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Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Life, Tips

Why You Probably Shouldn’t Eat So Much Chicken

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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.

Food, Going Healthy, Life, Parenting

Making Sure Your Family Have Healthy Balanced Diets

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When you have a family, you take on the responsibility of ensuring that everyone remains as fit and healthy as possible. But knowing where to start can be relatively difficult. Of course, numerous factors play into well being – ranging from exercise to mental wellness. But for now, let’s focus on diet and what we consume!

Managing Calorie Consumption

The first step that you need to take into consideration to make sure that everyone’s getting what they need from their daily diet is to effectively manage everyone’s calorie consumption. Now, you don’t have to be hyper-vigilant and excessively strict with this. If your family goes slightly above or below their recommended calories every now and then, it’s not the end of the world. You just need to make sure that everyone’s having roughly the right amount the majority of the time. Calories can be spread across meals and snacks and will vary depending on your age and lifestyle. The below list will give you a good idea of where different family members should be though!

  • Children aged 2 to 8 – 1000 to 1400 calories
  • Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1400 to 1600 calories
  • Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1600 to 2000 calories
  • Active women aged 14 to 30 – 2400 calories
  • Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 – 1800 to 2000 calories
  • Active men aged 14 to 30 – 2800 to 3200 calories
  • Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 – 2000 to 2600 calories
  • Active adults over 30 – 2000 to 3000 calories
  • Sedentary adults over 30 – 1600 to 2400 calories

Ensuring Everyone Stays Hydrated

A factor we often forget to evaluate in our diets is what we drink. Sure, we don’t chew drinks up and swallow them and we don’t dedicate whole meals around drinks, but they do still contribute to what’s going into our bodies. It’s absolutely essential to ensure that your family are all staying hydrated. This involves drinking around eight glasses of water a day, though the recommendation for younger children could be less. This will keep you hydrated, keep organs functioning well and will prevent issues such as loss of concentration or dry skin. Having a fresh water supply available at all times is essential. Generally speaking, the water system in your home will provide you with this. But you could visit this link for backup water sources too!

Balancing Everyone’s Plate

Everyone’s plate should contain all of the different food groups in appropriate moderation throughout the day. This includes fruit and vegetables, starchy food, dairy or dairy replacement, protein and fats. Avoid cutting any single food group out. Everything works together to keep everyone’s bodies ticking over properly. If you’re struggling to get all of the food groups into your family’s diet, consider consulting a nutritionist who will be able to help! Or, if you’re pressed for time and have the budget, meal delivery plans are an excellent option. Most services come with a variety of options, include key nutrients for a healthy lifestyle and can lend themselves to different diets (e.g. vegan, paleo/keto, etc..).

These are just a few steps that you can do to move towards ensuring your family has healthy and balanced diets. The steps are simple to implement and will quickly become routine when you get into the swing of things!

Food, Guest Post, Health, Life

What’s The Difference? Organic Versus Non-GMO Labels

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We are in a golden age of healthy food availability, so why is it so hard to determine the “right” products to consume? Part of the reason is the glut of options. From low-cal and gluten-free to kosher and low-carb, the information overload in the grocery aisles can feel overwhelming.

Two of the most commonly recognized labels — organic and non-GMO — can confuse even the most health-conscious consumer. The two labels often get lumped together even though their meanings are quite different.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of using these terms interchangeably, but that approach is inaccurate. This article will break down the two types of labels to help you understand the differences.

What Qualifies as Organic?

Experts have struggled for years to come up with a definition for this category of food. Fortunately, the USDA has since narrowed down the qualifications.

The primary distinction for organic food is how it’s handled during production. For example, the raw ingredients must never come into contact with synthetic chemicals, such as certain herbicides and fertilizers. For meat products, the animals themselves must not be exposed to antibiotics or growth hormones.

Organic food must not contain any genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In other words, non-GMO is one of the criteria for organic classification, but the term itself has its own definition.

So how do you know what’s organic? Look for the “USDA Organic” seal on a product to know that it’s been certified.

What Is Non-GMO, and How Can You Identify It?

As noted above, non-GMO is not interchangeable with organic. While non-GMO is part of the criteria for organic classification, something that is non-GMO is not necessarily organic.

GMO generally refers to plants and animals that have been genetically modified in non-traditional ways and are not naturally occurring. While crossbreeding technically results in modifications, it doesn’t fall into the GMO category. So how can you tell the difference?

The Non-GMO Project verifies qualifying food products by way of third-party inspections. Rigorous on-site review, annual audits, organic system plan reviews and residue testing help this organization say with certainty whether food is non-GMO. In fact, certification goes so far as to require that the food not even come in contact with other GMO products (animal feed, for example).

Qualifying food products can display a “Non-GMO Project Verified” label to help consumers quickly identify them.

By understanding organic and non-GMO labels, we hope this helps you make informed food decisions for your family. When you grasp the food industry’s complex language, you skip all the guesswork. While organic and non-GMO definitions are fairly straightforward, the food industry is always evolving. Refer to USDA and Non-GMO Project guidance to stay up to date, and consult the accompanying infographic for more details on the differences between the two labels.

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https://www.slideshare.net/PacMoore/organic-versus-nongmo-labels

Author bio: Chris Bekermeier is Vice President of Marketing at PacMoore, a food contract manufacturer that offers food processing and packaging services. Bekermeier received his B.S. in Business Management from Eastern Illinois University and his MBA from University of Chicago.