KFC Grilled Chicken: Unthink Your Health!
May 8th, 2009
Kentucky Fried Chicken recently announced it’s grilled chicken meal and has started an advertising campaign aimed to promote it as a healthy choice. The ads ask you to “Unthink what you thought about KFC.” If you fall for this clever slogan, the only thing you’ll be unthinking is your health!
KFC Grilled Chicken Ingredients
Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for KFC, the ingredients of their food is available on their website. Here’s what’s in KFC’s Grilled Chicken:
Maltodextrin: The very first ingredient, which means it’s also the most abundant ingredient, is sugar! Among the many problems associated with sugar, it suppresses your immune system, promotes imbalance of intestinal flora, causes blood sugar fluctuation which can lead to diabetes, promotes weight gain, can cause neurotransmitter imbalance that leads to depression, and can even lead to addiction.
Salt: While natural sea salt is an essential part of good health, the highly refined table salt that KFC most likely uses contains unhealthy additives, is stripped of it’s magnesium and trace minerals, and is bleached to hide the discoloration caused by the processing. Refined table salt is associated with heavy metal toxicity, Alzheimer’s disease, high blood pressure, and kidney problems.
Bleached Wheat Flour: Flour is a highly refined source of carbohydrates that causes many of the same problems as sugar. Furthermore, many people have issues digesting wheat and anyone who is gluten intolerant may be in for a surprise if they eat KFC’s chicken thinking that it’s gluten free.
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil: Here’s where things start to get ugly. Cottonseed oil and soybean oil are vegetable oils that are high in omega-6 fatty acids. Although omega-6 is an essential fatty acid that cannot be produced by the human body and must be part of our diet, it must also be consumed in an approximately equal ratio to omega-3 fatty acids. The typical modern diet is much too high in omega-6 fatty acids and the imbalance this causes is associated with all kinds of problems including heart disease, cancer and impaired brain function.
Soy isn’t healthy under any conditions because it contains substances such as phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors that interfere with mineral absorption and protein digestion. It also contains phytoestrogens which mimic estrogen in the human body. In addition, a frightening amount of soy is genetically engineered and is typically sprayed with more chemicals than most other crops. While organic soy eliminates the problems associated with genetic engineering and toxic chemicals, It’s extremely unlikely for KFC to be using organic ingredients.
As if soybean oil and cottonseed oil aren’t bad enough in their own right, they’re made to be much worse through partial hydrogenation. Through this process, these oils are exposed to extreme temperatures, mixed with metal particles, and bombarded with hydrogen atoms. The result is a highly refined, deformed and unnatural molecule that’s commonly referred to as trans fat and is associated with many serious diseases and health disorders including heart disease and cancer. Even the often misguided mainstream media suggests that you avoid trans-fat like the plague.
Monosodium Glutamate: If you don’t recognize this ingredient, it may sound more familiar to you as MSG. This unnatural flavor enhancer is a neurotoxin that kills brain cells by overstimulating them. It’s commonly regarded as one of the most dangerous food additives in existence and is associated with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and learning disabilities. Even the FDA acknowledges a long list of symptoms that it can cause shortly after consuming it.
Autolyzed yeast, another ingredient in KFC’s grilled chicken, also contains MSG.
Chicken Fat and Beef Fat: Coming from a healthy and naturally raised animal, these fats are highly nutritious. Despite the misconception that saturated fat causes heart disease, they make up a significant portion of cell membranes and are therefore vital to proper cell function. They also support the immune system and the detoxification system. However, because chemical toxins are often diverted from vital organs and stored in body fat, especially in factory farmed animals, the chicken and beef fat used by KFC is likely to be highly toxic.
What About the Chicken Itself?
KFC has been under fire for quite some time because of the factory farming used to produce their chicken. Undercover investigators, including investigators from PETA, have reported horrendous conditions at these farms. According to their observations, the animals were packed in warehouses with very little room to move, were completely deprived of sunlight, and were so weak and deformed that they could barely function well enough to eat and drink. There were even cases of the farm employees torturing the animals for no other purpose than their own twisted enjoyment.
