Chicken -- whether roasted, broiled, fried, or grilled -- plays a major role in the American diet. According to the North Carolina Poultry Foundation, the average consumption in the United States as of 2011 is 90 pounds per person per year. High in protein and packed with vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids, chicken is a healthy choice if properly prepared. Removing the skin before cooking and avoiding excessive oils and coatings can help you keep calories and fat to a minimum.
Protein
Chicken is an excellent source of high-quality protein, with a single ounce containing 7.50 g, over 10 percent of the recommended daily allowance, at a modest investment of 50 calories. Protein is responsible for about half of the dry weight of the human body and is essential for the building and repair of body tissues, including lean muscle. The recommended daily allowance for protein is .8 g per kg of body weight per day; using this rule of thumb, a 150-lb. individual should consume about 55 g of protein a day. Most people eat too much protein, rather than too little; California State University reports that the average American consumes 100 g, almost double the RDA, every day. According to Meat Poultry Nutrition, your protein intake should make up less than 35 percent of your total calories.
Fats
A 1-oz. serving of skinless roasted chicken contains 1.99 g of total fats. Over half of this fat is made up of a combination of beneficial monounsaturated fat, the same type of fat as is found in nuts and avocados, and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which play a role in cardiovascular health. The remaining fat, about .5 g, is made up of less desirable saturated fat. Failing to remove the skin from the ounce of chicken doubles the fat content, sending it soaring to 4.02 g. The calories rise to 67 per ounce, while the protein level per ounce falls slightly. As for the saturated fat content, the inclusion of the skin makes it rise to 1.112 g/oz.
Amino Acids
Amino acids are chains of chemicals that function as the building blocks of protein. Essential amino acids are those that can't be synthesized in the body, and must be ingested through diet. Chicken contains all nine of the essential amino acids, including leucine, which promotes healing of skin and bones, and phenylalanine, which enhances learning, mood and alertness while suppressing appetite. Also present in healthy amounts are lysine, which can inhibit viruses, and cysteine, which helps to detoxify harmful chemicals. Chicken is also a good source of tryptophan, utilized by the body to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter essential for stable mood and restful sleep.
Vitamins and Minerals
Chicken is rich in B-complex vitamins, essential for energy production. One ounce of roasted skinless chicken contains vitamin B-1 in the amount of .019 mg; vitamin B-2 is also present in the amount of .044 mg/oz. Chicken also serves as a good natural source of vitamin B-12, with .09 mcg present in an ounce. Vitamin B-12, a critical component of many body chemicals, works with folate to produce red blood cells. Chicken is also a good source of minerals, with .36 mg of iron, needed to make hemoglobin, and 58 mg of phosphorus, second only to calcium in promoting strong teeth and bones, in every ounce.
References
- USDA National Nutrient Database
- Get Big; Protein Amino Acids Information; Barry Finnin, PhD., and Samuel Peters; April 1996
- Better Health Channel; Protein; Deakin University Australia; June 2009
- Meat Poultry Nutrition; Meat Poultry Nutrition; Staff; 2011
- California State University Los Angeles: RDA Protein
- North Carolina Poultry Foundation: Facts
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