If you are looking out for healthy meat that is affordable, available and still healthy. Then the poultry meat is your best bet.
We can define poultry as domestic fowls including chickens, turkeys, geese, and ducks. The nutritive value of poultry meat depends on various factors ranging from age, feeding, carcass parts, and type of meat. So if you are looking out for certain key nutrients in your chicken meat, the best time to start is with their breeding process and ensuring they take the measures for a healthy bird.
Poultry meat can be fortified and enriched with vitamins, trace elements, phytochemicals, and omega-3 fatty acids. All these mentioned may result in producing more functional food character in the meat.
However, in this article, we will look at the various health benefits you may stand to gain from consuming chicken meat.
Chicken meat has a moderate energy content and highly digestible proteins of high biological value. This property makes chicken a healthier alternative to some other meats, preventing childhood obesity and invariably non-communicable diseases associated with obesity.
Chicken meat contains lesser fat especially in the breast area, it contains essential poly-unsaturated fatty acids like omega-3 fatty acid and does not contain trans fats. These properties make it heart-friendly.
They also recommended chicken meat constituent of a DASH diet. A DASH diet is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, it is a diet that is rich in grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. The chicken meat can serve as a low-fat dairy product in a DASH diet. If you are looking at a low-cholesterol diet, nutritionists advise you to desk in the meat before consumption, to get maximum health benefits.
Apart from the flesh, the bones are also excellent sources of calcium and phosphorus for healthy bones and teeth. So if you are in a family that leaves your chicken bones after meals untouched, this is the time to reconsider your choices, unless you do not have functional teeth.
One good thing about chicken meat is when cooked properly till tender, it serves all age groups down to the elderly, the elderly start losing oral function (loss of teeth) as they age, but the chicken especially the chicken breast is quite soft and can be easier for them to chew on than other parts of the chicken.
These are the things you stand to enjoy and benefit from the chicken meat, but always remember moderation is key, do not eat the meat in excess to avoid consuming excess protein in your diet. We should get protein from a variety of sources and chicken meat is just one of them. So put all these into consideration when making your food choices.
Udoh, Chidera Jennifer.