Without a doubt, factory farming is bad news. If the animal cruelty isn’t enough to turn your stomach, then the poor quality of the meat should be. These animals are fed the cheapest feed available which is likely to contain toxic grain that has failed inspection for human consumption and can also contain fillers such as sawdust, newspaper, and cardboard. They’re also typically fed antibiotics on a regular basis to compensate for the unhealthy conditions they’re forced to live in and are given hormones to accelerate their growth. Whenever you eat food that’s derived from an animal, you’re also eating what the animal ate, and this includes the pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, sawdust, newspaper and cardboard that they were fed.
The Reality of Eating Out
If you want to enjoy excellent health, you have to accept the fact that nearly all restaurant food is unhealthy. Unless you know for sure that the restaurant serves organic food and gets it from reputable sources, you’re likely to get a plate full of food that is low in nutrients and high in toxins.
While there’s obviously a big difference between fried chicken wings and grilled chicken served with vegetables, it’s important to realize that even whole foods can pose a risk to your health if they’re not from a quality source. In general, local restaurants with a strong reputation are more likely to serve higher quality food. While it may not be organic, it will certainly be better than anything you’d typically find in a chain or fast food restaurant.
Don’t Drive Yourself Crazy
The main point of this article is to help you recognize the deception of corporate marketing and realize that restaurant food is rarely healthy. Based on this, you should be preparing the majority of your meals yourself with high quality organic foods and should avoid restaurant food as much as possible. However, you don’t have to be obsessive about it. Most of us enjoy eating out, especially to socialize with friends, and it’s healthy to do so on occasion. Just make sure you stick to the 80/20 rule and do it in moderation.
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Wow. what a great article. Fast foods companies keep searching for any thing to deceive people into buying their junk and now they are trying to make people eat THEIR food by telling them it is good for you!!.
Thank you Vin for this post , it is a real eye opener
Vin, fantastic! I love it. Think you’re eating grilled chicken and you get sugar and other poisons. Holy crap, my eyes have been opened. I always thought grilled chicken at fast food restaurants was fine. Whoa!
Vin you Win
This is a great article. I believe that we should remain as close to the nature as is “humanly” possible. With the compulsions of the advances in technology, fast paced competitive life and ever expanding human population, we may have to make some compromises, yet it is possible to be natural in many ways – that is the only thing that will ensure the survival of the human race in general and this earth in particular.
Thanks for the comments guys!
Sam and Stephen, I’m please to see that you learned something from my article. It’s easy for me to forget that not everyone knows what harmful ingredients lurk in restaurant food, particularly fast food. It’s refreshing to know that I’m not just regurgitating things that people already know.
Sanjeev, adhering to the laws of nature as much as possible and within reason is an excellent perspective and is one of the main themes of this blog!
Vin..
You are not a very educated person are you….?
I Stumble over sites like this once in a while, and it amazes me each time the amount of bulls**t you “health food” columnists are able to pack into your your columns. Of course food containing excessive amounts of carbohydrates and saturated lipids, is not good for you, a fatty, greasy meal once in a while will not kill you as long you are of normal health. If you read up on your “toxic poisons” added to food you will notice that there are at least just as much “toxins” native to the food before refining. Take your MSG, no trial has shown adverse effects similar to what you are listing. Some even claims it as beneficial to BMI(Obesity (The Obesity Society) 16 (8): pp. 1875–1880.). You shouldn’t mislead people without a chemistry degree or at least some basic understanding of molecules. For instance, take any kind of sustenance, it will contain thousands, if not millions of different “chemicals” since our world is made of these things you know…. Look for chemical composition of an orange, with scientific names on the chemicals and you will never eat an orange again.
Ignorant humans….
Thanks for sharing your opinion. It’s unfortunate that you didn’t leave your name to stand behind it and show your willingness to engage in a productive and mature discussion.
No, a meal like KFC’s grilled chicken once in a while certainly won’t kill you, and I did mention that in the article. In fact, it’s the essence of the 80/20 rule of good health that I often promote. The problem is that many people are deceived by marketing to believe that junk like this is healthy and that they can eat it as often as they’d like, especially when you have people like Oprah Winfrey promoting it.
