Friday, February 17, 2023

Nutritional Quality of Chicken

For many individuals, chicken is often a go-to during mealtime. Poultry is a good protein choice as it is lower in saturated fat than many red meat alternatives. It also offers many different options sold as breast, thighs, or wings, and is available boneless and skinless. Two of the most popular choices, thigh and breast, both serve as hearty protein sources but contain many differences. A chicken breast is made up of primarily white meat while a chicken thigh is mostly dark meat. A 3-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast contains about 140 calories, 3 grams of total fat, and just 1 gram of saturated fat. A 3-ounce chicken thigh containing dark meat contains 170 calories and three times the amount of fat that a chicken breast does, containing 9 grams of total fat and 3 grams of saturated fat. How the chicken is prepared also plays a role in the total nutrient quality. Chicken can be baked, grilled, roasted or fired, seasoned or stuffed, or coated with breading. Baking, grilling and roasting are the simplest options helping to keep the chicken the lightest without extra caloric or fat density. When cooking at home, keeping the skin on while cooking helps to keep the chicken moist but then removing the skin before eating reduces extra calories and saturated fat. All in all, the type of chicken you eat and the way you prepare it can have a large effect on your overall caloric intake. 


Source: https://www.eatright.org/food/food-groups/protein-foods/breasts-vs-thighs-which-is-more-nutritious


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