Canned chicken is a pantry staple for many households, known for its convenience, affordability, and long shelf life. It's fully cooked and ready to eat, making it a quick and easy source of protein. But is it a healthy option, especially for those looking to lose weight? This article delves into the nutritional aspects of canned chicken, its potential benefits and risks, and how to incorporate it into a weight loss plan.
Nutritional Value of Canned Chicken
Canned chicken is simply chicken meat that has been cooked, processed, and sealed in a can to preserve it. The nutrition stats on canned chicken depend on whether it's packed in water, broth, or oil. Most canned chicken on the market is packed in water.
Here's a look at the typical nutritional values per 100 grams of canned chicken:
- Calories: Varies by brand
- Protein: 25g (50% Daily Value)
- Carbs: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sugars: 0g
- Fat: 15g (19.23% Daily Value)
- Sodium: 1020mg (44.35% Daily Value)
Compared to fresh chicken breast, canned chicken is generally lower in calories and protein. A typical 3 oz. serving size of canned chicken can provide around 15 grams of protein.
High Protein Content
A high-protein snack or meal can help reduce hunger levels, boost metabolism, and burn more fat. Chicken contains leucine, an amino acid that triggers protein building pathways. Protein is crucial for maintaining and building muscle mass, which is especially important for active individuals and those working on weight loss. It's also super important if you’re aging because maintaining your muscle mass is extremely important. Canned chicken is lower in calories and protein compared with regular chicken breast.
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Health Benefits of Canned Chicken
Canned chicken can be a convenient option for maintaining a nutritious diet, offering several potential health benefits:
- High in protein: Provides essential amino acids for muscle growth and repair.
- Convenient and shelf-stable: Making it a quick and easy source of nutrition for busy lifestyles or emergencies.
- Source of essential vitamins and minerals: Contains vitamins such as Vitamin B6 and B12, and minerals like selenium, supporting overall health and well-being.
Potential Health Risks
Despite its benefits, there are some potential health risks associated with canned chicken consumption:
- High sodium content: Many canned chicken products contain high levels of sodium, which can contribute to hypertension and increased cardiovascular risks.
- Potential for BPA contamination: Most canned chicken is heat-packed into BPA-lined cans. BPA contamination from the lining of cans may pose health risks if consumed frequently over time.
- Potential for loss of nutrients: The canning process may reduce the levels of certain vitamins and minerals in the chicken.
- Risk of contamination: There is a risk of contamination with harmful bacteria if the canned chicken is not properly stored or handled.
Choosing the Right Canned Chicken
When selecting canned chicken, consider the following tips:
- Canned chicken should be tender and moist, retaining the natural texture and flavor of well-cooked chicken. The meat should be in sizable chunks that hold together well but are easy to shred for recipes.
- Avoid canned chicken that appears excessively dry or has a mushy texture, as this indicates overprocessing.
- Cans that are dented, swollen, or have a rusty appearance should also be avoided, as they can compromise the safety and quality of the contents.
- Check the ingredients: Many of the canned chicken varieties on the market have additives, like modified food starch, and sodium phosphate.
Sodium Content
Look for low sodium or no-salt-added canned chicken varieties. Sodium is an important mineral that can help control fluid balance, nerve impulses, and muscle function, but too much sodium is linked to high blood pressure.
Ingredients
Check the ingredients in your canned chicken. Along with preserving deliciousness, sodium phosphate can further enhance flavor. If you're hoping to reduce your salt intake without taking on unwanted additives, Keystone is a brand that makes quality low-sodium canned chicken. The ingredients list only includes two items as well: chicken and sea salt.
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Brands
Canned chicken brands vary significantly in flavor and nutrition profile. Some examples include:
- Wild Planet Organic Roasted Chicken Breast, No Salt Added: Contains organic chicken breast with rib meat.
- Kirkland Signature Chicken Breast: Contains chicken breast, water, chicken broth, flavorings, modified food starch, salt, and sodium phosphate.
