Chicken is rich in an array of important nutrients and can be an excellent addition to a healthy, well-rounded diet. Given that chicken is low in calories but high in protein, it may be especially beneficial for weight loss, if that's a goal for you.
Eating chicken every day is not bad, but you need to be cautious while choosing the right one and cooking it right too. Chicken may cause food poisoning because of salmonella, a bacterium found in poultry chicken that can cause food-borne illnesses.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern recommends the average person eat 26 ounces of poultry (including chicken) per week. Per day, this would be roughly the same as eating 3.5 ounces of chicken breast.
Eating too much chicken can lead to higher cholesterol levels. It won't come as a surprise that this is related to cardiovascular disease. This way, eating chicken and other products rich in protein indirectly increased the risk of cardiovascular issues – health problems that could cause death.
A healthy balanced diet can include protein from meat, as well as from fish and eggs or non-animal sources such as beans and pulses. Meats such as chicken, pork, lamb and beef are all rich in protein. Red meat provides us with iron, zinc and B vitamins.
If you eat both, limit your intake of conventionally raised chicken to less than 18 oz per week. You can consume your additional 24 oz of protein from organic chicken, lean meat and legumes.
Out of all the chicken options at the grocery story, the healthiest option is fresh chicken breast. The white meat (chicken breast) has slightly less cholesterol than the dark meat (legs and wings). It is definitely lower in saturated fats. In general, poultry is a heart-healthy protein.
The American Heart Association recommends up to one egg a day for most people, fewer for people with high blood cholesterol, especially those with diabetes or who are at risk for heart failure, and up to two eggs a day for older people with normal cholesterol levels and who eat a healthy diet.
Chicken has long been considered a healthy alternative to red meat. And it is indeed low in saturated fat, contains higher amounts of omega-6 fatty acids than other animal meats, and is high in protein and essential vitamins and minerals such as B6, B12, iron, zinc, and copper.
Cured meats, cold cuts, salami, and hot dogs are just a few examples of processed meats to limit or avoid. Scientific consensus confirms that eating large amounts of these processed meats will raise your risk of colon cancer. These meats are often high in both sodium and saturated fats, Malkani says.
While they are both excellent sources of protein and add to your nutrient profile, the benefits of fish tend to be slightly higher than chicken, especially when it comes to the Omega-3 content in it.
A food rich in protein, chicken can help with weight management and reduce the risk of heart disease. Chicken contains the amino acid tryptophan, which has been linked to higher levels of serotonin (the “feel good” hormone) in our brains.
Daily intake of chicken can increase the risk of having cardiovascular or heart diseases, according to research. High protein foods have a very low content of fibre which may cause constipation. So, make sure to add fibre with your chicken like spinach, carrots, brown rice, etc.
In general, red meats (such as beef, pork and lamb) have more saturated fat than skinless chicken, fish and plant proteins. Saturated fats can raise your blood cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease. If you eat poultry, pork, beef or other meats, choose lean meat, skinless poultry, and unprocessed forms.
Hard-boiled eggs are an excellent source of lean protein. They'll fill you up without packing in too many calories, which is helpful if you want to lose weight. The protein in hard-boiled eggs also works alongside vitamin D to promote prenatal development.
Just like eggs cooked in other ways, fried eggs are rich in nutrients and can contribute towards a healthy diet when eaten as part of a balanced meal.
For most healthy adults, it's safe to eat 1–2 eggs a day depending on how much other cholesterol is in your diet. If you already have high cholesterol or other risk factors for heart disease, it may be best to eat no more than 4–5 eggs per week.
Both chicken and eggs are a low calorie and high protein option. However, Chicken contains double the amount of protein than eggs per serving, emerging as a clear winner. Not only that, but chicken also contains less cholesterol in comparison to eggs, making it a much healthier food choice.
The Winner: Poaching
"The healthiest way to cook chicken is to poach it," Lewis explains, "because you aren't introducing any other ingredient to the chicken other than the water it is boiled in." Similar to the way you'd poach an egg, all you'll need is the chicken you're using and some hot water.
Beef has a few nutritious advantages over chicken, as it contains more iron and zinc. These substances are essential for our immune systems and brain development. However, chicken is much better for your cardiovascular health, because it has less cholesterol and saturated fat than beef.
While the meat associated with raising levels of cholesterol is red meat obtained from animals like goat or sheep, even chicken has come under scrutiny for having a similar cholesterol raising effect on the body. The truth is, chicken by nature has lower cholesterol than any other cut, and lower fat than most cuts.
Chicken consumption was most associated with weight gain in both men and women, and it didn't take much. Compared to those who didn't eat any chicken at all, those eating about 20 or more grams of chicken a day had a significantly greater increase in their body mass index.
Bottom line: No, eating chicken for multiple meals during the week isn't proven to hurt you, but a diet lacking in variation might. Foods provide more and less of different nutrients, so it's important to mix it up no matter what you're eating.