Most of the toxins I tend to discuss in my articles are synthetic chemicals that aren’t found in nature. How you can say that they’re native to food before refining or processing is beyond me.
I don’t need a chemistry degree to understand the risk of being exposed to chemicals that didn’t exist during our millions of years of evolution. I don’t care how many alleged benefits are associated with MSG, it’s not worth the risk when we can get everything we need from natural foods and natural supplements. That’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it just as you’re entitled to yours. I think the people who read this blog are smart enough to make their own decisions, and if they feel misled, I strongly encourage them to speak up.
Perhaps the true ignorance is in neglecting the evolutionary factors that made us what we are today.
I actually found this website while checking for actual ingredients on the grilled chix. I was looking for the Carb count. Great post Vin. I will book mark this sight
Hi Vin,
a very good article, well presented
I am allergic to MSG… and had no idea that it could be linked to Parkinsons.
its high time people learn that so much of what you eat is cheap for a good reason… its rubbish and should be avoided, as you say, at least 80% of the time.
Lance
I tried a piece before I read this post. It tasted pretty salty and was not as good as my supermarket’s house rotisserie chicken, which probably isn’t good for me, either.
I doubt The Colonel used those preservative chemicals in his true original recipe.
Thanks for the comments Lance and Rhonda!
The Colonel’s original recipe was created in 1940 and I’m pretty certain that the chemicals they use today didn’t even exist then.
There are studies GALORE that prove the toxicity of MSG, to the “well educated” scientist. I don’t need a college degree either to understand the scientific literature written by outside-the-box thinking researchers or the word “Excito-toxin”. We use those in pesticides to kill pests. Put down sucralose, another excito-toxin (Splenda) and ants will happily pick it up. They will just as happily die. Homo-sapiens have been around for 200,000 years (that would be us). Unless this decidedly uneducated person gets it wrong, it takes more than 150 years for humans to adapt to changes in environment or diet without some pretty dire consequences. Our food, and KFC grilled chicken isn’t food either, is killing us. MSG has absolutely NO nutritional benefit to it. If I even go near MSG, I get a nasty reaction. If I believed scientists like you, I’d be on a bunch of wonder drugs to “fix” something that shouldn’t be in my body in the first place. Great article, Vin!!
Thanks Nancy! Some experts say that it takes as long as 100,000 years for the human genome to change just 0.1%! We have a long way to go before we can thrive on KFC!
Yes, Splenda is nasty stuff! I wrote an article about the chlorination byproducts it contains, but I didn’t know it’s also an excitotoxin. Thanks for sharing that!
Vin, no wonder I always feel like crap after I eat at KFC, or any other big fast food chain for that matter. I was shocked to hear that sugar is the first ingredient in KFC grilled chicken. I avoid processed sugar like the plague. In our household we cal it “white death”.
MSG is another matter altogether. Both my wife and I make a point of requesting MSG-free food whenever we eat out, which by the way is not that often. Usually we get polite assurances that our request will be honored, then it’s 50-50 odds if that is even possible, because so much restaurant food contains pre-made elements that are apparently beyond their control (ie: sauces.) MSG gives us both headaches, creates a feeling of being bloated and dehydrated all at once. We are not obese, but my wife has diabetes and I am a long-term kidney transplant so yes, we are acutely aware and conscious of what we eat!
But the mutated fats are the real deal breaker. I’m not happy with the idea that I am eating cancer-causing chemicals when I hoped merely to enjoy a nice meal.
I vote for the locally owned and operated restaurant that make their meals from scratch, or better still, just preparing and eating meals at home. It’s ALWAYS better tasting, healthier, more nutritious and more wholesome in every way. Not to mention a lot more economical.
Thanks for revealing the substances (I won’t even give them the more appetizing label “ingredients”) that lurk in this so-called food.
And shame on Oprah for not doing her homework on this.
She really ought to peel back the layers of this particular onion to take a clear-eyed look at the core, because it’s rotten.
Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your experience!
It’s great that you’ve been able to isolate the foods that cause you to not feel well. This is such an important thing and so few people are able to do it.
