458 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 58 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
General News    H4'ed 1/17/16

Chicken For Dinner: It's Enough to Make You Sick

By       (Page 1 of 5 pages)   16 comments

Karen Davis
Message Karen Davis
Become a Fan
  (7 fans)

Revised & Updated, 2016

First published in 1998, "Chicken For Dinner: It's Enough to Make You Sick" is newly available from United Poultry Concerns with updated content and references. Does it surprise you to know that the information presented in 1998 from the 1980s and 1990s followed by countless articles, scientific reports, blog posts, and whatnot since then, has hardly changed a bit?

The decision to update "Chicken For Dinner" coincides with the publication, on January 7, 2016, of the Eighth Edition of Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2015-2020, a document published every 5 years by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines is a hodgepodge of claims and "recommendations" that seems purposely designed to confuse people while ensuring that the production and consumption of animals, eggs, and dairy will not be disrupted in the quest for health.


Chicken For Dinner: It's Enough to Make You Sick

By Karen Davis, Ph.D., President of United Poultry Concerns

Fat and Cholesterol in Meat

"Dietary cholesterol is found only in animal foods such as egg yolk, dairy products, shellfish, meats, and poultry." [1]
"Cholesterol in eggs, poultry, cheese, and meat contributes to heart attacks and other health risks."
-- Neal D. Barnard, M.D., President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. [2]
Decades of science have conclusively linked dietary cholesterol to cardiovascular disease , which kills nearly 2,200 Americans daily.
Plant-based, cholesterol-free diets are proven to fight heart disease. [3]
"The color of meat is irrelevant."
-- Biochemist Shi Huang, Burnham Institute for Medical Research. [4]

Many people have switched from red meat to chicken, believing chicken to be a healthier choice. However, chicken is not a healthy food choice. For one thing, chicken is not low in fat. Skinless chicken breast meat derives 23% of calories from fat and skinless turkey breast meat derives 18% of calories from fat. By comparison, lentils derive 3% of calories from fat, potatoes 1% and spaghetti noodles 4%. Like all meat, chicken is permeated with artery-clogging saturated fat -- you can't cut it away.

The cholesterol content of chicken or turkey is comparable to that of beef or pork, about 25 milligrams per ounce. [5] These levels are similar because "the cell membranes in all muscles, regardless of species, have cholesterol inside the membrane." [6]

Cholesterol occurs mainly in the lean portions of meat. The saturated fats that permeate these portions raise cholesterol levels by stimulating the liver to make more cholesterol. Thus, even "lean" meats including poultry have significant amounts of saturated fat in addition to cholesterol. [7] By contrast, plants have no cholesterol.

Enraged chicken drawing

Fat and Cholesterol in Eggs

According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), 60% of eggs' calories are from fat, and eggs are the leading source of cholesterol in America. Eggs can increase the risk of diabetes 68%, heart disease 19%, prostate cancer 81% and colon cancer by nearly five times. Contrary to egg industry claims that eggs are health foods, PCRM cites studies in the journal Atherosclerosis and the Canadian Journal of Cardiology showing that eggs contribute significantly to heart disease. [8]

Food Poisoning

Food poisoning kills 3,000 Americans each year and makes 48 million sick. [9] The number of food poisoned people is actually much higher, since many don't report their illnesses. Of all sources of foodborne illness, "Poultry is the most common cause of food poisoning in the home," states Michael Greger, M.D. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show more deaths attributable to poultry consumption than to any other food product. [10]

Consumer Reports publishes its test findings on raw chicken every few years. In 1998, CR found harmful bacteria, chiefly Salmonella and Campylobacter, on 71% of store-bought chicken, including "free-range" and "premium" brands. They warned that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's seal of approval "is no guarantee of cleanliness." [11]

In 2007, Consumer Reports announced tests on 525 chickens purchased from U.S. supermarkets and specialty stores in 23 states. 84% were contaminated with Campylobacter and Salmonella bacteria. Moreover, 84% of the Salmonella and 67% of the Campylobacter bacteria showed resistance to antibiotics including "multiple classes of drugs." [12]

In Dangerous contaminated chicken published in 2014, Consumer Reports confirmed that 97% of 300 chicken breasts purchased by their investigators in stores across the country -- including organic brands -- contained dangerous bacteria. More than half were contaminated with feces and nearly half tested positive for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. [13]

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Must Read 2   Interesting 2   Valuable 2  
Rate It | View Ratings

Karen Davis Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Karen Davis, PhD is the author of Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry and the president of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Contamination and Cruelty in the Chicken Industry

Is Chicken Healthier Than Red Meat?

Do Chickens Make People Chubbier? Antibiotics and Obesity

A Chicken Named Viva Changed My Life

"Farm to Fable: The Fictions of Our Animal-Consuming Culture" [Book Review]

Would "Healthier" Chickens Harm the Environment?

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend