrees. Serve the finished casserole with chopped herbs.

Buzhenina

Recipe for a savory appetizer based on turkey fillet. To prepare this dish you will need the following products:

turkey breast – 1 kg;
water – 1 liter;
mustard – 2 tbsp. l.;
soy sauce – 1 tbsp. l.;
garlic – 2 cloves;
black pepper, salt - a pinch.

First, place the washed meat in water with salt and leave for the whole night (minimum 6-7 hours). Next, dry the turkey with paper towels and make cuts, stuffing them with chopped garlic. In a separate container, mix pepper, mustard and soy sauce. Then thoroughly rub the meat with the mixture and wrap it in foil. Place the fillet in the oven for 30 minutes, 5 minutes before cooking, unroll it to form a golden crust.

Note! You can add dried ginger and a little curry to the spice mixture for a more piquant taste.

In Japanese

An unusual way to cook turkey that is suitable for a diet. The meat according to the recipe turns out to be quite juicy and spicy in taste. Required list of products:

turkey breast – 500 grams;
garlic – 1 clove;
chili pepper – 1 piece;
miso paste – 2 tablespoons;
fresh ginger root – 5 grams;
sesame seed oil – 2 teaspoons;
salt - add to taste.

Place peeled garlic, seeded chili peppers, ginger, oil and miso paste into a blender bowl, then beat the mixture until smooth. Rinse the fillet with water and cut into small pieces, place them in a container with the spicy paste and mix. Next, cover the bowl with cling film and leave the meat to marinate for about 1 hour.

Then place the turkey in a baking dish and cook in the oven for about 35 minutes. Serve with brown rice or rice noodles as a side dish.

Up your sleeve

A simple way to cook turkey up the sleeve. The meat turns out tender and flavorful without any additional effort. To prepare the dish you need the following ingredients:

fillet – 500 grams;
garlic – 2 cloves;
salt, black pepper - add to taste;
lemon juice – 2 tsp.

Rinse the poultry fillet with cold water and dry with a paper towel. Cut the turkey into portions and pound it lightly with a kitchen mallet. Salt them and add black pepper. Chop the peeled garlic cloves and insert them into the cuts on the fillet. Next, sprinkle the meat with lemon juice and place it in the sleeve, tying both ends tightly. Place the sleeve on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Serve the meat with stewed zucchini and other vegetables to taste.

With eggplants

An excellent option for a hearty meal on a diet. The dish is quickly prepared and saturates the body with energy, vitamins and other beneficial substances.

turkey – 600 grams;
eggplants – 400 grams;
onion – 1 pc.;
sour cream (low fat) – 40 ml;
basil, ground pepper, paprika - a pinch;
sea salt - add to taste.

Wash the turkey breast and cut into small pieces and simmer for 5 minutes in a frying pan along with chopped onion. Rinse the eggplants under the tap and cut into circles. Place the eggplants in a container, add salt, spices, add sour cream and mix gently.

Prepare a baking dish and place part of the eggplants in it, place the turkey with onions on top and again a layer of sliced eggplants. Cover the dish with foil, carefully sealing the edges, and cook in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Then open the foil and bake for another 15 minutes until done. Serve the dish with ripe tomatoes and chopped herbs to taste.

Features of losing weight with turkey meat

In order for a diet based on turkey meat to bring as many benefits as possible for weight loss, the following conditions must be met:

Drinking should be plentiful: it is best to drink clean water, but compotes, teas and coffee are not prohibited.
It is necessary to eat a lot of vegetables so that the fiber they contain in large quantities can prevent constipation.
You cannot use this method of losing weight for longer than 7 days. However, including poultry in your daily diet will not only “burn” extra pounds, but will also improve your body’s health.

You can also drink low-fat kefir while following this diet to avoid intestinal problems.

Compound

Nutritional value of dietary turkey per 100 g of product:

276 kcal;
22 g fat;
19.5 g protein;
57.6 g water.

The benefits of turkey meat

Turkey meat can only be compared with veal in terms of leanness. The main advantages also include:

Low cholesterol percentage. Therefore, turkey is present on the menu of people with atherosclerosis and obesity.
High digestibility of nutrients. For example, protein is absorbed by as much as 95%! This is more than rabbit and chicken.
One serving of meat contains the body's daily requirement for omega-3. Unsaturated fatty acids activate the functioning of the brain and heart.
Microelements and vitamin composition. Turkey contains potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, as well as vitamins B, A, K.

Dietary meat can be eaten by pregnant women and children. The only thing is that we must not forget about a sense of proportion, because when overeating, processes of rotting of undigested food residues occur.

Turkey is one of the favorite foods on a diet, because when properly prepared, the dish turns out tasty, healthy and low in calories.

Menu of diet dishes with turkey for weight loss

The menu of such a diet is a “hodgepodge” of recipes for other diet dishes for losing weight from turkey, but the main difference between their use and simple consumption is that there is some systematicity in their “location”.

There are no radical changes in diet that can be observed on different days, but you must adhere to the following rules:

Eating	Dietary recommendations
Breakfast	Exclusively vegetables or salads made from them
Dinner	Boiled poultry with some greens added
Dinner	Meat with stewed or boiled vegetables
Late dinner	Must only be vegetable

That is, being on a diet can not only help you lose weight, but also speed up your metabolism and saturate the body with the necessary vitamins and microelements that the chemical composition of this food contains.

We recommend reading the article about sausage for weight loss. From it you will find out whether you can eat sausages while losing weight, a recipe for making homemade sausage. And here is more information about cabbage rolls for weight loss.

It is not only possible, but also necessary, to eat this bird when losing weight, because it is rich in protein, which contributes to a safe and enjoyable process of removing unnecessary centimeters .

The concept of the diet itself is not aimed at starvation, which is what many types of diets suffer from, but at saturating the body with all the necessary substances. Moreover, the combination of this meat with vegetables is considered a win-win in any form, so such dishes will become a useful decoration for any table.

How to choose

When going to the market or store, remember that turkey is an expensive type of meat. Advice from culinary specialists and nutritionists will help you choose a fresh copy.

High-quality turkey is distinguished by a whole palette of shades from soft pink to dark red. By the way, red meat has more protein than light meat.
The skin should be elastic and dry, smooth, without ruts or other damage.
Feel free to click on the carcass. Yes, yes, this is how the freshness of meat is determined. If the fillet has returned to its original shape, then you can take it, but if there is a dent left, then it is better to refrain from purchasing it.
When purchasing a whole carcass, pay attention to its weight. Ideally, the bird weighs 5-10 kg, which indicates its maturity and suitability for food. Also carefully inspect the comb and paws. In young individuals they are light and smooth.

The choice of bird should be approached very responsibly, so if in any doubt, refuse to purchase it. If you are interested in the price, and the carcass looks fresh, smell it. From the outside it looks strange, but this method is one of the most accurate.

Freshness, pleasant aroma and smooth structure are indicators of quality meat.

Storage issue

We have chosen turkey for the diet, now we will look at the features of its storage. Freezing is considered a reliable method. Pack dry meat in plastic or a special sealed bag. An uncut carcass is stored for a year, and a disassembled carcass for about 9 months.

As for defrosting, cool water or the main compartment of the refrigerator will come to your aid. Nutritionists do not recommend freezing meat again, because this is fraught with loss of nutrients. A thawed turkey can lie in the chamber for no more than a day, in the air - about 6 hours.

If you purchased a chilled carcass and do not want to put it in the freezer, store it in the usual way on the refrigerator shelf. Before removing the turkey, dry it with paper towels and place it in a bag.

Useful video

Watch the video about the benefits of turkey meat: