T he
facts
about
chicken:
a
d ietiti a n ’ s
guide
A guide to help you advise your clients
about chicken in their diet
C HICKEN
LEAN
Stir -fried lean meat cuts (100g serves):
fat and cholesterol composition compared1
A healthy and balanced diet
reduces disease risks
Chicken breast
Beef strips
Lamb strips
Pork leg strips
Total fat (g)
0.9
3.2
7.9
1.5
Total SFA (g)
0.3
1.0
2.8
0.6
Total MUFA (g)
0.4
1.4
3.1
0.6
Total PUFA (g)
0.1
0.4
0.9
0.2
Linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6, omega 6) (g)
0.11
0.15
0.46
0.15
Alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3, omega 3) (g)
0.01
0.03
0.14
0.01
3
8
25
3
62
77
96
70
Docosahexanoic acid (C22:6 n-3) (mg)
Cholesterol (mg)
SFA = saturated fatty acids; MUFA = monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA = polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• More than half the Australian adult population and over a fifth of 5 to
17-year olds are overweight or obese.2,3
• Cardiovascular disease – heart, stroke and vascular diseases – is the leading
cause of death in Australia, accounting for 37.6% of all deaths.4
• A high level of consumption of saturated fat increases the risk of coronary
artery disease by increasing total and LDL cholesterol.
- Saturated fat accounts for around 13% of total energy intake in Australian
adults, which is higher than the recommended 10% maximum.4
- One in two Australians over 25 years old has a total cholesterol level
of 5.5 mmol/L or
more4, which
is significantly higher than the currently
recommended low risk level of 4.0
mmol/L.5
Lean chicken* is high in protein but low in fat.1,6
• It has the lowest total fat content compared
to equivalent cuts of beef, lamb and pork
• Over 55% of the total fat content is
unsaturated fat
• One portion of chicken breast meat (100 g)
provides between 45 and 65% of the
recommended daily protein intake for adults.
*Stir-fried lean chicken breast.
Main nutrient contribution of lean baked chicken breast
“High protein diets may play a significant role in helping overweight and obese
subjects lose weight and maintain weight loss. Chicken is a key component of
(Based on 100 g serve for adults and children over 8 years, and 50 g serve for children up to 8 years)
Nutrient per
100 g portion1
Zinc
three times a week. Lean chicken can contribute significantly to a high protein
Male & female
Males
diet and can also contribute to a healthy eating pattern even if weight loss is
Females
1-3
4-8
9-13
14-18
19-70
>70
9-13
14-18
19-70
>70
not required.
29 g
104
73
73
45
45
36
83
65
63
51
Chicken can be very low in fat and provides essential vitamins and minerals,
0.8 mg
13
10
13
6
6
6
13
11
10
10
particularly niacin, thiamin, selenium and magnesium, which should encourage
9
Years
Protein
today’s diet, with about 33% of Australians who eat chicken doing so at least
% of Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI)*
30 mg
19
12
13
7
7
7
13
8
10 †
9‡
Selenium
26.1 µg
53
44
52
37
37
37
52
44
44
44
Niacin equivalents
17.5 mg
148
111
148
111
111
111
148
126
126
126
50 µg
5
4
6
4
4
4
6
5
5
5
Magnesium
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)
As the table illustrates, one serve of chicken breast meat provides the full recommended daily intake
requirements of niacin. Niacin is important for energy metabolism, DNA repair and calcium mobilisation
in the body.7
*Source of Australian RDI values for calculating
%RDI: NHMRC: Nutrient Reference Values for
Australia and New Zealand, available at
http://www.nrv.gov.au/Nutrients.aspx.
†In 19-30-year-olds; ‡in 31-70-year-olds.
dietitians to recommend it to clients in their practices when reviewing and
discussing an overall balanced diet.”
Dr Peter Clifton
Theme Leader Obesity and Health
CSIRO Preventative Health Flagship
Affiliate Professor, Department of Medicine and Department
of Biomedical Science, University of Adelaide
Farming chicken for meat has the least environmental impact
Global warming potential* and primary energy used per tonne of meat8
Of all the main meats, chicken meat uses the least
energy in its production, taking into account the
whole lifecycle, including the production of feed,
heating, cooling etc. Chicken meat also has the
30
25
Chicken meat production results in substantially less
eutrophication (increased concentration of chemical
Energy used (GJ)
Eutrophication potential (kg PO43-)
Acidification potential (kg SO2) 400
20
300
15
200
10
nutrients) and acidification (a lowering of the pH) of
the environment than other meats.
Eutrophication and acidification potential per tonne of meat8
500
GWP100 (t CO2)
lowest impact in terms of its potential contribution
to global warming.
o f a l l t h e m a j o r m e a t c h o i c e s8
100
5
0
Poultry meat
Pig meat
Lamb
Beef
*Projected for the next 100 years.
0
Poultry meat
Pig meat
Lamb
Beef
Farming chicken for meat is
the most envioronmentally efficient
of all the major meat choices
Efficient farming translates into affordable meat for the consumer
Retail meat prices in Australia6
increased at a substantially lower rate than any
1600
A major study undertaken for the UK Department for Environment,
1400
Food and Rural Affairs concluded:
the most environmentally efficient … .This results from several factors,
including: the very low overheads of poultry breeding stock; very
efficient feed conversion*; [and] high daily weight gain of poultry
1200
Cents/kg
“On the livestock side, poultry meat production appears, however,
other meat, reflecting the efficiency gains by
Lamb/mutton
producers and processors through sustained
Pig meat
research and development and technology
Chicken meat
investment.6 As Professor Ross Garnaut, in his
Final Report on Climate Change, noted:
800
“since 1960 poultry meat prices have fallen
600
400
understanding).” 8
200
meat. It is expressed as the kilograms of feed needed to produce 1 kilogram of live weight.
Beef/veal
1000
(made possible by genetic selection and improved dietary
*The feed conversion ratio is a commonly used measure of how efficiently animal feed is converted into
Over the past four decades, chicken prices have
by more than 75 per cent and there
has been an almost ninefold increase in per
capita consumption”.9
0
1970
1976
1982
1988
Year
1994
2000
2006
Data sources: Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and Australian
Bureau of Statistics.
K e y f o o d s a f e t y t i p s 6,10,*
• Chicken should not be kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
• There is no need to wash chicken before cooking as it is not an effective
(Most of the bacteria that cause food poisoning thrive at temperatures
way of removing bacteria from the meat; it only spreads any bacteria
between 5 and 60ºC.)
present on the chicken to the sink and other surfaces.
• Uncooked chicken should be refrigerated at or below 4ºC and frozen to
below -15ºC. Leftover cooked chicken can be refrigerated, but only for
1 to 2 days. Freeze if longer storage is required.
• Always store raw and cooked foods separately.
• Thaw frozen chicken completely before cooking. This can be done slowly in
• Use separate utensils (e.g. different knives, chopping boards) when
preparing meat to avoid bacterial cross-contamination.
• Cook chicken so the temperature is 75ºC at the centre of the thickest part
of the meat. A food thermometer can be used to check the temperature.
• To check if the chicken is cooked, prick the meat at the centre of the
the fridge or more quickly in the microwave. Never defrost chicken at room
thickest part of the meat. If the juice runs clear – that is, there is no blood
temperature – this allows bacteria to grow to a potentially dangerous level.
present making the juice pink – the chicken is cooked.
*See also Food Safety Information Council website: http://www.foodsafety.asn.au/
• Leftover cooked chicken must be reheated to at least 70ºC for a minimum
of 2 minutes before eating.
Q u i c k f a c t s a b o u t A u s t r a l i a n c h i c k e n6,10
• In a year, Australians consume about 37 kg of chicken per
• No hormones or steroids are given to chickens to promote
• Chickens have not been genetically engineered in any way. Improvements to the
person; chicken now rivals beef as the nation’s favourite meat.
growth. Selective breeding, improved nutrition and flock
breeds used, such as improved growth rate or meat quality, are achieved using
Australians are among the highest per capita consumers of
management practices are responsible for the faster growth
traditional cross-breeding and selective breeding methods.
chicken in the world.
and more meat of today’s chickens.
