In the early days of winter, when the weather is cold and unpredictable, it’s easy to catch a cold or get the flu. At this time, you need to pay attention to preserving your health. Through diet, you can improve your immunity. Health experts recommend eating a lot of duck meat during this period.
Nutritional value of duck meat
Duck meat is rich in high-quality protein, vitamin B, vitamin D, iron, zinc, selenium, and other nutrients. It also contains less cholesterol, making it a relatively healthy meat choice.
Duck meat has a relatively high amount of fat, usually between the skin and the meat. However, the fat in duck meat is unsaturated fat (different from saturated fat in animals). This fat is considered healthy and has little harmful effect on human health.
In addition, through the cooking process, the amount of fat in duck meat will decrease significantly depending on whether the duck is cooked thoroughly or not, and whether you remove the outer skin or not.
In fact, some parts of duck meat, such as duck breast, have low fat content (2 grams, with only 0.5 grams of saturated fat) per 85 grams of meat. This fat content is lower than the fat content in chicken breast (3 grams of total fat and 1 gram of saturated fat).
Duck legs and duck thighs have higher total fat content (average 5 grams of fat / 85 grams of meat), but duck legs still have less fat than skinless chicken thighs.
Therefore, it can be seen that duck meat is a source of healthy fat and has a low risk of obesity for the human body. This is also a commonly chosen food in dieting and weight loss regimens.
Benefits of duck meat
Good for the throat and bronchi
Unlike other types of meat, duck meat is not hot or dry, making it particularly suitable for nourishing the body in winter. It helps regulate body temperature and soothe dryness and discomfort in the throat. Duck meat also helps supplement essential nutrients for the body, strengthen the immune system, fight diseases, and keep us healthy in cold weather.
Energy boost
Duck meat contains high levels of essential amino acids that help the body produce energy for daily activities.
Reduced risk of heart disease
While fish oil is considered the top source of omega-3 fatty acids, duck meat also contains this group of acids and is beneficial for cardiovascular health. Eating duck (and other poultry) instead of beef can lead to positive health outcomes related to the risk of heart disease. In addition, duck meat provides a comparable amount of iron to red meat, significantly more than the amount of iron you get from chicken meat.
Supports thyroid health
Consuming adequate selenium is also important for thyroid health. About 250 grams of Pekin duck provides more than 50% of the daily selenium value.
Bone protection
Some studies have shown that consuming animal protein, including duck meat, can improve bone density and strength.
Some dishes and remedies using duck meat
Duck meat is very high in protein, fats, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamins (B1, B2, A, D, E). According to traditional medicine, duck meat has a sweet taste and a cooling nature. The benefits of duck meat include nourishing the blood, nourishing the yin, reducing fever, detoxifying the body, and harmonizing the five organs. It treats hot flushes, frequent urination, spontaneous sweating, seminal emissions, dry mouth, thirst, and scanty menstruation.
Below are some dishes and remedies using duck meat by Dr. Thanh Xuan published in Health & Life Newspaper:
Recipe 1: 250g of duck meat, 200g of chinese chive, 10g of ginger, 15g of onion, cooking oil, and spices. How to make: Rinse the duck meat and let it drain, cut into square pieces about 4cm. Peel and rinse the chinese chive, let it drain. Cut the ginger into pieces.
How to cook: Heat the cooking oil and ginger until fragrant, add the duck meat and spices, stir-fry for a few minutes, pour in 2 liters of water, add the onion, boil for about 30 minutes, add the chinese chive and cook until tender, then remove the foam and onion. This dish has the effect of cooling the body, stimulating the appetite, promoting sweating,… suitable for hot weather, tiredness, and loss of appetite.
Recipe 2: About 1kg of duck, remove the innards and clean; black sesame seeds, lotus seed, almonds, longan, foxnut, red apple, Asian yam, each ingredient 20g.
How to cook: Stuff the herbs into the duck’s belly and sew it back up, put it in a large bowl, add the necessary spices and a little water, steam until cooked, remove the sewn thread before serving. This dish has the effect of nourishing the kidneys, spleen, and pancreas, suitable for weak and debilitated individuals, and low blood pressure.
Recipe 3: 1kg of duck, 10g of belemnite, 30g of fragrant herb. Seasoning: ginger, onion, rapeseed oil, soy sauce, salt, and MSG.
How to cook: Clean the duck, remove the innards, brush soy sauce on the skin, fry in rapeseed oil, then wash off the grease and put it in a clay pot. The herbs: belemnite, fragrant herb, put them in a small cloth bag and put it in the pot. Add enough water, simmer until the duck is cooked, remove the broth and pour it over the chopped duck. This dish is very nutritious, suitable for weak spleen and stomach, and loss of appetite.
Cheaper than pork, nutritious for lungs and stomach, eat as much as you want without getting fat.
Duck meat is not only cheaper than pork, but it is also packed with abundant nutrients. It is a guilt-free option even if you consume a large amount, as it won’t make you gain weight.
People Who Shouldn’t Eat Duck Meat
Duck Meat’>Duck meat is a highly nutritious food that is beneficial for health, but it may not be suitable for everyone’s taste.
