Pepitas are fried in hydrogenated oil and contain high amounts of sugar, fat and preservatives. This makes them an unhealthy choice, especially if you eat them frequently. This is because the main component of chicken nugget isn't chicken. At first glance, breaded and fried chicken isn't the best or the worst food your child could eat.
Chicken provides some B vitamins and protein and, if served with a salad or vegetables and a whole grain, can be part of a healthy eating plan. No matter how old you are, few people can resist the temptation of a plate full of chicken nuggets. The best frozen chicken nuggets are tender on the inside, crispy on the outside and go perfectly with honey, mustard and tomato sauce. Maybe it's nostalgia for when you were standing in line at your school cafeteria, but chicken nuggets scream comfort food, whether it's from your local fast-food restaurant or from the freezer section of the supermarket.
We asked Gorin to apply his nutritional recommendations to 20 popular brands of frozen chicken nuggets, ranking them from best to worst. Wondering how your favorite brand compares? This is their breakdown. Applegate only uses select cuts of thigh and breast meat without antibiotics, but it still doesn't promise to bite an unsprayed piece of chicken. Although our best frozen chicken nuggets don't rank in any of the first places because they're low in calories, fat, or sodium, when you consider them all together, Applegate's relatively light breading and simple ingredients make Applegate's nuggets our best choice because they help keep belly fat to a minimum.
Instead of wheat or white flour, Earth's Best gluten-free nuggets are mixed with dried potatoes, rice flour and yellow cornmeal to make that signature crispy breading. In addition, they outperform all other nuggets in terms of having the least amount of sodium by far. Even with the Bell & Evans line of fully cooked, all-natural chicken products, one of our best proteins for weight loss, these nuggets are still the best sellers and one of our favorite selections. These seeds are cut by hand, contain pieces of whole breast and have one of the shortest ingredient lists in the group, making them the perfect food for both children and adults.
In addition to containing no artificial ingredients or preservatives, these baked chicken nuggets are very low in fat, with only 0.05 g of fat per gram of food. Even better, they're battered and breaded with whole wheat flour, one of our best carbs for weight loss, which provides 8 grams of whole grains per 4-piece serving. Although there is much to admire in the list of ingredients, this selection is not one of our best chicken nuggets due to its high sodium content and monosodium glutamate, which is a chemoinducer of obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. However, there are fewer calories and more protein in a serving of these nuggets than many other brands, keeping them in the top half of the ranking.
Get the best tips on nutrition and diet every day Now, you'll have the best and most recent news about food and healthy eating in your inbox every day. You'd think that including chicken as the first ingredient in your frozen chicken nuggets is a good thing, but you're wrong. And while there's nothing wrong with satisfying your craving for chicken nuggets from time to time, too much of a good thing isn't always good. Making your own chicken nuggets is a great way to make sure you're eating the whole chicken and not a processed version.
Pair chicken nuggets with fresh vegetables or a salad and a healthy whole grain, such as brown rice or quinoa, instead of opting for chips and a milkshake at the self-service window. Not only do chicken nuggets have about half as much protein as skinless chicken, but they also have four times more sodium and fat than a plain chicken breast, according to NBC News. Chicken nuggets are one of those foods that are best enjoyed in moderation, according to Food Network, and she warns that her favorite self-service order offers little nutritional value. While it varies from brand to brand (or from restaurant to restaurant), many chicken nuggets are fried in hydrogenated oils and contain unhealthy ingredients and a surprising amount of preservatives.
Even more surprising is that Web MD found that while some popular brands of frozen chicken nuggets could contain as little as 370 mg per serving, others had more than 500 mg. However, since the portions are usually quite small, you should incorporate frozen chicken nuggets into a larger meal. .