- Hormel No Salt-Added Premium Chicken Breast: Contains chicken breast, water, and sodium phosphate.
- Sweet Sue White Chunk Chicken in Water: Contains white chicken, water, salt, modified food starch, and sodium phosphate.
Storing Canned Chicken Properly
Proper storage is essential to maintain the quality and safety of canned chicken:
- Unopened canned chicken should be kept in a cool, dry environment. Canned chicken can last for 2-5 years unopened when stored in a cool, dark place.
- After opening, transfer the contents to a sealed container and place it in the refrigerator to maintain freshness for up to 3-4 days.
- Leaving the opened canned chicken in the original can may lead to a metallic flavor. Minimize exposure to air, and always use clean utensils for handling. Make sure the container is securely closed to preserve quality and prevent spoilage.
- For easier meal prep, portion out the contents into smaller containers before refrigerating.
Incorporating Canned Chicken into Your Diet for Weight Loss
Canned chicken can be a versatile ingredient in various dishes, making it easy to incorporate into a weight loss plan:
- Chicken salad: Mix it into a chicken salad with mayonnaise, celery, and onions, or use it as a filling for sandwiches, wraps, or pita pockets.
- Pasta dishes: Add it to a pasta dish with a creamy or tomato-based sauce.
- Casseroles: Mix it into a chicken casserole with vegetables and cheese.
- Soups: Use canned chicken in a chicken soup with vegetables, broth, and noodles.
- Pot pies: Mix it into a chicken pot pie filling with a flaky crust.
- Enchiladas: Make a batch of chicken enchiladas by mixing the chicken with cheese and sauce, then wrapping in tortillas and baking until bubbly.
- Pizza topping: Use canned chicken as a topping for pizzas or flatbreads.
- Stuffing: Mix it into a stuffing with breadcrumbs, herbs, and dried fruits.
When to Substitute Fresh Chicken
Deciding when to substitute fresh chicken for canned boils down to consistency. When canned, chicken loses much of its taste and becomes super tender. It develops a shredded consistency that can be flavored however you like. Some people prefer using fresh chicken in dishes like casserole and pasta because the silken consistency of canned gives them an overly mushy texture, along with a hint of metal taste. You can still use it in those dishes, this is just something to keep in mind.
Canned Chicken vs. Fresh Chicken
Fresh chicken typically goes straight from a farm to a processing plant (where it’s slaughtered, cleaned and packaged) and then to the grocery store before making its way into your oven. Canned chicken, on the other hand, is processed and sterilized under high heat to avoid bacteria growth.
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While high heat won’t impact the macronutrient makeup of chicken, it can affect the micronutrient content. Sterilized canned meats suffer a considerable change in the process due to protein denaturation and aggregation by heat.
Unless otherwise specified as “pasture-raised” or “organic” on the label (like Wild Planet), canned chicken brands also typically source their chicken from a factory farm, where chickens are tightly packed into cages and injected with antibiotics so they don’t get sick. Animals that live and eat from phytochemically-rich landscapes, like pastures, are healthier.
Nutrition Comparison
Using Bumblebee's canned chicken breast as an example, one 5-ounce can provide 13 grams of protein per 2-ounce serving. Additionally, there is 1 gram of fat and 70 calories in each serving, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, and 140 milligrams of sodium. Comparatively, one 3-ounce serving of raw chicken breast offers considerably more protein at 19 grams. Yet, there are 2.2 grams of fat and 102 calories per serving. It has almost double the cholesterol with 62.1 milligrams, yet way less sodium per serving (38.3 milligrams).
Dispelling Myths About Canned Chicken
One myth about canned chicken is that pinkish flesh is a sign of it being undercooked. It's caused by chemical changes. When cooking chicken, the meat's hemoglobin reacts to gasses that emit from the oven, which turns the flesh pink. Younger birds tend to display the richest pink color because they have less body fat. Another possible cause is nitrates or nitrites, which are naturally occurring compounds frequently added to canned foods as a preservative.