By Alison Ashton, Special to Lifescript
www.lifescript.com
Published March 06, 2010
Chicken may be one of America's most popular proteins. But that
healthy-looking poultry you toss in the grocery cart each week
could put you at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Find out why…
Most shoppers think chicken is good for their health. Little do
they know that their favorite bird is loaded with "additives" that
are bad for their heart.
About 30% of chickens sold in the U.S. – even those labeled "100%
all natural" – are "plumped." That's a fancy word for poultry
that's processed with saltwater, chicken stock, seaweed and other
ingredients to make it juicy and tasty.
These additives are also a hidden source of sodium, which at high
levels is linked with high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than
1,500 milligrams per day – about 5/8 teaspoon.
But Americans consume more than twice that amount of sodium, much
of it from processed foods such as plumped chicken.
"I'd call it outright fraud," says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H.,
author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition
and Health (University of California Press). "Consumers are paying
for water, not meat, and nobody needs extra salt anyway."
A 4-ounce serving of unplumped chicken has less than 75 milligrams
of naturally occurring sodium. A 4-ounce serving of enhanced chicken
can contain up to 440 milligrams – as much or more than a large order
of fries. And if you eat half a chicken breast for dinner, you may
be getting even more sodium, because a cooked chicken breast half
weighs anywhere from 4 -1/2 to 6 ounces.
"It's not a dangerous level," but it can be for someone who has to
watch their salt intake, says Lalita Kaul, Ph.D., a spokeswoman for
the American Dietetic Association and a professor at Howard
University Medical School. "Better labeling would be nice."
Adding to the confusion: Even plumped chicken can carry the AHA's red
"heart check-mark" on the label - as long as it has less than
480 milligrams of sodium per serving. (Poultry and meat with the
association's check mark must also have less than 5 grams of total
fat, 2 grams saturated fat and 95 milligrams cholesterol per portion.)
Why Is Chicken "Enhanced"?
"Producers plump chicken with saltwater because it's an inexpensive
way to add weight," says Aliza Green, author of Field Guide to Meat
(Quirk Books).
"Also, salt enhances flavor needed for chickens that are bred to
grow quickly to maturity," she adds.
Most broilers are 6-7 weeks old at processing time, according to the
National Chicken Council. That's not much time for the bird to develop
rich flavor, Green says.
Plumping is, essentially, an industrial form of brining, which is an
age-old method of soaking food in a saltwater solution to make it
moist and tender. Chicken is enhanced with the solution either by
injection or high-pressure vacuum tumbling in a saltwater bath, says
Richard L. Lobb, director of communications for the National Chicken Council.
Technically, saltwater and seaweed are natural substances, which is
why producers can label plumped chicken as "all natural."
Producers say they enhance chicken not to cheat shoppers but because
people prefer plumped birds."Enhanced chicken is more tolerant of high
cooking temperatures, making it easier for consumers to prepare moist, flavorful, chicken," says Gary Rhodes, vice president of corporate communications and investor relations at Pilgrim's Pride. The company
offers both plumped and non-enhanced chicken to give shoppers a choice,
he adds.
In a blind taste test conducted by Pilgrim's Pride, 4 out of 5 people
preferred the company's enhanced chicken to a competitor's unplumped
poultry, Rhodes says.
Besides sodium, enhanced birds may contain other items you'd rather
not have in chicken, "such as concentrated broth, corn syrup and
lemon concentrates with phosphates. These are commonly added as a
binder to help the meat retain water and salt during shipping and
cooking," Green says.
Indeed, plumped chicken is up to 15% saltwater (and other additives),
or nearly 2-1/2 ounces per pound. If chicken is, say, $5 a pound,
you're paying 75 cents for saltwater.
Two companies that shun plumping have invested considerable resources
into raising consumer awareness of the practice. California-based Foster
Farms has its Say No to Plumping Web campaign while Mississippi-based
Sanderson Farms helped launch the Truthful Labeling Coalition.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), supported by industry and consumer
advocates, made headlines recently when she called on the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) to revise regulations that currently allow
producers to label enhanced chicken as natural.