I completely agree about avoiding restaurants as much as possible and choosing those that make their food from scratch. We all need to enjoy a meal out once in a while, but not nearly as often as most of us eat out.
I wish you and your wife the best of health with her diabetes and your kidney transplant!
Fantastic post. I stumbled and tweeted it, with @s to Oprah, KFC and Tyson Foods, using the hashtag #oprahkfc.
You can see other comments about KFC on http://search.twitter.com by searching for #oprahkfc
Ann Marie
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I sent the following message to Oprah:
I would like to suggest that you rethink your support of KFC grilled chicken. Though they are obviously trying to improve their reputation, the food is still loaded with artificial ingredients, including MSG. MSG is linked to negative reactions (Chinese Restaurant Syndrome), food addictions and obesity. In fact, when researchers want to study obese rats, they feed the animals MSG. As a public figure with a huge following, you have a tremendous power to educate people. Our population is in an epidemic of obesity and obesity related diseases. Promoting artificial foods is not going to help us and may even be doing us great harm.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Rivers
Hi Ann and Stephanie, thanks for helping to get the word out!
No doubt about it, if you want to save money, buy organic! I agree with Vin…all of those ingredients are nothing but trouble!
I have Celiac and eat out very rarely. Even though places have gluten free menus there is the cross contamination to be very concerned about. It takes very little to make me ill concerning Gluten. I read this article out of curiosity as some people I know thought this would be an option for me in a crunch. Ha – first of all would not even consider it with all the flour in a KFC restaurant. And, then with everything I read in the article ~ WOW!! A great article full of very valuable information. No KFC for me ~ LOL!!
KFC should go under for not only killing people with their disgusting food. Who knows whats under all that batter. It could be parts of a rat. But the most horrible thing of all is how they treat chickens. I hope there is reincarnation and the people who abuse animals and chickens, will themselves be turned into chickens. Please Oprah, do not promote KFC. People respect and admire your opinion. I hope this chain food store (did I say food?) goes under.
I just was sent a link to this web site and I really appreciate what you exposed. I, too, am allergic to MSG. It makes my body jittery and keeps me awake most of the night – possibly from the withdrawal since it happens 6-8 hours after I eat MSG. I learned awhile back that most “grilled chicken” in fast food chains gives me this reaction. But the breading on fried chicken from places like KFC also gives me trouble in another form – a pounding heart! Much better to cook your own chicken at home!
Thanks for the comments guys!
GlutenFree – With the prevalence of gluten sensitivity, it’s a shame that restaurants aren’t more mindful of using gluten in ordinarily gluten free foods. I’m glad you found the article before trying KFC’s grilled chicken!
Connie – I agree, but we have to remember that there’s an entire system that’s at fault and it can’t be blamed only on the fast food restaurants. However, buying less fast food can certainly be an effective way to get the message across that there’s a need for change.
Ann – I agree, cooking at home is the best way to know what’s in your food!
I was suspect from the moment I tasted it! If fast food taste good it more than likely contains sugar and/or flavor enhancers. My husband didn’t believe me…so I searched the ingredients in KFC grilled chicken and also found your site. My husband was flabbergasted!! After reading your post and then the KFC site, he was sure you had sonehow skewed the actual information, he is now a believer and committed to the 80/20 rule. Thanks…
Hi Vin,
Thank you for your impressions, I like many right now am trying to figure out how to categorize KFC’s new offering. For the moment I’ve tentatively concluded that it will be a good compromise food, not healthy but not completely irresponsible either.
My main question is about your mention of trans fat. You said that the partial hydrogenation process would result in trans fat being present. But on KFC’s website the nutritional information posted for the product specifically lists trans fat as “0″.
Now, I hold no misconceptions about how companies will naturally promote their products and play down the negatives, but rarely will they blatantly lie on hard facts. Aggressively dodge, mislead and confuse yes, red-handed lies… usually not (if for no other reason than the legal exposure). So which is the right answer?
Sadapo – I’m glad you converted your husband!
I have no interest in skewing KFC’s nutrition data or taking away any of their business. My only motive is to help people make informed choices.
