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5 Surprising Chicken Q&As
Sometimes I think half the people I know are cutting back on red meat (for health reasons, budget reasons, or both). You, too? Then chances are you're eating more chicken than ever. And "more" means more than 91 pounds a year! That's average for most Americans, and it's three times what we ate a few decades ago. So here's the first surprising question:
1. Is chicken that much better for you than meat? You bet. Compare a broiled skinless chicken breast to a broiled sirloin steak, with the fat trimmed to nearly nothing (a mere 1/8 inch): Ounce for ounce, the steak has a little less protein, about a third more calories, and four times as much fat, half of it saturated. Go chicken! Not only is it waist- and heart-friendly, but eating a low-fat diet -- and eating healthful unsaturated fats when you do eat fat -- can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.
Next question?
2. Are free-range chickens more nutritious than regular birds? Nope. Both get a feed mix that's designed to prep them for market, and there's no evidence that free-range chickens are more nutritious. Ideally, free-range birds are more humanely raised, but the USDA only requires that certified free-range chickens have "access" to the outdoors. "That may mean the birds got to stroll on a cement slab for 5 minutes a day," says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Nutrition for Women.
3. Is "pasturized" poultry tastier than free-range? Maybe. Pasturized birds -- think green pastures, not milk processing (that's Pasteur) -- spend most of their lives roaming around a field. Some cooks believe that makes their meat more flavorful. It certainly makes the chickens' lives nicer.
4. Are organic birds hormone-free? Well, yes, but all chickens are hormone-free. It's illegal to give hormones to poultry. Organic mainly means the chickens are raised on 100% organic feed and aren't fed antibiotics.
5. At McDonald's, are you better off ordering Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips or a cheeseburger? A cheeseburger. A five-strip order of Chicken Selects -- thanks to how they’re prepared -- equals more than two McD's cheeseburgers. The tab: 660 calories, 40 grams of fat, and a stunning 1,680 milligrams of sodium. Ouch.
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