Chicken is “a protein powerhouse” with other health benefits as well, the New York Times has reported.
The newspaper published a lengthy article on the benefits of chicken, particularly the chicken breast meat favoured by northern hemisphere consumers.
“All cuts of chicken are great for you, but on a number of metrics, the humble breast takes top prize,” it reported.
“Along with containing nutrients that are involved in repairing the body’s tissues, building immunity and boosting energy, chicken breast is lower in saturated fat than thighs, legs and wings, making it a smart choice for people concerned about their heart health.”
Chicken is high in protein and the benefits were spelled out by Dr Heidi Silver of Vanderbilt University.
In addition to building muscle, protein is essential for repairing cells, making antibodies that fight disease and producing the enzymes that keep systems running, she told the newspaper. “The entire body is built from protein,” Dr. Silver said.
Chicken breast contains more than half the recommended daily amount of vitamin B3, also known as niacin, and more than 70 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin B6.
“These nutrients do a whole bunch of different things,” Dr. Silver said. For one, they are essential for brain health. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to make dopamine, serotonin or melatonin — the chemicals that regulate our mood, sleep, attention and more.
“We need them for memory, for learning, for processing words and information,” she said.
The breast isn’t the only part of the chicken worth eating, Dr. Silver added. Dark meat cuts, like the thighs and drumsticks, are fattier, but they also tend to have higher levels of some vitamins and minerals, like vitamin B12, iron and zinc.