Greg – It’s pretty well established that partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, such as the soybean and cottonseed oils in KFC’s chicken, contain trans fat. Nourishing Traditions, one of my favorite books about nutrition, explains this in detail.
Perhaps it’s possible for food manufacturers to hydrogenate oil without producing trans fat, but the bottom line is that it’s still an unnatural and denatured fat. Another possibility is that the serving size is reduced to the point where trans fats are less than a half of gram and could therefore be listed as 0 grams.
What are we eating? I recently opened a box of Nabisco Triscuit and read the label. It is the Roasted Garlic flavor and the ingredients listed are as follow.
Whole Wheat, soybean and/or palm oil, Maltodextrin, Salt, MSG, Disodium Inonsinate, Disodium gunaylate, Hydorlized wheat, Sesame oil. I was disgusted an hour later because my mouth was dry.
Nice artical but this site has to many people that dont eat meat in the first place to make it hold more wait I wish this site had more people like me who love there meat:) kill those chickens lol just playing but I do love my chicken but not from kfc to greasy for me.
Thanks for your comment, Spencer!
I’m not sure where you got that impression. Despite the bad press it has received, which I think is inappropriate, I am a huge supporter of meat being a big part of a healthy diet. What I am strongly opposed to is the low quality meat from industrial farmers.
For what it’s worth, based on my Metabolic Type, I eat about 2 pounds of meat every day and even have meat as part of my breakfast.
I don’t think I eat any type of fast food on a regular enough basis to cause a panic, which to me it seems you are trying to do. Most of us are mature grownups and hopefully we wouldn’t just take anyone’s opinion over our own personal physician’s.
Granted, I am not a scientist, nor a chemist, but sugar, salt, lard or fat, has been around for ages. Anything we do we should do in moderation. It is the gluttony that kills us, not necessarily the ingredient. However, I do agree with Spencer in that KFC is just too greasy to enjoy no matter how they prepare it. I think if you must have fried chicken, which I rarely prepare for my family, try oven-fried.
To be fair though, I think most fast food places would go under in a heartbeat, if they were forced to use all natural ingredients. As far as PETA is concerned, I wouldn’t believe them if they told me my back was on fire, even if I could smell the smoke.
Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing your opinion!
Panic is a form of stress, and as such, is certainly not what I’m trying to promote. It’s great that you don’t eat fast food frequently enough for it to be a problem, but there are people who are less informed than you that do! In addition, it’s easy to think that KFC’s grilled chicken is a healthy choice, especially with the advertising. Grilled chicken normally is a healthy choice, but not when it contains ingredients like hygrogenated oil, soy, gluten, MSG, and sugar. The point of this article is not to cause panic or controversey, but to help people realize that KFC’s grilled chicken is not the healthy choice they may believe it to be. I’m sorry that you interpreted it differently.
Finally, regardless of what PETA says, factory farming is a real problem that everyone should be aware of and do their best to not support it.
Vin,
For you and the readers, I have no dog in the fight here. I’m not politically motivated one way or another when it comes to this subject. I didn’t even know your site existed until I put “kfc grilled chicken ingredients” into a search engine. I did so because yesterday I decided I wanted something quick… but healthy and low-carb. I went to KFC and bought some grilled chicken. I see now it was neither healthy nor low-carb. In fact, it tasted so strange to me and gave me such an annoying headache in my temples that I couldn’t wait to look it up and see just what KFC was putting in this stuff. The consistency of the skin reminded me of some sort of resin and had such a chemical taste to it, I knew it was unhealthy immediately. Later that evening, I not only had a headache but became sick to my stomach. A glass of baking soda water was very helpful. I had no idea the first ingredient was a sugar-substance. Not exactly conducive to furthering my low-carb diet effort. Anyway, thanks for the info. Common sense told me something wasn’t right. You’ve filled in the details I needed. Also didn’t realize Splenda was so harmful. Good info. I don’t use a lot of sweeteners but when I do, would you recommend Stevia instead… or something else?
Hi Billy, thanks for sharing your experience! Isn’t it crazy what a restaurant can do to a regular piece of chicken?
