British chef Oliver James had already proven it via a video that has toured the web in 2010: chicken nuggets consist mainly of fat and very little meat. A study by American researcher Richard deShazo of the Mississippi University of Medicine, and published by the journal The American Journal of Medicine, confirms this trend.
The professor dissected two nuggets, from two large fast food chains, and analyzed the contents under a microscope. The first contained 50% meat, fat, blood, blood vessels and nerves. The second was no more than 40% meat and the remaining 60% consisted of fat, cartilage and microscopic pieces of bone.
Admittedly, these products are edible, but they give the illusion of being low in calories while they are filled with sugar, salt and fat, “which makes them unhealthy”, denounces Richard deShazo, Quoted by Le Figaro. “We all know that chicken meat is a very good source of lean protein, which is why we encourage our patients to eat it. But some manufacturers choose to use a mixture of chicken rather than lean meat. They mix it up, fry it and keep calling it chicken, “he adds.
Representatives of the US chicken industry reacted to this study by pointing out that it was conducted on a very small sample. The professor specifies for his part that the aim of his research is simply to recall that “not everything that tastes good is good for your health”. One of the best ways to find out what’s in your nuggets is prepare them yourself.