What You Can Do
You don't have to wait for the government to change labeling regulations.
Two out of three chickens are not plumped, and it's easy to identify
birds that are enhanced.
If the ingredient list includes such items as chicken broth, seaweed
extract, salt or the label has the phrase "contains up to 15% saltwater,"
you know it's plumped.Or you can check the sodium content on the Nutrition
Facts panel. Unenhanced chicken will have no more than 75 milligrams
sodium per 4-ounce serving. A plumped bird will have significantly more.
Decoding Chicken
There's no doubt about it: Americans love chicken. Consumption has
doubled since 1970 to more than 80 pounds per capita, per year,
according to the USDA. Consumers have flocked to poultry because
it's leaner and cheaper than beef and easy to prepare.
These are just some of the labels you'll find:
Fresh: This means the poultry has never had an internal temperature
below 26˚ F., as mandated by the USDA.
Natural: USDA regulations regarding food labeled "natural" apply only
to poultry and meat. Products must be minimally processed and contain
no artificial ingredients or added colorings. At this point, the USDA
considers plumping to be minimal processing.
No hormones: A lot of chicken labels advertise this, but the USDA
prohibits hormone use in any poultry – and pork, for that matter.
No antibiotics added: It means exactly that: The chickens were not
administered antibiotics. It's allowed only on labels for products
that have been verified antibiotic-free by the USDA.
USDA Organic: The USDA allows organic – even those labeled "100% Organic"
– to contain added water and salt. Technically, organic fresh chicken
could be plumped, but usually it's not.
Free range/free roaming: Like "natural," this is a controversial term,
because the USDA only requires producers to demonstrate that chickens
are allowed access to the outdoors. It doesn't specify how much time they
spend outside or what the conditions are like. Grass-fed/pastured/pasture-raised: This usually indicates that the birds graze in a pasture during
growing season and are fed stored grasses in winter. The USDA doesn't
regulate this.
Vegetarian diet: This generally means the chickens' feed contains no
animal byproducts, but it's also not USDA-regulated.
Air-chilled: Most poultry is put into an ice bath to clean and cool
the birds after slaughter. With air-chilled chicken, poultry is put
in a chamber and rapidly cooled to minimize bacteria.
Proponents of air-chilling, done by producers like California-based
Mary's Free-Range Chicken, say it preserves flavor.
There's no water retention, says Theo Weening, the national meat
buyer for Whole Foods. "All you're paying for is chicken."
Specialty/heritage breeds: These are prized birds, often descended
from high-quality European breeds like the Poulet Rouge Fermier
produced by Ashley Farms in North Carolina.
The chickens mature slowly, Weening says, so they have plenty of time
to develop great flavor without the need for plumping. These birds
typically are air-chilled. They're also expensive – about $16 for
3 pounds – and you'll find them occasionally at upscale markets,
such as Whole Foods, and at local farmers' markets.
Kosher: The bird has been prepared under rabbinical supervision.
"Many people – Jewish and non-Jewish – prefer kosher chickens, which
are hand-rubbed with coarse salt to remove any blood and impart extra
flavor," Green says. That said, the salt rub does boost the chicken's
sodium tally, though not as high as plumping does. Halal: Chicken
processed according to Islamic law and under Islamic authority.
Chicken may be rubbed with salt or vinegar to remove any traces of blood.
How to Cook Unplumped Chicken
If you buy unplumped chicken, it won't be as moist as an enhanced bird,
so you'll want to avoid overcooking (especially lean cuts like skinless, boneless breast meat).
You can brine the bird yourself for 30 minutes in a solution of 1/2 cup
kosher salt dissolved in 2 quarts cold water. Home-brined unenhanced
chicken has about 400 milligrams per 4-ounce serving, according to a
Cook's Illustrated laboratory test. That's comparable to industrial
plumped chicken, but at least you won't pay for the saltwater at the
checkout stand.
If you prefer the flavor, texture and convenience of enhanced poultry –
and many people do – try to cut sodium elsewhere in your diet to
compensate for the added salt from the plumped bird.
Alison Ashton writes frequently about food for Lifescript.
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