She wrote ... " At a recent presentation, I made my audience gasp when I suggested they stop peeling the skin off chicken. And for heavens sake, stop paying top dollar for boneless, skinless breasts.
After all …chicken is a whole food. Until you start taking things away.
Ever really think about that?
When we talk about whole foods, we mean food that is minimally processed. A product of nature – in its natural form. Eating a whole food means eating all the edible parts. For instance, the fat found naturally in milk. The stem on kale. The skin on apples and potatoes and…yes, chicken.
But we’ve been told that chicken skin is terrible for us. Unlike beef, which is marbled with fat, the fat on chicken lies just below the skin. We strip it away and breed our chickens to be less and less fatty.
This quest for a low fat diet…ummm…it hasn’t exactly worked. Just look around.
Right.
So let me suggest that we stop manipulating food and allow our complex bodies, with systems scientists can barely wrap their heads around, eat food as nature provides it. We are not smarter than nature.
After all …chicken is a whole food. Until you start taking things away.
Ever really think about that?
When we talk about whole foods, we mean food that is minimally processed. A product of nature – in its natural form. Eating a whole food means eating all the edible parts. For instance, the fat found naturally in milk. The stem on kale. The skin on apples and potatoes and…yes, chicken.
But we’ve been told that chicken skin is terrible for us. Unlike beef, which is marbled with fat, the fat on chicken lies just below the skin. We strip it away and breed our chickens to be less and less fatty.
This quest for a low fat diet…ummm…it hasn’t exactly worked. Just look around.
Right.
So let me suggest that we stop manipulating food and allow our complex bodies, with systems scientists can barely wrap their heads around, eat food as nature provides it. We are not smarter than nature.
If this theory of whole food eating is still sinking in, here are 6 straightforward reasons why eating chicken skin is actually good for you.
I definitely recommend eating the highest quality animal products you can get your hands on. That means being picky about your source. If you don’t live near a trusted farm, you can order free-range poultry here
1. Let’s talk about the kind of fat you’ll find in chicken skin. It’s mainly monounsaturated, in the form of oleic acid. Oleic acid, also found in olive oil, is known for beneficial effects on cholesterol.
2. Of course there are also saturated fats in chicken skin. This is no accident. Nature provides what the body needs. The body does not need soda. The body does not need cotton candy. Or Gatorade. The body does, in fact, need some saturated fat. So eat it.
3. If you’re in the calorie-counting camp, there’s roughly a 50 calorie difference between chicken with or without skin. Seems a small price to pay for a huge increase in flavor and satisfaction.
4. Did I mention flavor and satisfaction? When your food satisfies your taste buds and body’s cravings, you don’t need to eat as much or as often. Sugar cravings subside and you can go back to loving food instead of fearing it. That’s huge, people.
5. Fat doesn’t make you fat. If it did, the lowfat/nonfat craze would have given us a country of slender people. Instead, we have an obesity epidemic. It just doesn’t add up. Here’s a thought. Eat the skin that occurs naturally on chicken. Don’t eat I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Power Bars, Eggo Waffles or other foodstuffs made in lab. See what happens.
6. Forget marinades, seasonings and complicated recipes! Naturally occurring fats make chicken delicious, as-is. Cooking is easy.
Go forth and actually enjoy your food."
Michelle's article and recipe suggestion is here
I definitely recommend eating the highest quality animal products you can get your hands on. That means being picky about your source. If you don’t live near a trusted farm, you can order free-range poultry here
1. Let’s talk about the kind of fat you’ll find in chicken skin. It’s mainly monounsaturated, in the form of oleic acid. Oleic acid, also found in olive oil, is known for beneficial effects on cholesterol.
2. Of course there are also saturated fats in chicken skin. This is no accident. Nature provides what the body needs. The body does not need soda. The body does not need cotton candy. Or Gatorade. The body does, in fact, need some saturated fat. So eat it.
3. If you’re in the calorie-counting camp, there’s roughly a 50 calorie difference between chicken with or without skin. Seems a small price to pay for a huge increase in flavor and satisfaction.
4. Did I mention flavor and satisfaction? When your food satisfies your taste buds and body’s cravings, you don’t need to eat as much or as often. Sugar cravings subside and you can go back to loving food instead of fearing it. That’s huge, people.
5. Fat doesn’t make you fat. If it did, the lowfat/nonfat craze would have given us a country of slender people. Instead, we have an obesity epidemic. It just doesn’t add up. Here’s a thought. Eat the skin that occurs naturally on chicken. Don’t eat I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Power Bars, Eggo Waffles or other foodstuffs made in lab. See what happens.
6. Forget marinades, seasonings and complicated recipes! Naturally occurring fats make chicken delicious, as-is. Cooking is easy.
Go forth and actually enjoy your food."
Michelle's article and recipe suggestion is here
Find Your Balance Health Blog here
All the best Jan
13 comments:
Crispy chicken skin is very good when cooked as a roast, but in casseroles I sometimes use skinless thighs.
Sue
The only time we had skinned chicken growing up was when we had MANY home grown to process in one day. Imagine my surprise when marrying that my husband insisted the skin should be removed. Why? Because his mother did it.
I ignored the request and if I knew the origin of the chicken I kept on serving skin on.
When will people wake up and know some of the "old ways" were good because they worked!
Thanks for your kind comments on my blog. Have a blessed week.
dark chicken meat is my favorite and i often eat the skin, not as shameful as i thought. are those potatoes?? if so, i make a similar dish but i cook the potatoes, first, for a bit...i use an oven capable frying pan. the potatoes crisp up nicely. i use yukon golds, they are so creamy and buttery!!!
have a nice weekend you guys!!!!
Hello, it is nice to know that the skin on the chickens is not so bad after all. I have been picking it off and not eating the skin. Thanks for sharing the info and post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!
Wow and I have been taking off the skin all this time, well not anymore, I am going back to the skin, my hubby will appreciate that too :)
Also thanks Jan for your thoughts for Jerry on my post, I can't imagine going through all of that...
Jewish people in Eastern Europe in "the old days" had two main choices for cooking fat: butter or rendered chicken fat (schmaltz). They could not use lard or mix meat and milk because of the rules about being kosher, and they didn't have access to olive oil which could be used for either. So they ate a lot of schmaltz--if meat was served it was the only option (might be duck or goose schmaltz, too).
When I was young my mother and grandmother rendered the schmaltz and I loved to chew on the griebenes (cracklings). The house smelled wonderful. My great grandmother lived into her 100's eating this way.
But sadly, in the 70's this was suddenly considered wrong and dangerous. We switched to canola oil and skinless chicken, and died of metabolic diseases. So nice to see that the whole chicken is back. Eat the fat!
I love chicken skin when it's all crispy, it's good to know it isn't bad for you.
That's very interesting Jan. Most of the time I always remove the chicken skin but occasionally love to leave it on and cook until it's nice and crispy. Another great post, thank you :)
Um artigo muito interessante.
Um abraço e um bom fim de semana.
I think I might eat the skin once in a while. Makes sense.
Love it if it's crispy!!..Thanks for the info
Such sensible advice. Crispy chicken skin is just yummy and like the lady says, eating it gives a sense of full satisfaction.
I use to skin my chicken, but I stopped, you lose too much flavor and life's too short.
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