Is This Really Healthy???
You may have seen some commercials lately from KFC advertising their new grilled chicken bucket. This is the latest attempt by a fast food company to offer healthy choices in lieu of the artery clogging junk the normally sell. Although I welcome this change, I am always leery of restaurants when they say they now have a “healthy” option. Remember, restaurants are in the business of making money and to make money their food must taste good. When you start removing the fat, sugar, and sodium from food it begins to taste like the bottom of your shoe.
When you remove fat from food you must add something to make up for the loss in taste. Nobody is going to eat an unseasoned low fat chicken breast. Don’t believe me? Try plopping a plain chicken breast on the grill one night and give it a try…bon appétit!
Restaurants typically add either salt or sugar, and a lot of it, in order to make the food edible. The new KFC grilled chicken is no different. While it is low fat and high in protein, the sodium counts are bit elevated. Here is the nutrition info on the grilled chicken (from the KFC website):
Breast-180 calories, 4 grams of fat, 440 mg of sodium
Wing-80 calories, 4 grams of fat, 160 mg of sodium
Drumstick-70 calories, 4 grams of fat, 200 mg of sodium
Thigh-140 calories, 9 grams of fat, 320 mg of sodium (avoid this one)
So, if you were to have a breast and a drumstick you would only have 8 grams of fat but 640 mg of sodium. That’s a lot of sodium for one meal…and this doesn’t count your side dishes.
The moral of the story here is be careful and don’t be fooled into believing something is wonderfully healthy just because the restaurant or food company says it is. Often times it is not. A diet high in sodium is not good!
Now, given that it’s difficult finding healthy food on the run, the KFC grilled chicken bucket is much better than some of the alternatives. Would I eat it? Sure, in a pinch. Just be sure not to order the biscuits, macaroni and cheese, and the mashed potatoes with gravy to go with it. When you order the grilled chicken dish, be sure to order green beans as your side. It’s the only one on the menu that’s relatively healthy.
I will always tell you to opt for food you have prepared yourself. This way you have full control over what goes in it. When that’s not possible you must chose the next best thing. In this case, KFC’s grilled chicken is an “okay” choice! Just don’t make it a habit.
