Second Prize Works of the First Ningxia Middle School Student Science Popularization and Science Fiction Writing Competition: Nutritional Value of Chicken

Editor: Liu Yuxin Reviewer: Yang Pengbin

Yinchuan Tanglai Middle School, Yinchuan City, 2020 Liu Yuwei, Provincial Second Prize Instructor: Lou Chenguang

"The red crown on the head does not need to be trimmed, the body is white and walks around." Chickens have often appeared in people's vision since ancient times. Now, people are more concerned about how to eat them and their nutritional value. What people don't know is that the nutritional value of chickens is very different from before. With the change of times and the change of breeding methods, chickens have gradually become different.

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In ancient times, there were mostly pheasants in the mountains, and their temperaments were very bad, so people caught them by making traps and raised them at home. Their temperaments gradually became docile, but their sizes gradually grew larger, allowing humans to add their meat to the menu.

Now, chicken, which is high in protein, low in fat and cheap, has always been one of the first choices on the tables of various countries. However, nutritionists have found that the fat content in chicken is now three times that of 40 years ago. In 1976, the fat content of 100 grams of chicken was only 8.6 grams, but the chicken sold in supermarkets now contains 22.8 grams of fat, and the protein content has decreased by 30%. This phenomenon is caused by the different breeding methods. In the past, chickens were free-range chickens that ate plant seeds or insects, but now that chickens are raised on a large scale in farms, in order to make the chickens ready for sale quickly, they are fed high-calorie feeds and sometimes hormones are given. Chickens also have no time and space to move freely. Over time, today's chickens are greasy and fat compared to decades ago.

Since the nutritional content of chicken has changed, why do people still often regard chicken as an important part of the menu? Because chicken is rich in protein, and the meat is easy to digest and easily absorbed by our body, eating chicken can enhance our physique, strengthen our body, improve our immunity, relieve our fatigue, relieve stress, promote children's intellectual development, and improve children's heart and brain function. Chicken contains a lot of amino acids, which can provide us with a lot of nutrition. At the same time, chicken breast can also help us lose excess fat, help us lose weight and shape our body, and make our body better. At the same time, it also contains many vitamins and a variety of trace elements needed by the human body. Chicken breast also contains unsaturated fatty acids, which can lower people's cholesterol and are of great help to people's physical and mental health.

The cooking methods of chicken can also amplify different nutritional effects. The unsaturated fatty acids and proteins in chicken are of great help to the elderly and cardiovascular patients. The meat of roosters is relatively compact and it is difficult to make a thick soup. People prefer the tender "young chicken". At this time, it is fried quickly over a high fire to keep it fresh and tender. Roosters are yang in nature and have a strong warming and tonic effect. They are suitable for patients with weak yang. Hens have a higher fat content, and the umami substances in the meat are easily dissolved in the soup. The stewed chicken soup tastes delicious. Hens are yin in nature, and the tonic effect is mild and slow. They are suitable for postpartum women and the elderly and weak.

There are so many nutritional values ​​in chickens because they have more nutritional needs. Chickens eat for "energy" and have the instinct to regulate their food intake. Therefore, the ratio of various nutrients in the feed is very important. When energy is insufficient, protein will be deaminated for energy use. When energy is too much, fat will accumulate in the body, which is not good for production.

Because of this, our bodies need a variety of energy, so the nutritional value of chicken to us humans is revealed.