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Journalism of Courage
NUTRITIOUS and delicious. That8217;s what your favourite bird is all about! And that8217;s the good news about chicken! Better news follows: there are ways of making chicken healthier. And I8217;m happy to share with you a smattering of all that I have gleaned and distilled while researching for my recently published Real Good Chicken Cook Book.
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Did you know that a moderate serving 150 grams of chicken has almost half the amount of protein recommended for a healthy adult? That it8217;s ideal for a low-calorie diet, high in protein, iron, niacin and zinc? If it8217;s your heart that concerns you most then chicken has a fat and sodium profile that is favourable for both blood cholesterol and blood pressure. Here are a few tips to optimise chicken8217;s nutritive goodness.
Remove the skin: Most of the fat in the chicken is concentrated just beneath the skin, so it should be removed before eating.
Go for chicken soup: It8217;s like a warm, loving hug. And there8217;s a medical reason for that feeling of warmth and goodness. Chicken, like most protein rich foods, contains an amino acid called cysteine which is released when you make the soup. Cysteine bears a remarkable similarity to a drug called acetylcysteine, which doctors prescribe for patients with bronchitis and respiratory infections. So now you know why your grandma tells you to have chicken soup when you are feeling fluey or under the weather.
In fact, Dr Stephen Rennard, a leading researcher on the subject, found in lab tests that chicken soup actually blocks migration of white cells called neutrophils that can lead to symptoms of inflammation and cold. Restrained from migrating, the neutrophils 8216;8216;would not accumulate in the lungs,8217;8217; explains Dr Rennard, 8216;8216;and therefore the person does not have symptoms of the inflammatory process which in the lungs is cough, production of sputum and general malaise8217;8217;. Dr Rennard goes on to say, 8216;8216;Chicken soup is so therapeutically potent, it works even when diluted two hundred times.8217;8217;
Use the skimmed pan drippings for gravy: As it cooks and loses water, chicken also loses water-soluble B vitamins, which drip out into the pan. Since they are not destroyed by heat, these skimmed pan drippings can be used in the gravy.
Ensure that the chicken is completely cooked: Poultry should be cooked to a uniform internal temperature of 180deg; F. If you are cooking poultry in a microwave oven, ensure that the surface of the bird8212;which is cooled by evaporating moisture8212;is as hot as the inside, otherwise bacteria on the skin may remain alive.
Of course, there8217;s plenty more on healthy cooking styles, like steaming, grilling, broiling, stir-frying, baking, roasting, poaching. Using an interesting fat-free combination of marinades such as lime juice, wine and vinegar, herbs and garlic goes a long way in making your favourite bird even more special. It goes without saying that to derive the maximum nutritional benefits from chicken, we should not only select the bird carefully but also handle it properly, refrigerate it correctly, thaw it hygienically8212;it8217;s enough to fill a book. But that8217;s another story!
Do keep calling and writing. And do keep smiling. For all your health queries, call
022-22161313 or log onto http://www.rashmiudaysingh.com. Write to P. O. Box No 19946, Colaba, Mumbai-5 or e-mail holrashmiudaysingh.com
