If you are craving Chinese for dinner or roasting a duck at home to accompany your roast dinner, you might be wondering if duck is a syn-friendly meat to have on the slimming world plan?
Duck is syn free on the slimming world plan as long as you eat it without the skin/fat, crispy duck from the Chinese however or duck with fat does have syns.
In our syn guide below, we will take you through why duck can be high in syns, syn values of different kinds of duck and some low syn recipes with duck to help you lose weight below.
Why Can Duck Be High In Syns?
Lean cuts of duck or duck without the skin and fat on is considered a syn-free meat on the slimming world plan and a great protein source for weight loss. However, syn-free duck is not to be confused with other types of duck such as crispy duck which can be very high in syns.
Chinese takeaway crispy duck, for example, is very high in syns due to it being fried and having the fat and skin left on, for example, an 100g serving of crispy Chinese duck has around 15 syns which is your whole daily syn allowance!
Syn Values Of Duck
Duck has a variety of syns according to how it is prepared and cooked, to help you stay on track with your syns we've listed them below.
If your craving some duck for dinner but want to keep your meals syn-friendly, we've got two great duck recipes for you to try out below for an easy dinner.
Chinese Spiced Duck
Ingredients
Three duck breasts.
Four spoons of soy sauce.
Two pinches of Chinese five spice.
Ginger.
Garlic.
Chillies.
Pepper.
Chinese cabbage.
Light soy sauce three tbsp.
Onion.
Method
Start by slicing the duck up then cover it with soy sauce, spices, garlic and ginger then allow it to marinate for around half an hour.
Spray a wok with low-cal cooking spray and heat it, add the duck mix, fry and set aside,
Now take the Chinese cabbage and add it into the wok with ginger on a lower heat, add in the soy sauce and enjoy with the duck.
Duck In Sauce
Ingredients
Two spoons of hoisin sauce and oyster sauce.
Spoon of cornflour.
Four spoons of dark soy sauce.
Pinch of Chinese five spice.
400ml of chicken stock.
Four duck breasts.
Ginger and garlic.
Chilli.
Broccoli.
Spinach.
Method
Start by mixing your cornflour, hoisin, oyster and soy sauce then stir in the Chinese spice and stock into a jug.
Spray a pan and add the duck in, stirfry for 5 minutes then stir in your garlic, ginger and chilli, stir in the sauce and bubble for around 5 minutes.
Now stir in the broccoli and spinach and cook for another 5 minutes.
Last Words
Overall, Duck is syn free on the slimming world plan as long as it contains no fat or skin, when the fat and skin are left on the duck this makes it high in syns having 20 syns for 100g! Chinese duck especially is high in syns since it is fried, making it high in fat.
To save syns we suggest choosing duck breasts which are skinless to cook with and avoiding crispy duck options when possible.
Jennifer
Jennifer is a certified nutritionist and weight loss coach with a Master's in Nutrition from Cambridge. With over 10 years experience, she shares healthy recipes and science-backed slimming tips on SheCooksSheEats to help people reach their wellness goals. Jennifer stays up-to-date by regularly attending conferences and continuing her nutrition education. She aims to provide research-backed advice to inspire balanced, happy living.