#21: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth

00Angela00

Another day of our education of the 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. Woo Hoo! Some of these you won't be surprised by, some you will. I'll take one out of each food group each day to mix it up a bit.

All information is from the book by jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth".

Day 21: Free-Range Poultry (Chicken and turkey)

Chicken is a great source of protein and has an awful lot of other nutrients in it as well. Plus you can make one of the world's healthiest prepared foods out of it: chicken soup.

Now, obviously, I'm not talking about chicken "nuggets" of indeterminate composition. I'm talking the real bird. I prefer free range and organic, but everything I'm about to say about chicken and turkey applies to the plain, old-fashioned, grocery store kind as well

* Four onces of skinless, boneless chicken breat contains almost 35g of high-quality protein ans well as small amounts of calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron

* Four onces also contain 255 mg of phosphorus and 287 mg of heart-healthy potassium

* skinless dark meat contains somewhat more calories and fat; add the skin and you're talking seriously more fat and calories. Nutritionally turkey is fairly similar

* Chicken (but not turkey) is also an excellent source of niacin, a B vitamin that's important in energy metabolism and in biochemical functions needed to maintain healthy skin and a properly functioning gastrointestinal tract and nervous system

* Niacin is also involved in the metabolism of fats - four ounces of chicken provides 3/4 of the RDI for niacin

* The fat in boneless, skinless chicken is actually mostly monounsaturated. There's about 4 g of fat per 4 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast, and only 1.1 g of that is saturated fat. The rest is mostly monounsaturated, with a smattering of polyunsaturates int eh mix. Light-meat turkey has even less fat than chicken breast, but the dark meat has about the same, with a marginally higher percentage of saturated fat

* Then there's selienium. I consider selenium - a trace mineral - one of the single most important nutrients in the human diet. First of all, selenium is powerful antioxidant. Second of all, epidemiological data indicate lcearly that low dietary intake of selenium is associated with increased incidence of several cancers, including lung, colorectal, skin, and prostate cancers.

* I believe most people would be a lot healthier if they consumed at least 200mcg of selenium daily (the current RDI for selenium is 70 mcg). Four ounces of chicken breat provides 30 mcg, and one large breast contains 47 mg, making chicken an excellent source of this cancer-fighting mineral.

* Speaking of protein, I'm always amused by the vegan propaganda about how animal protein "causes" bone loss and osteoporosis. Actually the opposite is true. The Framingham Osteoporosis Study investigated protein consumption over a four-year period among 615 elderly men and women with an average age of 75. the amount of protein eaten daily ranged from as low as 14g a day to as high as 175g. Those who consumed more protein had LESS bone loss , and those who consumed less protein had MORE bone loss.

* calcium is bet4ter absorbed on a highter-protein diet.

* obviously organic is best.

WORTH KNOWING:

Urban legend department: everyone things taht the reason we get tired and fall asleep after Thanksgiving dinner is because of the tryptophan (an amino acid) in turkey. Nope. Four ounces of turkey actually has less than half a gram of tryptophan. We get sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner cause we eat too darn much; we zone out while all the blodd elaves our head to go down to the digestive tract, where it has a ton of work to do.

For previous posts:
ARTICHOKES: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57017--1-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
OATMEAL: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57180--2-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
BEANS: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57278--3-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
APPLES: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57482--4-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
ALMONDS: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57516--5-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
EDAMAME: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57602--6-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
BUTTER/GHEE http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57689--7-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
EGGS: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57791--8-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
CRUSTACEA: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/57940--9-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
BEE POLLEN: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/58069--10-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
ACAI JUICE: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/58196--11-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
CARDAMOM: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/58290--12-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
ALMOND OIL: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/58381--13-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
ARUGULA: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/58426--14-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
QUINOA: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/58555--15-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
GARBANZO BEANS: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/58671--16-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
APRICOTS: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/58800--17-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
BRAZIL NUTS: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/58921--18-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
FERMENTED SOY: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/59006--19-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth
CHEESE: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/59395--20-the-150-healthiest-foods-on-earth

ivykivy

I wonder is a yard chicken the same as free range? One of my neighbors has yard chickens.

AlmostHot

I wonder is a yard chicken the same as free range? One of my neighbors has yard chickens.

:laugh: is one of them going to go missing in the middle of the night? Yes Yard chickens are considered free range (well they are here in aussie land)

ivykivy

I just had chicken today but next week all bets are off!:laugh:

I wonder is a yard chicken the same as free range? One of my neighbors has yard chickens.

:laugh: is one of them going to go missing in the middle of the night? Yes Yard chickens are considered free range (well they are here in aussie land)

JoyousMaximus

Sadly, in the states, for a chicken to be "free-range," the farmer only has to "demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside. " (the Agency is USDA. I got that off their website) There is not thing about them actually have to BE outside for any period of time. You may want check the farmer (if possable) before you shell ou the extra cash OR if you really care about the animals buy certified humane meats.

Yard chickens are probably closer to free-range than "free-range" meats are. Probably better fed too,

Zephyr36608

Another interesting write up . Thx for sharing!
Zephyr:flowerforyou:

pniana

These are great. Thanks for sharing. I am really hoping Beets will appear on this list. I love Beets and am hoping they have super powers! Can you give me a hint? Will they appear?

00Angela00

These are great. Thanks for sharing. I am really hoping Beets will appear on this list. I love Beets and am hoping they have super powers! Can you give me a hint? Will they appear?

HMM ... should I ruin the surprise ... ? :laugh:

yup, there in here