• Australian chickens may be fed some genetically modified foods – mainly soya
• Chicken meat sold in Australia is grown in Australia. Neither
• Antibiotics may be used for disease prevention and treatment
bean meal for protein, a proportion of which has to be imported. The three major
live birds nor chicken meat can be imported into Australia due
in Australian chicken farming. Use of antibiotics is carefully
processors of chicken meat in Australia – Inghams, Bartter and Baiada –
to quarantine restrictions.
regulated to minimise the risk of bacterial resistance, and no
have made a public commitment to source non-genetically modified soya bean
antibiotics that are important for human health are routinely
meal wherever possible.
• Chickens reared for meat are housed in specially designed
poultry barns where they can roam freely. They are never
used. In addition, chicken meat is regularly and independently
tested for antibiotic residues to ensure that it is safe.
• Australians perceive chicken as versatile, healthy and ‘family friendly’.
housed in cages.
All you could possibly want to know about chicken in one website, including easy, healthy
chicken recipes for your clients: w w w. c h i c k e n . o r g . a u
Q u i c k g u i d e t o c h i c k e n f a r m i n g s y s t e m s 10
Conventionally raised chickens (95% of all chicken sold in
Organic chickens (<1% of all chicken sold in
Halal chickens may be raised conventionally, organically or in a free-
Australia) are:
Australia) are raised as for free-range chickens BUT:
range system BUT:
• Raised indoors in large barns where they are able to roam freely
• They are fed mainly certified organic feed and are
• Mainly fed grains (largely wheat and sorghum).
Free-range chickens (about 5% of all chicken sold in Australia)
are raised conventionally BUT:
• They also have access to an outdoor area during the day
• They are not given antibiotics (if antibiotic treatment is required,
grown more slowly.
Corn-fed chickens may be raised conventionally,
organically or in a free-range system BUT:
• They are raised on a diet where corn replaces some
or all of the wheat and sorghum. This results in a
yellowing of the skin and flesh.
the meat is sold as conventional chicken).
All you could possibly want to know about chicken in one website, including easy, healthy
• They are processed in accordance with the requirements set out by
the relevant religious authorities.
Chemical-free chicken
does not refer to the way that the chicken
has been raised or fed but indicates that:
• No chlorine is used during the processing of the meat. (The majority
of chicken processed in Australia are immersed in chilled chlorinated
water to reduce temperature and sanitise the chicken carcass.)
chicken recipes for your clients: w w w. c h i c k e n . o r g . a u
C HICKEN
LEAN
T H R OUG H
Y OU R
T h i s booklet i s i ntended for u se b y health profess i onals only
References: 1. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. NUTTAB 2006. Online database of the Nutritional Composition of Australian Foods, Canberra, 2006. http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/monitoringandsurveillance/nuttab2006/. 2. Barr E et al.
AusDiab 2005. The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study. Melbourne: International Diabetes Institute, 2006. 3. Magarey A et al. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Australian children and adolescents: reassessment of 1985 and 1995
data against new standard international definitions. Medical Journal of Australia 2001; 174: 561-564. 4. Heart, stroke and vascular diseases—Australian facts 2004. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW Cat. No. CVD 27) and
National Heart Foundation of Australia (Cardiovascular Disease Series No. 22). 5. Position Statement on Lipid Management. National Heart Foundation of Australia and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Heart, Lung, Circulation 2005;
14: 275–291. 6. Charlton DE et al. Food, health, nutrition: where does chicken fit? National Centre for Excellence in Functional Foods, 2008. Can be downloaded or a copy ordered from www.chicken.org.au. 7. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia
and New Zealand Including Recommended Dietary Intakes. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council, 2006. Downloaded August 2008 from http://www.nrv.gov.au/_resources/n35-niacin.pdf. 8. Williams AG et al.
Determining the environmental burdens and resource use in the production of agricultural and horticultural commodities. Main Report. DEFRA Research Project IS0205. Bedford: Cranfield University and DEFRA, 2006. Downloaded from
www.defra.gov.uk. 9. Garnaut, R. The Garnaut Climate Change Review, Final Report, p. 545, 30 September 2008. Downloaded from www.garnautreport.org.au. 10. Australian Chicken Meat Federation website at: www.chicken.org.au
w w w. c h i c k e n. o r g . a u