If you’re looking for healthy foods that don’t have an excessive amount of carbohydrates, natural whole foods are your best bet, particularly pasture raised meat and organic produce. With a diet based on such foods, you shouldn’t have much of a need for sweeteners, but on occasion, I’d definitely recommend stevia over any of the artificial varieties.
My husband is very sensitive to MSG. The reaction that Billy describes is the exact reaction he has within about 8 hours. We had KFC last night as a quick dinner as we were helping our daughter get from her college final to her coaching job for an 8th grade girls basketball game. Neither my husband nor I can remember the last time we had KFC and this is the first time he has had this severe of a reaction. He learned a long time ago to avoid El Pollo Loco.
We are now exploring the connection between how your bile breaks down fat and the toxic reaction to MSG. Taurine is also something that is being mentioned as a supplement that can help. Considering that it is found in bile and the digestive system this makes sense. My husband developed the toxic reaction after having is gall bladder removed in his early 30′s. This results in a diluted bile and the processing of fats is very difficult. We grill most of our lean meats and he avoids heavy fatty foods but lives for the most part on the 80/20 principle. Aside from MSG, everything else can be tolerated.
If anyone has tried the Taurine option or knows of other options I am interested in learning more. His reaction usually last about 12 hours with migraine level pain, nausea, and diarreha. He is normally a very fit, very athletic, on the go person . . . this knocks him flat!
All ideas welcome . . .
Hi Hylon, thank you for sharing your husband’s experiences. I unfortunately don’t have any other options to suggest, but you might find some helpful information in the book Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by Russell Blaylock MD.
Hello, I also came upon this website while searching KFC ingredients for their new grilled chicken, and I was quite disappointed in the ingredients! Certainly I will not try it. It’s becoming frightening how chain restaurants are able to hide behind words.
My question is regarding MSG. I’ve never been tested for being allergic to it; however, a few times when I’ve eaten out I have had a lot of tingling numbness on my lips, tongue, and down my throat, which was quite frightening to me. The people on this site who mentioned allergies to MSG did not mention these symptoms (they had headaches, bloating, and such). The times this numbness has happened was always after fried food, especially chicken, and yes, it began happening when I’d have KFC but not to a large degree, but I have not been to a KFC in many years because of it.
Any thoughts on the tingling numbness being connected to MSG?
Thank you for your time!
Hi Kim, thanks for sharing your experience!
Associating specific symptoms with a sensitivity to a particular food or food additive is often difficult because symptoms can vary so much from person to person. Your best bet would be to get tested for food sensitivities, but it would have to be a test that includes chemical additives. Since you seem to have isolated it to an additive that you’re better off not eating anyway, you might as well save your money and simply avoid MSG.
The majority of those posting on here must eat blah! Perhaps will all that chemical free eating you all will live an extra ten years. That will give you more time to sit around drooling in a nursing home. How fantastic. I’ll bet you all drive cars and use computers to post on here. Those two products are responsible for literally tons of hazardous substances being poured into the air you breath every minute. When you give up your cars, your computers, your electricity and every piece of plastic you own or use, then I might listen to you. Until then, you’re just another unimportant fringe group.
Hi Brian,
I thoroughly enjoy the food I eat. Taste buds change in response to diet, and the more one eats natural whole foods, the easier it is to realize that they actually taste quite good. The fact that these foods also promote optimal health makes them the best of both worlds.
I think it’s shortsighted to assume that any additional time added to one’s life through healthy lifestyle habits will be spent incapacitated in a nursing home. Even if that were the case, it’s important to consider the difference in quality of life before that point. Today, many people are suffering from chronic health problems as early as their twenties and thirties and are living with a greatly compromised quality of life. I know for a fact that my diet contributes greatly to me consistently being in better moods and having more energy and mental clarity. In my opinion, the intermittent gratification that may result from regularly consuming processed foods is not worth the sacrifice in wellbeing that it often causes.
Yes, I use a computer and drive a car, and yes, this contributes to air pollution. However, this doesn’t mean chemical exposure needs to be an all or nothing situation. It still makes plenty of sense to limit exposure as much as possible, especially since there is plenty that can be done to do so without being excessively impractical.
