Chicken Nutrition Facts: A great way to up your protein on Keto

Chicken, although not as nutrient dense as their red meat counterparts, provide a great source of lean protein and added variety of dishes in a Keto diet. Explore using different parts of the chicken like chicken cartilage, hearts, feet, gizzard and skin which taste amazing grilled and provide more glycine, which will improve bone, skin and joint health.

Chicken cartilage, feet and bones are used prominently in asian cooking. Cartilage when grilled, taste delicious with a crunchy texture which can be had commonly in japanese yakitori where they use every part of the chicken. Chicken feet is a popular chinese dim sum dish and commonly used for soups together with chicken bones. The high gelatin content of the chicken feet give the soup a richer texture.

Chicken meat is a great source of high quality animal protein containing all essential amino acids. High quality protein means that it is bioavailable to the human body and easily absorbed. Animal protein bioavailability over 90% whereas plant based proteins range from 40% to 60%. Its is also a good source of Vitamins B3, B6, choline, phosphorus, sodium and selenium.

Beneficial bioactive compounds found in chicken meat

Carnitine may reduce depressive symptoms and helps produce ketones

In the body, carnitine acts as an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. It has been associated with various benefits including improved weight loss, improvements in brain function, heart health, exercise performance and reduction of depression symptoms. The best source for carnitine is from food, as nutritional supplements suffer from low bioavailability. On a ketogenic diet, carnitine helps the body maintain production of ketones and a deficiency can lead to a state of hypoketonemia in which the body doesn’t produce enough ketones (r).

Taurine improves digestion of fats and immune function

Taurine is a sulphur amino acid which our body can synthesize naturally but we are not able to make enough so dietary intake is beneficial. It acts as a strong antioxidant which prevent damage to our cells. Taurine also enhances the potency of bile which our digestive system uses to emulsify fats which allow us to digest and absorb them. Mechanistic studies in mice show taurine be an important nutrient for our immune system as it aids carbohydrate metabolism by increasing insulin sensitivity of skin and mucosal tissue in our gut which are areas that are exposed to bacteria and pathogens. Taurine is also famously known as one of the main ingredients in the energy drink Red Bull.

Glutathione is the master antioxidant

Glutathione is our body’s main antioxidant defence and is called the master antioxidant. Our body produces glutathione and we also obtain it from dietary intake. It is also used by the immune system to boost capacity to fight pathogens and bacteria. Increasing intake of protein from the diet also increases our body’s production of this antioxidant.

Carnosine is a strong antioxidant with anti-aging potential

Carnosine is also a strong antioxidant that works synergistically with glutathione and vitamin E to neutralize toxins in your blood and skin to reduce and counteract the consequences of oxidative stress showing potential anti-aging properties (r).

In the body, carnosine forms complexes with unwanted metal ions preventing them from damaging cells (r).

It has also been shown in mice and human studies to reduce blood sugar levels, hba1c and blood pressure (r).

Choline may help maintain fat burning and reduce anxiety

Choline is a conditionally essential nutrient and it acts as an antioxidant in the body. Deficiency is found in studies to be associated with many pathological conditions and diseases such as decreased energy production, fatty liver, hepatocyte death and skeletal muscle damage.

Choline has been shown in mice that were fed a choline deficient diet that it inhibited their ability to burn fat (r).

Also in a study on a population study done on humans, it has been shown that low choline levels were associated with higher anxiety levels (r).

Coenzyme Q10 aids energy production in the body

Coenzyme Q10 is a conditionally essential nutrient found in chicken meat that is required for energy production in the body (r). It has unique properties as an antioxidant which not only helps protect membranes in the mitochondria, but it help regenerate other antioxidants such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E (r). Coenzyme Q10 also can help reduce blood pressure (r).

Chicken Breast should be your go to meat when eating chicken for weight loss. It has the highest protein content by weight of all meats while maintaining a low fat content which will allow you to stay nourished while allowing your body to burn its own fat for energy. Chicken wings are also low fat and are great for weight loss, with a protein to fat ratio of 3:1. A hearty bone broth made with chicken bones and chicken feet is a great low fat base for many other dishes.

There are 2 important aspects to focus on when trying to build muscle.

1. A stimulus for muscle protein synthesis which is best provided by resistance training.
2. Proper protein intake, around 2 hours pre and post workout is your ideal window to provide the protein you body needs to build muscle. Target 2.3 - 3.2 grams of protein per kg of lean body mass (r).

Chicken breast and thighs with the skin is a great way to supplement your workouts as it provides a high protein to fat ratio from the breast while the fat in the thighs will provide some extra energy from fats. Eating the cartilage from the thighs as well will add more collagen to your diet helping your joints recover from the stress of the training. The reason for eating higher protein is that it will result in higher fat loss, due to your body using more of its stores rather than from your dietary intake. Also fat is satiating, and that might be a disadvantage for bodybuilding as you want to eat the highest possible amount of protein for your meals so keeping the fat down will help you reach your protein intake levels. Also if you are wondering, high protein diets are not bad for your kidneys (r, r, r) and are commonly used for building muscle.

Selenium, in which chicken is a good source of allows your body to maximize usage of glutathione peroxidase enzyme which help protect cells against oxidative damage produced during exercise. Generally speaking, the higher the energy expenditure your exercise workloads are, the more selenium you will need to replenish.

In a randomized double-blind controlled trial of type 2 collagen from chicken cartilage, found that it helped reduce joint swelling, pain and even put rheumatoid arthritis into remission in 3 cases (r).

Chicken essence is a traditional chinese tonic made with chicken that is used to fight mental fatigue and improve brain fog. A randomized control trial done over 4 weeks on 20 participants in 2013 verified the benefits of chicken essence for improving mental fatigue (r).

According to a systematic review of studies, nutritionally there is no difference between organic and conventionally farmed chicken. However, organically farmed chicken may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic resistant bacteria (r).

Chicken is a nutritious food which is particularly well suited for weight loss goals due to cuts of the chicken that are particularly high in protein and low in fat.

Experiment with different parts of the chicken such as using chicken bones and feet to make bone broth which is high in collagen.

Try using chicken essence to fight brain fatigue.

Organic chicken is not more nutritious than conventional farmed so buy what you can afford.