Unfortunately, the way we raise our chickens today has changed their nutritional value. We have always been told that chickens are a lean source of protein. This was because they had higher protein content than fat. Now however, most chickens have higher fat than protein making them far less healthier than they used to be. This change in the chicken has been caused by factory farming.
This involves packing hundreds and sometimes thousands of chickens into a small space with no room to exercise, feeding them high-energy food so that they bulk up quickly, and giving them antibiotics so they do not get a disease in this less than humane environment. Animal rights aside; the process of factory farming has changed the nutritional value of the food we eat and this has been done to help increase profits for those involved in the industry. In summary there are two key problems that now arise from the chickens we are sold:
Problem 1: No exercise makes the birds fat. This fat is passed on to the consumer.
Problem 2: Chickens are fed cheap food made of seeds which makes them get fat and weigh more, but the extra weight is fat not protein. Factory farmed chickens are not given the grass and protein they require. Not only has this affected their fat to protein ratio, it has also increased the amount of Omega 6 fatty acids while decreasing the Omega 3 fatty acids. In a healthy chicken these would be balanced offering us health benefits such as helping to lower bad cholesterol, heart health, etc.
To conclude, we need to be more cautious about the chickens we buy and look for chickens that are reared in a way that leads to a healthy lean meat on our plate.
For more information and TIPS on what to look for when buying chicken, click here.
Briana Southward is the author of The Naked Label, a blog that helps consumers learn about what’s really in the food we eat. It strips off all the fancy marketing and false messages to get at the truth. If you are interested to see what’s naked this week, learn about great substitute products, and get recipe ideas, check out www.TheNakedLabel.com
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Better eating is an easy thing to achieve.
Raise the animals yourself! I have always had chickens since I was just a kid, but given the conditions of factory farming raising the chickens yourself just makes sense. It is relatively low cost. Very easy to do and in around three months time you can fill your freezer with far better meat than you can buy in your local chain store at comparable prices. Plus you know how they were treated and what they were fed.
If you can’t raise chickens for meat at least explore the possibility of a few backyard hens for eggs. They are cute, friendly and lay the best breakfast you have ever eaten!