Is Chicken Healthy? nutrition and benefits

Chicken is one of the most popular types of meat. It’s not only widely available and easy to prepare but also easily found in a number of preparations and varieties.

Still, though chicken is a common dietary staple, you may be unsure about just how healthy it is.

This article reviews a few of the benefits and downsides of chicken to determine whether it’s good for you.

Nutrition

Chicken is rich in a variety of important nutrients, including protein, niacin, selenium, and phosphorus.

One 3-ounce (85-gram) serving of chicken breast contains (1Trusted Source):

• Calories: 122
• Protein: 24 grams
• Fat: 3 grams
• Carbs: 0 grams
• Niacin: 51% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Selenium: 36% of the DV
• Phosphorus: 17% of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 16% of the DV
• Vitamin B12: 10% of the DV
• Riboflavin: 9% of the DV
• Zinc: 7% of the DV
• Thiamine: 6% of the DV
• Potassium: 5% of the DV
• Copper: 4% of the DV

Protein, in particular, is essential for building and repairing your tissues and maintaining muscle mass (2Trusted Source).

Meanwhile, selenium is a trace mineral that’s necessary for proper immune function, thyroid health, and fertility (3Trusted Source).

Chicken is also rich in B vitamins like niacin and vitamins B6 and B12, which play central roles in energy production, DNA synthesis, and brain health (4Trusted Source).

Benefits

Chicken is rich in an array of important nutrients and can be an excellent addition to a healthy, well-rounded diet.

Given that chicken is low in calories but high in protein, it may be especially beneficial for weight loss, if that’s a goal for you.

Studies show that increasing your intake of protein may enhance feelings of fullness, increase weight loss, and help maintain lean body mass (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).

When paired with resistance training, protein can also help promote muscle growth (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).

What’s more, protein is involved in calcium metabolism and important for optimizing bone health (10Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Chicken is highly nutritious and a good source of protein. Adding chicken to your diet may help support weight loss, muscle growth, and bone health.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/

www.goodhousekeeping.com