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Dr Russ Blog - The "Skin"ny on Chicken
The "Skin"ny on Chicken
Created on 9/29/2009
L sent in a very good question - she wants to know if eating chicken skin is really that bad for us?
When I was a child, one of my favorite things about my mom's chicken was the delicious taste of the skin. It was crispy, and mom would have basted the chicken with something extra good that added flavor. Now I'm a vegetarian, but I still remember mom's chicken...
The problem is that the skin comes with saturated fat. Actually, a LOT of saturated fat.
Eating the cooked skin, or even simply cooking the chicken and removing the skin before serving, can double or triple the amount of saturated fat present in a chicken meal. As you know, high intakes of saturated fat can increase levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and may contribute to the development of a number of illnesses.
That said, remember that foods containing saturated fats don't have to be avoided at all cost. Yes, regularly eating foods high in saturated fat is not good for you. But you can splurge every once in a while.
I prefer that people maintain a healthy diet that includes occasional splurges. This works much better than a diet of "disallowance," where, for example, eating chicken skin would never be permissable.
Now, my take on this goes against much of what you will see and hear about eating chicken skin. My idea in this regard is enjoy, just not very often.
You don't want to eat a lot of saturated fat every day. In fact, from a good health perspective, you really don't want to eat chicken skin, but from a "life" perspective it may be one of your simple pleasures. A mild "splurge" like this on occasion can actually be good for your soul if not your body.
Just don't make the splurges a daily occurrence (!).
If you do go this route, it's even MORE important that you work to maintain an otherwise healthy diet (plenty of fruits and vegetables, cold water fish, some nuts, extra virgin olive oil - along the lines of a Mediterranean-style diet), exercise regularly, get plenty of rest and manage your stress in healthy ways.
So, L, I don't recommend eating chicken skin, but if it's a source of mealtime joy for you, simply enjoy it no more than once a week.
I hope this helps! Be well.
Dr. Russ
** Information on this web site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this web site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment. **
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