The best choice for your muscles

It’s OK to eat red meat as long as you limit the amount. The American Heart Association recommends that people limit lean meat, skinless chicken and fish to less than six ounces per day, total. Fish (3.5 oz./serving) should be eaten at least twice per week, preferably fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, trout and herring.

Use the tips below to lower the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you get when you eat meat.

• One portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards or three ounces.
• Choose lean cuts of meat. Lean cuts usually contain the words “round,” “loin” or “sirloin” on the package.
• Trim off as much fat as you can before cooking, and pour off the melted fat after cooking.
• Use healthier cooking methods: bake, broil, stew and grill.

Chicken Salad: Add roast chicken breast, cherries or cranberries, halved seedless grapes, diced apple, chopped green onions, boiled mushrooms to a bowl and mix well. Add salt and pepper to your preferred taste. This salad is healthy and easy to prepare.

Chicken Sandwich: Toast 2 slices of bread and spread butter on them. Put slices of cucumber, beet root, onion, capsicum, and cooked chicken on one slice. Add salt and pepper to taste and cover with the second slice. Serve with ketchup or mayonnaise.

Oven-Fried Chicken: Take medium-sized cut chicken breast pieces, season them with paprika and salt to your preferred taste. Dip the pieces in egg whites and later dip them into a mix of crushed cornflakes. Grease a baking tray and place the chicken pieces on it. Cook in the oven or microwave until finished.

Here are some of the safety measures that should be taken while buying chicken.

The USDA has specified rules and regulations for handling chicken. All the details are mentioned in their official website.

All the varieties or breeds that are sold in the market are treated as chickens.

The USDA inspects all the chickens sold in the market as well as in the farms to make sure that the chickens do not have any diseases that can spread to people and to guarantee that the consumers get the best quality chicken.

Chickens can be either fresh or frozen. According to the USDA rules, “fresh” is where the raw poultry has not been frozen below 26° F or -3.3° C. Raw poultry that has been held at 0° F or -17.8° C must be labelled frozen or previously frozen.

According to the USDA, no growth hormones are used while raising chickens. On the other hand, antibiotics are used to prevent the spread or development of microbial infections and diseases. However, the law requires the withdrawal of such antibiotics weeks before the slaughter of chickens so that no residual antibiotics remain in the chickens’ systems.

Nutrition mission

According to the USDA , chicken (100 g) has moisture (65 g), energy (215 kcal), protein (18 g), fat (15 g), saturated fat (4 g), cholesterol (75 mg), calcium (11 mg), iron (0.9 mg), magnesium (20 mg), phosphorous (147 mg), potassium (189 mg), sodium (70 mg), and zinc (1.3 mg). In terms of vitamins, it contains vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and vitamin K.

High Protein Content: Chicken is one of the highest protein suppliers normally found in people’s diets. The amount of protein found in it is 18 g per 100 g of chicken, which is very high. Protein plays an important role in our diet. It is made of amino acids that make up protein, which are the building blocks of our muscle. The recommended amount of daily protein requirements is 1 gram per 1 kg of body weight, or 0.4 g of protein per pound of body weight. These numbers are for normal people. For athletes, the daily requirement of protein is about 0.6 g to 0.9 g per pound, which is more than double the regular requirement.

Important Source of Vitamins and Minerals: Chicken is not only a very good source of protein, but it is also a very good source of vitamins and minerals. The vitamins and minerals found in it are very useful in numerous activities in our body. For example, B vitamins are useful in preventing cataracts and skin disorders, boosting immunity, eliminating weakness, regulating digestion, and improving the nervous system, as well as preventing migraine, heart disorders, grey hair, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

Vitamin D helps in calcium absorption and bone strengthening. Vitamin A helps in building up eye sight and minerals such as iron are helpful in hemoglobin formation, muscle activity, and eliminating anemia. Potassium and sodium are electrolytes, phosphorous is helpful in tackling weakness, bone health, brain function, dental care, and metabolic issues.