Frustrating when you think you're eating healthy, but you find out you're not!!!

Options
Karihappy
Karihappy Posts: 116 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Dang it all! I grabbed some grocery store roasted chicken thighs to eat tonight cuz I thought they would be something quick and healthy to grab at the store, but when I got home, I saw they had put an ingredient sticker on the chicken. Here's what it says: "Chicken containing up to 11% of a solution of water, vinegar, salt, sugar, spices, dehydrated garlic, soybean oil, dextrose, hydrolyzed corn gluten, garlic powder, caramel color, citric acid, yeast extract, extractives of paprika, not more than 2 percent silicon dioxide and tricalcium phosphate added to prevent caking **contains soy**." Good Lord, why do they have to mess with chicken and add all that crap?! I will never buy another roasted chicken again. I always wondered why those rotisserie chickens made me feel yukky! And of all the really crazy things (as if that wasn't already crazy enough), the ingredient sticker for the fried chicken my husband got was far healthier than the roasted! :(

Replies

  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Options
    Mm, chemicals. :drool:

    :)

    None of that sounds scary to me.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
    Options
    I think that's just BBQ sauce
  • VykkDraygoVPR
    VykkDraygoVPR Posts: 465 Member
    Options
    Sounds like a marinade/spice rub. Sounds good!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    Options
    Meh
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    Options
    Sounds like pretty basic seasonings and marinade to me. What's so unhealthy about it?
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
    edited December 2015
    Options
    But this is a fast way to roast chicken at home. You can ignore the tarragon etc if you want - just pay attention to the temps and have some kind of fat or oil in the roasting pan. I put onion quarters in the chicken and just salt it.

    Main thing is:
    - Preheat oven to 450 F
    - Put seasoned chicken in greased pan
    - Put uncovered on lowest rack. Don't open the door the whole time, let it cook fork 45-50 minutes (for a ~1 kg chicken).
    - Take it out, cover with aluminum foil and let it sit for another 20 mins

    http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/poultry-and-game/chicken/fast-roast-chicken-with-lemon-and-tarragon.html

    (Timing info for bigger chickens: http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/chicken-and-other-poultry/how-to-roast-chicken.html )
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
    Options
    Karihappy wrote: »
    silicon dioxide and tricalcium phosphate

    If these are the two you are worried about silicon dioxide is found in nature. Tricalcium phosphate is a mixture between calcium (which is natural) and phosphates (which is an important part of cell membranes).
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Options
    What?

    Are you seriously just finding this out? Yes, almost all meats have been processed to some extent. Most chickens and deli meats have been injected with a brine or marinade. Some more than others.


    *note* just because you are not a chemist and cannot "pronounce" the items on a label does not make them harmful.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,933 Member
    edited December 2015
    Options
    I don't understand what's wrong with some spices and salt. The chicken would probably taste pretty bad without all of that.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
    edited December 2015
    Options
    Karihappy wrote: »
    I always wondered why those rotisserie chickens made me feel yukky!

    I think that's more because of factory farming. Most chicken you'd get at a grocery store these days is packed full of water and yuk*. Most chicken makes me nauseous. I found a little place where I can get a deal on non-gross, non-factory-farm chicken, and it tastes the way it used to when I was little (i.e. good).

    *not a scientific term. I'm not crazy about dumping a ton of money into faux organic food, and I haven't gotten that into animal welfare, either, I love meat of all kinds. But the reasonably priced chicken in most places is just inedible, imo. It does, as a bonus, feel good to know the chicken I'm getting now didn't suffer TOO much. I'm still eating it, though.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Options
    Karihappy wrote: »
    Dang it all! I grabbed some grocery store roasted chicken thighs to eat tonight cuz I thought they would be something quick and healthy to grab at the store, but when I got home, I saw they had put an ingredient sticker on the chicken. Here's what it says: "Chicken containing up to 11% of a solution of water, vinegar, salt, sugar, spices, dehydrated garlic, soybean oil, dextrose, hydrolyzed corn gluten, garlic powder, caramel color, citric acid, yeast extract, extractives of paprika, not more than 2 percent silicon dioxide and tricalcium phosphate added to prevent caking **contains soy**." Good Lord, why do they have to mess with chicken and add all that crap?! I will never buy another roasted chicken again. I always wondered why those rotisserie chickens made me feel yukky! And of all the really crazy things (as if that wasn't already crazy enough), the ingredient sticker for the fried chicken my husband got was far healthier than the roasted! :(

    First define "healthier" and if you are thinking about calories roast chicken is way better than fried chicken. BTW have you seen the "ingredient" list for apples. Way more unpronounceable things than chicken so I guess you'll stop eating apples too
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
    Options
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    ... Most chickens and deli meats have been injected with a brine or marinade. Some more than others...

    Are you talking about regular raw chicken or rotisserie chicken?

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Options
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    ... Most chickens and deli meats have been injected with a brine or marinade. Some more than others...

    Are you talking about regular raw chicken or rotisserie chicken?

    I've seen it in both. Even frozen chickens/turkeys. I've also seen it in pretty much all deli meats.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Options
    ingredients-of-an-all-natural-strawberry-english_zpsrbnfzxbr.jpg
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    ... Most chickens and deli meats have been injected with a brine or marinade. Some more than others...

    Are you talking about regular raw chicken or rotisserie chicken?

    Lots of regular raw chicken at the supermarket is injected. The information is on the label. Rotisserie chicken have spices and marinades added too -- for example, the ones at WF are lemon or garlic or various other options (I had to replace my oven last year, and these were an excellent option for the period when I could not cook at home). Deli chicken and turkey typically has various things added too, depending on what you buy.

    I get my raw chicken from a farm and I roast it myself when I have an oven, but this is all pretty well known. I wouldn't buy raw chicken with solution added (among other things it increases the weight with just a bunch of salt water), but I would expect a rotisserie chicken to have seasoning or a marinade added, as I'd season it when cooking at home. Like others have said, it wouldn't taste as good otherwise.
  • kellellie
    kellellie Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    I eat pre-seasoned chicken quarters from the store a couple times a week *shrug*
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Options
    ec55084f1575c843b335e49744a847f2dc2f1357a001cf2d1588d4a14b8ff0a3.jpg

Categories