More disturbing:
Silicone Dioxide: SiO2, more commonly known as quartzite, which is a mineral that makes up sand and sandstones, as well as a whole bunch of other rocks. I am a geology major who works at KFC (I found this site as a result of seeing the words “injected chicken” last night at work on the box that the chicken came in). The prospect of putting rocks in my mouth doesnt really freak me out, but it is a bit disturbing to have them, unbeknownst to all of us, in my food, and granted, its not really the rock itself, but it is the most common rock-forming mineral on the earth’s surface….
Calcium Silicate: Ca2SiO4, commonly used as a safe alternative to asbestos in insulation, also widely used in Europe as a fireproofing material, also a sealant for concrete roof tiles and roads. Made of limestone and diatomaceous earth
Then there is the issue of beef in my chicken. I dont really eat much in the way of meat. I do eat chicken and fish often enough but my intake of beef is limited to a VERY rare occasion. Its a little unnerving to realize that the chicken I’m eating contains the beef that I avoid.
Then again, I havent really eaten KFC until I started working there this year, since reading a PETA pamphlet on their factory farming practices. Regardless it is really disturbing
Hi Chloe,
Thanks for sharing that information on silicone dioxide and calcium silicate. I completely agree about not wanting to eat them! Now that you know what’s in some of KFC’s food, hopefully you’ll be able to resist the convenience of eating it while working there.
Vin,
Keep on doing what you do! The sad reality (the way I see it) is that our society is so overwhelmed with the day to day drudges of just getting through life, that there is this blind trust of what we are told and or are led to believe that creates this safe haven of ignorance with the mentality that they (corporate America) would never do anything immoral or unethical to it’s consumers. The marketing ploys used to make a dollar in this money driven existance we call life is beyond comprehension. Thank you for making a difference!
Thanks for your encouragement, Steve!
In regard to health related issues, I spent most of my life assuming that medical professionals, scientists, and government agencies know best and have our best interests at heart. I was shocked when I realized how often this isn’t the case. I don’t know if I’d blame this blind trust on the hectic pace of modern life, but I certainly agree that many people are suffering as a result of it. If you consider the primitive cultures that Weston A. Price studied, the individuals who succumbed to poor health after converting to modern foods certainly didn’t do so because they had too much stress from their office jobs or had to bring their kids to soccer practice. I think the blind trust is more a matter of having faith in human nature, and it’s unfortunate that there are so many aspects of modern life that violate this.
I have no doubt that organic foods are better for you than highly processed ones, and my wife and I even agree that we should add more organic foods to our diet. Our concern is the cost. Organic foods typically cost considerably more than the non-organic equivilent. My wife is a stay at home mom because we think that is important for the development of our children, but because of the weakening economy we are forced to budget very carefully. Quite frankly we cannot afford to go 100% organic with our food supply. While I understand that small family and organic farms must charge more to survive, but I sometimes think that they inflate the price far more than necessary because they feel they can charge a premium just because their food is labelled “organic”.
Hi Rob, thanks for your comment.
I think your concern is completely valid. Organic food is a growing trend and farmers and food manufacturers alike are doing what they can to take advantage of it. However, some local farmers are unwilling to pay the substantial costs for organic certification even though they follow organic farming practices. Such farmers are likely to have more trouble selling their food for higher prices, and if you can find such a farmer, you might be able to find a better deal. EatWild.com is one of several good resources for finding farmers that might fall into this category.
Other options to reduce the cost of quality food include buying in bulk, participating in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), or growing as much of your own food as you can. If necessary, you can also prioritize which foods you give the most emphasis to in regard to quality. I’ve written more about these options in the following article: Can’t Afford Organic Food?
Honestly, with the way this food looks, who really thought it was healthy? Have you ever grilled chicken yourself? Cause when I do, it isn’t that oily…
Plus, when you see KFC chicken farms, it’s scary. I couldn’t support that…
I think you have an interesting idea with the 80/20 rule. Normally when I cite the 80/20 rule, I am speaking in terms of money. Living on 80% of net, and saving 20% of net (net, because you never see your gross earnings). But correlating it with the ratio of eating out vs. eating in, I think you are spot on. No one wants to truly give up eating out, and we are all aware (at least I think most of us are) that ALL processed foods are less healthy overall than self-prepared foods, and so having a balance is the best alternative.
