Your Chicken And You!

Did you know there more than 175 different types of chickens or that chickens can lay pink and even blue eggs? While a chicken egg takes about 21 days to hatch, a the life of a chicken can be as long as 10 to 15 years. Americans love! It's a known fact. They are more than just meat; they also provide us with eggs and their manure is recognized as rich fertilizer.

Every health conscious person should know their facts about chicken. Not all chicken is quality chicken. In today's market, while the it's taken for granted that all chickens are assumed free of hormones, some plants still continue to use antibiotic therapy to encourage growth. Seriously, get your antibiotics from your doctor, not your chicken! They have also been injected with salt water thus causing water retention, weight gain and more costly at the register when we buy poultry by the pound. Think about this: If your food is chemically treated, you too are ingesting those chemicals. If your chicken is injected with hormones, antibiotics and salt water, you too are absorbing these things. If you are absorbing the salt water found in some poulty, you are going to absorb water as well, you are potentially increasing your exposure for hypertension and other health-related issues.

According to the USDA all chickens labeled ‚ free roam, have an added requirement with the coops. These healthy chickens are provided, not only with a window in the pen itself, but they are allowed to leave the pen and roam outside. Of course you need containment fences or the chickens will stray on the porches and in the streets of every chicken farm and poultry plant, but they are given the freedom of soaking up the sun, getting exercise and even searching widely for natural food. Doesn't that sound like a happy chicken? It may sound strange, but a tense chicken is a difficult to chew chicken. truthfully it is not tasty.

An added benefit of increasing your chicken intake is the protein the meat carries. Good protein found in chicken promotes easier healthy tissue growth. Why do we care? We need those amino acids found in chicken to bring that metabolism rate up. When your metabolism rate is up, your body feeds on the fatty tissue and not the lean tissue, ultimately resulting in weight maintenance and even weight loss. Now don't go deep fat frying an entire chicken with the misconception you will drop 10 pounds overnight. However, a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of protein rich foods like chicken will improve any weight loss initiative. Supply your body the appropriate fuel and it will thank you!

So here's the deal. The next time you're out shopping for that perfect chicken breast to grill and place on top of your whole wheat noodles and marinara, be sure to look closely at the label. Check for ‚ free range‚ and ‚ hormone free‚ and even ‚ antibiotic free‚ labels. If you unable to locate what you are looking for at your local grocery store, check your local farmer's market or Trader Joes. You can even find great healthy chicken online through Grassland and Lobel's of NY that will deliver right to your door.

You could search advertisements in your local newspaper or Craigslist for farms in your area.

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Healthy Cooking is made of healthy ingredients, discovery how olive oil can help

While olive trees were probably first cultivated some part of the eastern Mediterranean around 5000 B.C., their popularity moved westward through history and their ancestry has been discovered to originate back to Italy 20 million years ago. Think back to Roman times and you'll remember visualizing royalty adorning olive crowns; van Gogh paint and The Olive Trees, it was said to be the compliment to his more famous painting Starry Night; many references in the Bible. The common olive tree contains an array of bendy branches connected near the bottom of the trunk. Its leafy branches bear dainty sprigs of white blooms, and the tasty green fruit thousands desire. It is said that the tree symbolizes peace and prosperity, which explains where the delicious oils from the olives themselves have become a commodity in high demand.

Those of italian decent are commonly associated with their use of olive oil, and the freshest ingredients. While most people won't fry with olive oil, mainly because of the expense, the added drizzle of the tantalizing oil as a final touch will certainly compliment any dish. Quality olive oil is cold-pressed, meaning no artificial heat is used in processing, and if subjected to high-heat cooking you are basically destroying the antioxidants olive oil has. Which also means when stored in a window sill in direct sunlight the color changes and shelf-life decreases. We enjoy showing off our fancy, and somewhat expensive, kitchen ingredients, make certain that your olive oil is in a dark, tinted bottle or store it in a cool, dry place.

Being a monounsaturated fat (a fat that studies show does not raise the LDL, or bad cholesterol) is a big plus for olive oil, and may be why the olive oil industry is now bigger than ever. Americans are more health conscious than ever and are continually looking for methods to stay fit and young. Any doctor will tell you that crash diets and surgeries are not the preferred way to a healthier life. They are extremely dangerous and, they aren't permanent. The only tried and true, fool-proof way to lose that extra weight, lower the cholesterol and get physically fit is with a change in lifestyle of diet and exercise. Not a temporary fix. Not a fad. Not a pill. We are talking about a complete overhaul of eating routines, getting off the couch and being accountable for the things we put into our bodies. Here are some fun facts for you: According to the Center for Disease Control and the American Heart Association, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States; an estimated 47% of cardiac emergencies are pronounced dead before emergency service arrives; in 2009, it was estimated that heart disease will roughly cost $304.6 billion in health care, medication and lost productivity. Scared yet?

Olive oil alone isn't going to drop your BMI (body mass index) to under 25, and Its not the saving grace for healthier living, but its the first step toward achieving a better you. Instead of deep fat frying that chicken, try dipping it in egg-whites, then breadcrumbs, and lightly spray with some olive oil before baking it. You get the crispy texture, great taste, and its a wiser choice for you. Instead of saturating your salads with ranch dressing, try using an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. Small changes can really go a long way with your heart, your health and your life.

To discover healthy cooking tips and delicious recipes visit: Heart Healthy Recipes