It's cool to see the chemistry behind this. I always thought the main differences were due to fat. Light meat it much more lean. 44% of the calories in dark meat are from fat, compared to only 25% for light meat.

Compare light meat:
http://calorielookup.com/food/view/5041
to dark meat:
http://calorielookup.com/food/view/5045

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If I remember my college biology class, white meat is muscle used in short bursts, while dark meat is muscle used for endurance. That is why a chicken breast is white, it is used infrequently but forcefully, while a duck breast is dark, it is used to fly long distances.

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Dr. Mercola is a quack. Be very careful about believing anything on that web site.

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How do you know he/she is a quack?

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i thought this was gonna be about sex, such disappointment.

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Poultry WHITE AND DARK MEAT:
WHITE MEAT HAS MORE SERIUM PROTEIN WHILE DARK MEAT
HAS GEL FORMING PROTEIN AS WELL AS GRISTLE AND SINEW TO SUPPORT THE BIRD FOR RUNNING AND LANDING.
Dark meat has more iron content

DARK MEAT HAS A HIGHER CONTENT OF OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS AND WHEN COVERED WITH SKIN IS A GREAT SOURCE OF OMEGA THREE FATTY ACIDS, AND COLLAGEN 2.

THE FAT FROM CHICKEN LEQ QUARTERS HAS BEEN USED FOR CENTURIES AS A COSMETIC BASE AND FOR BUTTER AND VEGETABLE OIL REPACEMENT.
Cyber Rae rae84065@aol.com

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Mainstream medicine recommends a diet nothing like what our ancestors ate, and when it produces an epidemic of obesity, tells us we aren't doing it well enough. The mainstream doctors receive handouts from pharmaceutical reps, and all but become salesmen themselves, pushing their drugs onto us, drugs which destroy livers and harm the ability of the body to heal itself, to treat nonexistant problems. One breaks ranks and dares speak the truth - that natural foods are not evil, that what makes you fat is that bread you stuff your face with, and the fact that you eat 10 times as much sugar as your grandparents did - not your consumption of natural healing foods like milk, cheese, butter, and meat. His thanks is then to be labelled a "quack" - as if the real quack were not the man telling you to do more of what caused your health problems in the first place.

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To Marisa McClellan who wrote this article and cited Dr. Mercola's website "(a website that is often a little wacky but occasionally has some good info)." I was wondering how you deemed this info regarding white meat vs. dark meat "not whacky" and worthy of reporting. Do you pick and choose from the source what is acceptable based on your own expertise? Why don't you cite a source that is consistently "not whacky"? What a compliment it must be for Dr. Mercola that YOU Marisa McClellan have found a tidbit of information that is not crazy among all the other nonsense he puts out. Did this one sound good to you today? Did any other non whacky sources back his findings? I visit Dr. Mercola's website often but now I will be on the look out for "whacky" information. Unfortunately, I probably won't have your input to know what is correct and what is incorrect Dr. McClellan. I can hardly wait for you to find the next small nugget of truth at his website.

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LinC wrote: "Dr. Mercola is a quack. Be very careful about believing anything on that web site."

The good news is that Marisa (like you) already knows that he's whacky , but she has found a sliver of truth that is worth reporting here. However, it looks like you're smarter than all of us and won't be fooled into taking the bait on any issue.

The safe bet is to listen to traditional medicine and don't try anything new. This whole "No Trans Fat" and "Sugar Free" crap is a farse. Eat and live the way that makes you happy. I mean we're all going to die anyway so eat and drink up what you want!!

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People. It's thanksgiving. Forget science. Forget calories. It is the only holiday without an agenda.
Just enjoy it.

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I have heard from several sources, (and no, I didn't confirm, validate, research, check and double-check the sources), but that dark meat chicken and turkey, (non-game fowl), was due to the urine discharges throughout the birds often short life.

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To me the difference is in the taste. If it's chicken, I like dark meat, my wife likes white meat. However, there is a problem in restaurants. They contend wings are white meat..and charge more. My wife doesn't care for wings. I do.
So, what the heck? Guess who pays the difference?

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Eat and live the way that makes you happy. I mean we're all going to die anyway so eat and drink up what you want!!
Posted at 10:56PM on Nov 9th 2007 by Doug

What foolish advice! One thing some of you don't take into consideration: sometimes you don't die from a poor diet or lifestyle (such as smoking), but you just get very, very, ill and have to live that way for years...in pain, etc. Think about it!

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fact is white meat is better for you, indisputable.

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Uhm. Dark meat taste good. White meat not. Mmmhmm.

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SEE LINUS PAULING "THE ONLY" 2 TIME NOBEL PRIZE WINNER. BRANDISHED A QUACK BY THE PHARMA COMPANYS...

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Doug, you seem a bit overzealous. Do you, by any chance, work for Dr. Mercado or something? LOL

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I always thought that the difference between white and dark meat for chicken and turkey was due to the fact that the dark meat was closer to the ground. Both walk around in their own manure.

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Losing appetite - Thanks for help with diet. Lol

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If you like science and food, check out goods eats with alton brown on the food channel............

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