Fast-Food Chicken: Why It's Not as Healthy as You Think

Fast-food chicken, particularly grilled chicken, is often considered healthy. However, this is not always the case. You may want to avoid fast-food chicken altogether; I stopped eating it.

Top Five Reasons Why:

#1: High-Fat Content: Fast-food chicken is often fried, coated with flour, breading, and cooked at high temperatures in unhealthy oils. This cooking process causes extra fat to accumulate in the meat. Even grilled and crispy chicken versions contain high amounts of fat due to the chicken skin blended in [1].

#2: Fake Chicken: Many fast-food chains claim to sell chicken breasts. However, they contain fillers and other additives that may not be healthy. For instance, McDonald's chicken nuggets combine ground chicken, chicken skin, starches, sugars, and other flavor agents like autolyzed yeast, which always contain monosodium glutamate [2].

#3: Fillers: Fillers are added to fast-food chicken to create a uniform shape, size, and weight. Gums, starches, and fillers hold the product together and allow it to be molded into a consistent size and weight [3].

#4: Appetite Accelerants: Sugars, monosodium glutamate, and yeast are appetite accelerants in fast-food chicken. These substances are found in the fillers and coating to enhance flavor [4].

#5: Added Sugar: Fast-food chicken is infused with sugars like dextrose, which comes from corn or wheat and is almost identical in composition to glucose [1].

Fast-food Salad?

Fast-food salads, particularly those with chicken, are not healthier alternatives to fast-food chicken. They are often made with the same fake, sugar-filled chicken and topped with high-fat, sugary dressings.

What fast food will I eat?

If you want to indulge in fast-food, consider opting for a real hamburger made from beef. Some fast-food chains like In-N-Out and Five Guys offer natural beef without fillers, preservatives, or stimulating substances [5].

Bottom line: fast-food chicken may not be the healthy option you think it is. With high-fat content, fake chicken, fillers, appetite accelerants, and added sugars, it is best to avoid fast-food chicken altogether.

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References:

1. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. 2019.
2. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "Monosodium glutamate and free glutamate in food: An assessment of the dietary impact on humans." 2020.
3. Food Technology. "The Use of Gums in Meat Products." 2009.
4. Journal of Nutrition. "Glutamate and Appetite." 2000.
5. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "Fast Food: Perceptions, Attitudes, and Consumption Behaviors of Consumers in Europe." 2018.

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