Chicken Fits!

Hot off the press: The new Canada’s Food Guide has been released and we’re excited!

The guide goes in depth to encourage Canadians to make healthy food choices, which includes getting half your plate of fruits and vegetables, choosing plant-based and lean protein sources, whole grains and healthy fats. 

Does chicken fit?  It most certainly does!  The new Canada’s Food Guide is about making healthy food choices; as Canadians #1 choice for protein, chicken remains a great one!   

Chicken is nutrient rich, providing a boost of protein with the added benefits of vitamins and minerals.  To top it off, chicken is also a family favourite with other plant-based sources of protein to provide a healthy balanced meal.

What does “lean” actually mean?

Chicken is a lean source of protein, which means it is low in fat and high in protein.  The Canada’s Food Guide emphasizes the need to watch out for fatty cuts of meat, which makes chicken a perfect choice. 

Chicken packs a protein punch with roughly 20 to 30 g of protein per 100 g serving (depending on the cut).  Additionally, chicken breast is very low in saturated fat with only 0.6 g per 100 g serving.  As part of a healthy diet, chicken can help get Canadians on the right track to meeting their protein requirements.  

Mighty Micronutrients!

While chicken is proudly hailed for being high in protein, it can’t be ignored that it is also rich in micronutrients.  Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that our body needs in smaller amounts, however they’re crucial for good health!  Whether you’re eating white or dark meat, you will be getting nutrients and minerals that help all our body’s functions.

Chicken is full of B-Vitamins, Magnesium, Iron and Zinc, which is good news for when you’re trying to make healthy food choices and ensure all your nutritional needs are met.  The dark meat of chicken has daily value percentages of up to 60% for vitamin B12 and 25% for zinc. Now that’s something to celebrate!

Cooking with Chicken!

Part of the Canada’s Food Guide encourages you to cook more at home and enjoy your food.  Chicken is so versatile and amazing to cook with at any meal.  You can add chicken to numerous dishes from curries, stir-fry, chilli, tacos and the list goes on.  If you on the journey to selecting whole foods that are rich in nutrients, the most important thing to remember is that chicken fits!