Chicken nutrition
Chicken is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Chicken is a protein food and it is considered a complete protein because it contains all the nine essential amino acids.
Chicken is one of the most popular meats worldwide. It is easily available, versatile, and simple to prepare. Chicken nutrition is also excellent, providing several essential nutrients without loading you with harmful elements. Including chicken in your meals more often protects you from long-term disorders like heart disease and cancer.
You may be wondering, though, about the protein and fat content of chicken. Read on to find out.
Chicken is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. A 100-gram portion of chicken provides:
- Energy: 158 calories
- Protein: 32.1 grams
- Total fat: 3.24 grams
- Saturated fatty acids: 1.01 grams
- Cholesterol: 116 milligrams
- Carbohydrates: none
- Minerals: calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, selenium, zinc, copper, manganese, and potassium
- Vitamins: B vitamins ( thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, pyridoxal) and vitamin E
The protein in chicken is considered a complete protein because it contains all the nine essential amino acids — the amino acids that cannot be made by the body and therefore need to be included in one's diet. Proteins from animal sources are nearly always complete proteins. Among plant sources, only soy protein is a complete protein.
Chicken has no carbohydrates, though, which you require for your body's energy needs. Chicken also provides no dietary fiber, which is essential for good gut and heart health.
Is chicken a protein food or high in fat?
Chicken is a protein food. It has a good concentration of protein and a health-friendly ratio of protein to fat. A 100-gram portion of chicken that contains 32.1 grams of protein only has 3.24 grams of fat. The most frequently eaten meat in the US is beef, which provides a comparable amount of protein — 27.7 grams per 100-gram portion. However, even lean, trimmed cuts of beef have 6.36 grams of fat per 100 grams — almost twice as much as chicken.
The US Department of Agriculture divides protein foods like chicken into three groups:
Meats, Poultry, and Eggs. Poultry includes chicken, game birds, ducks, geese, and turkey. Meats include beef, bison, goat, pork, lamb, and game meat such as elk and venison. Eggs most commonly include chicken eggs and other birds' eggs.
Seafood. Fish and shellfish
Nuts, seeds, and soy products. Tree nuts, peanuts, seeds, seed butters, and all products made from soy
Health benefits of chicken
Saturated fats. Chicken is an excellent addition to your dinner table. It provides protein without loading you up with fats. Its saturated fatty acid content is only 1.01 grams per 100-gram portion — less than half that found in beef and other common red meats. This is significant because saturated and trans fats can increase your risk of heart disease, obesity, and other chronic disorders. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, in contrast, commonly benefit health.
Most of the fats in chicken meat are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. This meat allows you to add protein to your diet while keeping yourself safe from dangerous types of fats.
Remember to grill, bake, or stir-fry your chicken, though. Fried chicken and processed chicken meat are richer in saturated fats and not as healthy.
Additionally, chicken without skin is lower in fat. Even if you can't get skinless chicken, you can remove the skin before cooking.
Avoidance of red meat. Red meat (beef, lamb, venison, and others) is associated with heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Eating more than 90 grams of red meat a day, in particular, is associated with a higher risk of colon cancer. You should reduce your consumption to an average of 70 grams a day, and you can manage this by replacing red meat with chicken one or two days a week. Chicken and other poultry are classified as white meat and are less likely to cause certain health problems.
Other healthy protein options include fish, eggs, and vegetable sources like pulses and beans.
Vitamins. Chicken meat contains many of the B-group vitamins.
- Thiamine (also called vitamin B1) helps the body to break down and release energy from food. It also keeps your nervous system in good health.
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is necessary for skin, eyes, and nervous system health. It also helps the body release energy from food.
- Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) helps the body to use and store energy from the protein and carbohydrates in your food. It also has a role in making hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen all over the body.
- Vitamin B12 is needed to make red blood cells, keep the nervous system healthy, and release energy from food.
Minerals. Chicken also provides you with several minerals that your body needs. For instance, calcium keeps bones and teeth healthy, regulates muscle contractions, manages your heartbeat, and plays a role in blood clotting. Iron is important for forming red blood cells and several enzyme systems. Copper helps your body produce red and white blood cells and is vital for brain development and the immune system.
Protein requirement
Your body needs protein for growth and sustenance. Proteins are essential for making metabolic enzymes, building bones and muscle, and keeping your immune system working, among hundreds of other uses. Foods like chicken, which are rich in protein, are therefore vital for meeting your body's protein requirement.
How much protein do you need? The recommendation for people with sedentary lifestyles is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For example, if you weigh 60 kilograms (132 pounds), you should make sure there are at least 48 grams of protein in your food daily. You need greater amounts if you have a physically active lifestyle or are an athlete.
Including a 100-gram portion of chicken in your daily meal plan will help you fulfill more than half of your body's protein requirement.
Weight loss
Chicken can be valuable if you're trying to lose weight. You can get your protein requirement from chicken-containing meals without adding too many calories since chicken is low in fat. A gram of fat yields 9 calories in the body, as opposed to the 4 calories in a gram of protein.
A meal rich in protein is very satisfying and will keep you from feeling hungry for a long time. Satiety is important for the success of any diet plan, and proteins are more satisfying than fats and carbohydrates.
Chicken is white meat rich in protein and low in fat content. It's good for meeting your nutritional requirements and maintaining long-term health. Avoid the processed forms of chicken, though, and remove the skin before grilling or baking it to maximize the health benefits of this protein food.
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Medically Reviewed on 11/30/2022
References
SOURCES:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Fats - Saturated, Unsaturated, and Trans Fat."
Food & Function: "Dietary protein intake and human health."
National Health Service: "B vitamins and folic acid," "Meat in your diet," "Vitamins and minerals."
Nutrients: "B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy--A Review."
University of Rochester Medical Center: "Components of Food."
US Department of Agriculture: "Beef, loin, tenderloin roast, separable lean only, boneless, trimmed to 0" fat, select, cooked, roasted," "Chicken, broiler or fryers, breast, skinless, boneless, meat only, cooked, braised," "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025."
