Photo by Marji Beach, Animal Place

One of the first times I began to realize that I was destined to adopt a vegan diet was as a young child staring at a half-eaten, veiny chicken drumstick on my plate. That was before chicken had swept the nation as the premiere “healthy” meat alternative, but even then I knew it was not all it’s cracked up to be. And the truth is, chicken is far from being good for any of us; and certainly it’s no good for the birds, either.

8 Reasons Chicken Is Not A Health Food by Jill Ettinger, Organic Authority

Photo by Marji Beach, Animal Place

Somewhere along our American Journey, we’ve convinced ourselves that birds make for a healthier meal option than cows or pigs. But nothing could be further from the truth; in fact, eating chicken may hold more dangers than its fellow barn mates.

While organically and ethically raised animals are always a better option than not, there’s still plenty of reasons chicken is not a health food. Here are eight.

1. A serving of chicken contains just as much cholesterol as red meat. And eggs contain three times that. Cholesterol is linked to clogged arteries and heart disease.

2. Grilled chicken—a popular alternative to fried—commonly contains PhIP (2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine), which may contribute to the development of certain types of cancers including breast and prostate.

3. A common industry practice involves feeding chickens arsenic in order to make them grow faster. It’s highly toxic to humans and can cause cancer, dementia, neurological problems, and other ailments.

4. HCAs (heterocyclic amines) are found in meats cooked at high temperature, including chicken, and have been linked to an increased risk of cancer.

Read the entire article on OrganicAuthority.com