Chicken is a staple food in the Western world. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine going a week without it.
Unfortunately, it comes with a host of negative side effects that reduce wellness. It’s not always the health food that many professionals tout it to be. In fact, it can be outright dangerous.
Check out these reasons why you probably shouldn’t eat chicken below:
It Can Cause Obesity
Chicken used to be the food of choice for bodybuilders. And it’s not hard to see why. It has a profound ability to foster weight gain, causing hormones to change to foster muscle formation. Unfortunately, it also promotes added mass in sedentary people. Those who eat chicken are more likely to be obese than those who don’t.
It Could Poison You
According to the CDC, poultry is among the top three foods that cause poisoning outbreaks every year. That’s because of the bacteria that grow on meat once it has been processed.
Chicken is particularly bad because of the type of bacteria that it harbors. That’s why it is virtually impossible to eat chicken raw. Unlike other meats, it’s simply too dangerous.
Even preparing chicken is risky. Studies show that bacteria get all around your kitchen, even if you make a monumental effort to clean as you go.
It Might Lead To Bladder Infections
Chicken is also a prime culprit in bladder infections. That’s because it harbors germs that can crawl up your urethra, leading to pain.
The process is a little complicated, though. It starts when you first eat chicken. The meat passes through your digestive system and then forms stools into your colon. When you go to the bathroom, these stools pop out the other end. Bacteria in the poop can then migrate to your urethra, causing infection.
The short-term solution is to get the proper UTI relief. But longer term, it might be better to cut down on the amount of chicken in your diet to reduce your risk.
It Puts You At Higher Risk Of Heart Disease
People who eat chicken are at a higher risk of heart disease than those who don’t. The reason for this is all the saturated fat and cholesterol that chicken contains. Modern animals aren’t gamey anymore, like the wild birds people ate in the past. Instead, they contain considerably more fat which can raise cholesterol in the body and clog arteries.
Heart disease is still our number one killer, so reducing your risk could help you live longer. Try substituting chicken for other foods in your diet.
What Should You Do If You Love Chicken?
While chicken is delicious, it comes with some serious downsides. Fortunately, though, there are now a range of products on the market that accurately emulate regular chicken, but without many of the dangers of health risks. At the moment, most of these products are in the form of processed foods, such as chicken nuggets. However, in the future, processing may get better to the point where they accurately resemble chicken breasts, thighs or legs.