The Amazing (and Tasty) Weight Loss Benefits of Eating Chicken
The Amazing (and Tasty) Weight Loss Benefits of Eating Chicken
May 19, 2016 at 7:22 PM
If you’re eating this in America, odds are you eat a pretty good amount of chicken. In fact, chicken recently became more popular than beef in the U.S. for the first time in a century, with the average American consuming almost 60 pounds of their fine feathered friends per person each year. And for good reason!
Chicken is less expensive (and easier on the environment) because it requires less resources to produce, and is also extremely versatile and easy to cook. More than that, simple chicken (preferably pasture-raised) is one of the greatest superfoods out there when it comes to dieting and weight loss. Don’t believe us? Keep reading to learn some of chicken’s most amazing weight loss benefits.
An Excellent Source of Lean Protein
According to the website whfoods.com, a four-ounce serving of pasture-raised chicken breast contains 35 grams of protein, or 70% of the recommended daily value. This includes essential amino acids like cysteine, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
This high protein content not only helps in building the lean muscle that leads to long-term weight loss, but can help keep you full for longer when you eat it, curbing appetite and helping you to avoid unhealthy eating habits. Not to mention, a meta-analysis in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who eat good amounts of protein regularly throughout the day tended to have better weight loss outcomes than people who ate less protein, or those who loaded up on the macronutrient only once or twice per day.
Low in Calories, Low in Carbs, Low in Fat
Sometimes it seems like there are three main schools of weight loss thought: low-carb thinking, low-fat thinking, and the school that preaches a calorie is a calorie. Luckily for all of them, chicken is a low-fat, low-carb, relatively low calorie option.
In addition to the whopping 35 grams of protein mentioned above, four ounces of pasture-raised chicken breast also boasts absolutely zero carbohydrates and just shy of four grams of fat. All that with only around 180 calories!
No matter what kind of diet you’re on (unless it’s vegetarian or fully vegan), chicken is a perfect choice to be your protein staple.
Start Eating Chicken, Start Losing Weight
Of course, chicken meat isn’t a mythical cure-all or a magic bullet when it comes to weight loss. But as a regular part of a balanced, well-portioned diet alongside an active lifestyle, it’s definitely one of the top-billed stars. Check out some of our favorite chicken recipes by clicking the links below.
Healthy Chicken Recipes from Medical Weight Loss Solutions
- Buffalo Chicken Salad
- BBQ Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- Low-Card Lettuce Wrap w/ Chicken
- Simple Lemon Herb Chicken
- Blackened Chicken
And feel free to visit our Total Health Nutrition store in Wallingford, CT for healthy chicken products like Caveman chicken jerky and ProtoDiet chicken noodle soup!