BTW, I should point out that I never was a big fan of that grilled chicken. If I’m going to KFC, I want the grease and the bad stuff. That’s a treat when you go rarely.
Hi Jim, thanks for your comment!
I’m glad you like the idea of the 80/20 rule, although I can’t take credit for it being my idea. It’s a popular recommendation made by many natural and holistic health practitioners. Eating tasty but unhealthy food does contribute some to quality of life, such as your example of eating greasy KFC on rare occasion, but pushing the limits often detracts from the more important things in life. The 80/20 rule is all about living with margin so that this can be avoided.
restaurants with a strong reputation are more likely to serve higher quality food. while it may not be organic, it will certainly be better than anything you’d typically find in a chain or fast food restaurant. though it usually doesn’t come cheap.
I agree, and when I choose to eat out, I have no problem spending the extra money for higher quality food. It’s also becoming more popular for restaurants to serve food from local farmers, and similarly, even though it may not be organic, it’s much more likely to be of excellent quality and subjected to much less pesticide or hormone use.
What I’m hoping to find is how I could make something at home that tastes in the ballpark of how this tastes but doesn’t use the MSG I’m allergic to and not any of the other bad things that were mentioned.
Hi Jenna,
I can’t comment on the taste of KFC’s grilled chicken because I’ve never eaten it. However, if you eat whole foods on a regular basis, chicken should taste reasonably good without doing anything special to it. If you don’t like the taste of the chicken that you’re cooking, perhaps you could try cooking it a bit less to prevent it from becoming dry. You could also try dark meat instead which I think is more flavorful. Beyond that, the best advice I can give you is to experiment with different herbs and spices and try recipes from health oriented cookbooks that don’t use questionable ingredients. The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and The Paleo Diet Cookbook (not released yet) are two that are worth checking out.
Thank You very much for the helpful information Mr. Miller. I was an addict of KFC for a long time. But after reading your article my mind has been changed. I was spoiling my health these years. Once again I would like to express my thanks.
Hi Lalgi, you’re quite welcome! I’m happy to have helped you improve your eating habits.
This is misleading. You make it sound as if the primary ingredient in the grilled chicken is malodextrin.. which is wrong. The complete ingredients in the grilled chicken (from the KFC link you provided) is:
KFC® Grilled Chicken
Fresh Chicken Marinated With Salt, Sodium Phosphate, and Monosodium Glutamate. Seasoned With: Maltodextrin, Salt, Bleached Wheat Flour, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Monosodium Glutamate, Spice, Palm Oil, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder, Soy Sauce (Soybean, Wheat, Salt), Chicken Fat, Chicken Broth, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Extractives of Turmeric, Dehydrated Carrot, Onion Powder, and Not More Than 2% Each of Calcium Silicate and Silicon Dioxide Added As Anticaking Agents.
Contains Wheat and Soy.
I’m not trying to say this is healthy by any means.. it has a good share of salt and MSG.. and “Chicken” doesn’t in any way imply white meat.. so it could very well be more like a McDonald’s chicken nugget.. chicken isn’t meat.. its likely “stuff” from a chicken pressed into a chicken patty..
.. but what you listed was the ingredients list of the seasoning sprinkled on the piece as it’s grilled.
Anyway.. I won’t eat this stuff, but your presentation of the ingredients was a bit misleading in my opinion.
Hi Ron,
I had no intentions of misleading people about the ingredients. If I did, there wouldn’t be much point in providing the link. I suspect that KFC changed the list since I wrote the article because at one point I had to update the link after someone reported it to not be working.
Based on your comment, I updated the list of ingredients with the information currently on their website. In my opinion, seeing that the chicken is marinated with MSG prior to seeing maltodextrin is actually far worse than seeing maltodextrin listed first.
Regardless of your judgment of my intentions, thank you making me aware of the discrepancy.