Can you eat fried chicken every day? is fried chicken bad for you? No, you cannot eat fried chicken every day. Chicken is healthy and supports your fitness goals. However, fried chicken can cause a lot of health issues. Therefore, you will have to avoid adding it to your daily diet. You can eat it once in a while and satisfy your craving. But if you eat it every day, you will start experiencing health complications. More importantly, fried chicken can shorten your life with regular consumption.
Why Should You Avoid Fried Chicken?
Fried chicken contains trans-fat, and it can cause many health issues. With regular consumption, you can develop heart diseases. Moreover, it can cause diabetes, cancer, and obesity. One serving of fried chicken every day can increase the risk of death up to 13%. Also, it will increase the risk of heart disease up to 12%. A study conducted on 106,966 women between 50 and 79 had this finding. It is not about fried chicken only. Most fried foods are unhealthy when eaten regularly. We will cover the risks related to fried chicken consumption in the following. Keep reading to know why you should avoid fried chicken or other fried foods in your daily diet.
Increases Cholesterol Levels
If you eat fried chicken almost every day, it will increase your cholesterol level. When you fry any food, it becomes calorically dense. The outer part of your food will lose water and absorb oil. The oils contain trans-fat and can increase your LDL. Low-density lipoprotein or LDL is harmful cholesterol. It will build up in the arteries and cause atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease. However, you can minimize the risk of atherosclerosis by avoiding fried chicken and other fried foods in your diet. Check out also if fried potatoes are healthy.
Contributes to Weight Gain
Many of us are aware that fried chicken causes weight gain. However, people eat chicken to support their weight loss journey. But the cooking process makes the fried chicken unhealthy. If you eat a fried chicken sandwich every day, you can notice changes in your waistline. The reason is that fried chickens contain more calories. Mostly, we dip chicken in flour or batter and then submerge it into frying oil. The batter absorbs oils, and you will consume more calories with every bite. Your favorite version of chicken can make you consume 200 extra calories. You can imagine the outcome.
Causes Type 2 Diabetes
Weight gain can cause many health issues, including diabetes. Diabetes might not be life-threatening. However, it will impact the quality of your life and weaken your immunity. Being overweight is one of the top causes of diabetes. Moreover, fried chicken will elevate your cholesterol levels. Both these conditions will increase the risk of getting diabetes. Even science and some study reports find a connection between elevated cholesterol levels and diabetes. You might not get this effect if you eat fried chicken once in a while. But everyday consumption will impact both your physical and mental health.
Causes Bloating
Almost all fried foods are rich in oil. Your fried chicken is not an exception. Fatty or oily foods take time to digest properly. They will move slowly through the GI tract. Therefore, you can experience bloating or similar discomforts. Also, fried foods have a lot of trans and saturated fats. Both these cause bloating, and you will feel like you have some water weight in your stomach. You will have more discomfort with FD or functional dyspepsia. It is worth mentioning that FD is a common symptom of indigestion. It causes a lot of stomach and chest discomfort. You can minimize the occurrence by following a healthy diet.
Develops Sluggishness
Some foods make you sluggish. You might get this feeling more after eating fried foods. Fried chicken wings and fried chicken burgers can make you inactive in no time. Why do you feel sluggish after eating fried chicken? Our gut produces ninety-five percent of the serotonin in our body. Serotonin is a feel-good hormone, and the gut is responsible for creating the highest amount of this. Also, there are millions of neurons connected with the GI tract. They help us to digest our food. More importantly, they will regulate our mood.
When you eat fried food, you send inflammatory ingredients to your gut. It causes the growth of bad bacteria and inhibits the growth of good bacteria. As a result, you will notice a drop in your energy level. Also, you will not feel good when the production of the good hormone is less.
Shortens Life
As mentioned earlier, fried chicken can increase the risk of death. You might find it unbelievable or strange. But it is the finding of science. According to a study report published in BMJ journal, women who eat only one serving of fried chicken even once a day can increase the risk of death to 13% from any cause.
Fried chicken is the favorite of many. Therefore, it might not be possible to avoid it entirely. But you will have to limit the consumption. Instead of eating every day, you can eat once a week or a couple of times a month. Also, follow a healthy lifestyle and consume fruit and vegetable-rich diet to minimize the impact. Some simple changes in your diet can take towards living a healthier and longer life.
How to Make Fried Chicken Healthy
You cannot make the fried chicken super healthy. But you can minimize negative impacts. Yes, you can prepare your fried chicken at home. If you do so, you can use healthy oils. The preferred one is liquid oils. The reason is that liquid oils will have healthy fats, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. You can consider using canola, soybean, and olive oils. All these oils contain omega-3 fatty acids and can support your heart health.
More importantly, avoid reusing oil while frying. Always start with fresh oil and use paper towels to remove any extra oil from your fried chicken. Also, you will have to avoid frying it too brown. It will reduce acrylamide levels. As supported by animal studies, acrylamide causes different types of cancers.