Did you know there are over 175 varieties of chickens or that chickens can lay pink and even blue eggs? While a chicken egg takes approximately 21 days to hatch, a chicken lifespan can be as long as 10 to 15 years. Americans love chicken! It’s a fact. They are more than just meat; they also bring provide us with eggs and their manure is recognized as high-quality fertilizer.
Every health conscious person should know their facts about chicken. Not all chicken is good chicken. In today’s market, while the claim has been made that all chickens are supposedly hormone-free, some plants still continue to use antibiotic therapy to stimulate growth. Seriously, get your antibiotics from your doctor, not your chicken! They have also been injected with salt water thus causing water retention, increased weight and more money at the register when we purchase poultry by the pound. Think about this: If your food is chemically treated, you too are ingesting those chemicals. If your chicken is injected with hormones, antibiotics and salt water, you too are ingesting these things. If you are absorbing the salt water found in some chicken, not only are you going to retain water as well, you are potentially increasing your risk for hypertension and other health-related issues.
According to the USDA all chickens labeled “free roam” have an added requirement with the coops. These chickens are provided, not only with a window in the coop itself, but they are allowed to leave the coop and roam outside. Of course you need containment fences or the chickens will end up on the porches and in the streets of every chicken farm and poultry plant, but they are given the freedom of soaking up the sun, getting exercise and even foraging for natural food. Doesn’t that sound like a happy chicken? It may sound odd, but a stressed chicken is a tough chicken. Literally. Tough, not-so-tasty meat.
An added benefit of increasing your chicken intake is the protein the meat carries. Good protein found in chicken promotes easier healthy tissue growth. Why do we care? We need those amino acids found in chicken to bring that metabolism rate up. When your metabolism rate is up, your body feeds on the fatty tissue and not the lean tissue, ultimately resulting in weight maintenance and even weight loss. Now don’t go deep fat frying an entire chicken with the misconception you will drop 10 pounds overnight. However, a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of protein rich foods like chicken will enhance any weight loss initiative. Feed your body the appropriate fuel and it will thank you!
So here’s the deal. The next time you’re out shopping for that perfect chicken breast to grill and place on top of your whole wheat noodles and marinara, be sure to look carefully at the label. Check for “free range” and “hormone free” and even “antibiotic free” labels. If you can’t find what you are looking for at your local grocery store check your local farmer’s market or Trader Joes. You can even find great chicken online through Grassland and Lobel’s of NY that will deliver right to your door. You might find advertisements in your local newspaper or Craigslist for farms in your area.
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