Here is what is in a Chicken Nugget. From the marketing you would think that there is only chicken, breading, and seasonings in this favorite food of ours:
**As of October 9, 2010, the ingredients are as follows: Chicken, water, salt, sodium phosphates. Battered and breaded with bleached wheat flour, water, wheat flour, modified food starch, salt, spices, wheat gluten, paprika, dextrose (sugar), yeast, garlic powder, rosemary, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and cottonseed oil with mono- and diglycerides, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, ammonium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), natural flavor (plant source) with extractives of paprika. Fried in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid). Dimethylpolysiloxane is added as an antifoaming agent.[4] McDonald’s ingredients can vary outside of the United States.
** Sodium Phosphates (Added to foods to increase shelf life, to emulsify, a leavening agent, a foaming agent, and an additive to neutralize the acidity or alkalinity of food.)
** Modified Food Starch (Added to foods to substitute for fat, to emulsify, to thicken, and extending shelf life to name a few. It is known to affect many people with food or gluten allergies.)
** Diglycerides (Another food emulsifier additive. May contain trans-fats which lead to possible stroke, heart disease and diabetes.)
** Dimenthylpolysiloxane (An antifoaming agent that is also used in items like Silly Putty. It’s actually used to keep the oil in the nugget from foaming. That’s an appetizing thought.)
** TBHQ (My favorite. This is an oil preserving additive. According to Wikipedia, as long as the upper limit of 0.02% dosage is not exceeded in the food, there should be no concerns for this carcinogenic additive. Also, if you consume enough Lycopene from the ketchup you dip your chicken nuggets into, this acts as a carcinogen blocker – antioxidant. No, I wasn’t paid by Hunt’s or Heinz to say that. )
** Ketchup (If you are like most people, a chicken nugget is bare unless it’s drowning in ketchup. A cup of Ketchup (272 grams) contains 320 calories, 64 grams of sugar (that’s what makes it taste so good) and 2,560 milligrams of sodium. The recommend daily sodium intake from the Mayo Clinic is less than 2,300 milligrams for the average person.)
It is any wonder why we are experiencing some of the health issues we are seeing now? Until next time…