Healthiest way to cook Chicken?

[CoN]

I've been looking more and more into nutrition now then i've started eating healthier and one of the main things I eat often is chicken. Now I usually get chicken cutlets from the supermarket and cook them on a frying pan with olive oil and season it with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook it with vinegar and lemon. I usually eat some veggies with that and white rice (im considering changing white rice to brown rice but it just tastes so godamn awful for me)

Is this the healthiest way to cook chicken? I dont really know any other ways to cook chicken besides using a frying pan, I could technically use an oven but it takes too long and things from the oven usually taste really bad when I cook something with in it. I guess its possible to bake chicken as well but it just takes way too long for me.

Im currently at 180 pounds (I was 200lbs a few months ago), 5'11 and age 17. My goal right now is to slim down to about 160 (is this a weight healthy goal for my age and height?). This doesnt relate to the topic at hand but I also wanted to ask why people often tell me not to eat a meal and sleep right afterward. I've heard you can gain weight from this doing this? Im not too sure how it works, if someone could explain to me that'd be great.

[Tom Yum]

Originally Posted by CoN

I've been looking more and more into nutrition now then i've started eating healthier and one of the main things I eat often is chicken. Now I usually get chicken cutlets from the supermarket and cook them on a frying pan with olive oil and season it with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook it with vinegar and lemon. I usually eat some veggies with that and white rice (im considering changing white rice to brown rice but it just tastes so godamn awful for me)

Is this the healthiest way to cook chicken? I dont really know any other ways to cook chicken besides using a frying pan, I could technically use an oven but it takes too long and things from the oven usually taste really bad when I cook something with in it. I guess its possible to bake chicken as well but it just takes way too long for me.

Im currently at 180 pounds (I was 200lbs a few months ago), 5'11 and age 17. My goal right now is to slim down to about 160 (is this a weight healthy goal for my age and height?). This doesnt relate to the topic at hand but I also wanted to ask why people often tell me not to eat a meal and sleep right afterward. I've heard you can gain weight from this doing this? Im not too sure how it works, if someone could explain to me that'd be great.

I'm not a health expert, so as allways check with your doctor first but I will certainly share my opinion.

Congratulations on your decision to eat healthy! Since you are beginning an excercise program, you will need to pay attention to your diet if you want to get the best results for your efforts in the gym/track/pool etc. Chicken is an awesome source of protein, which is important for building your muscles and thereby improving your strength and power.

The way you are cooking it sounds o.k. - its actually making me hungry at the moment (not hard to do!). When you are cooking meat, you want to cook it long enough and at high enough temperatures so that its uniformly white (or dark) but not pink.

If anything, you should slightly overcook your chicken to avoid any bacterial problems with raw chicken. Other meats can be eaten more raw, but chicken isn't one you want to gamble with.

White rice is a great source of carbohydrates. Carbs give your muscles energy to do work (remember protein builds muscles and helps them with strength, but carbs fuel your muscles). Brown rice is good too!

Your meal plan isn't bland at all. It sounds well rounded with good all-round nutrition. If you want some more ideas of preparing chicken so you don't get bored, let me know and I can give you some ideas.

This stuff is all general knowledge and opinion, so talk to a doctor or nutritionist. Best of luck.

[tanuki]

I love chicken. In fact, I just got done eating a chicken breast. I recommend a Forman grill or a toaster oven set to broil. I personally use a toaster oven and it works great. I get the big bags of frozen chicken breasts from Wal-mart. I set the little oven for 40 minutes and then I go off and just do what ever. In forty minutes, I get the chicken out and all I put on it is hot sauce. I eat lots of greens with my chicken, and that is what I have for dinner probably about 60% of the time (I eat 6 meals a day instead of 3 though).

You may want to be careful using a toaster oven though. Mine is really heavy duty and it is made for cooking meat. I am not sure if they are all like that.

About your question concerning time of day to eat. I think it all depends on what you are eating, and how much training you are doing. This is for bodybuilders so I do not know how it would pertain if you are not lifting:


Mid Night Meals
________________________________________
At one time or another, you've probably been warned not to eat anything before bed or in the middle of the night because it will turn immediately to fat. This is Dead Wrong! One of the biggest mistakes a bodybuilder can make is to go 10 or more hours without eating. If you eat every 2 - 4 hours during the day to prevent catabolism, what logic could convince you to fast every night for 10 - 12 hours? This might be the easiest way to interrupt recovery and growth on a daily basis. The following recommendation might be the most important growth-promoting tip you've ever received. Eat 1-2 times during the course of the evening. I'm not talking about a full meal but rather a small protein based meal. Carbohydrates are not all that important during the middle of the night simply because you're not doing anything but sleeping. However, protein will help to prevent catabolism and, during the all-important Growth Hormone releasing sleep, promote anabolism. l'd recommend either drinking a protein shake, taking some amino's, eating 3 - 4 egg whites or having a cup of cottage cheese just before bed and then once again in the middle of the night when you get up to go to the bathroom. All you need is about 75 - 125 calories in each meal and don't forget to include them in your daily counts. Start eating in the middle of the night and you'll be growing around the clock, and don't worry, I guarantee you won't get fat
http://www.getbig.com/articles/faq-dav2.htm

By the way:
Anabolism is the part of metabolism that builds larger molecules.
Anabolic processes tend toward "building up" organs and tissues. These processes produce growth and differentiation of cells and increase in body size, a process that involves synthesis of complex molecules. Examples of anabolic processes include growth and mineralization of bone and increase of muscle mass.
Catabolism is the part of metabolism that breaks down molecules into smaller units. It is made up of degradative chemical reactions in the living cell.

As it does not sound like you are trying to build muscle, so you may not care about all this, but hey some one else might.

[treelizard]

Brown rice is definitely way healthier...

[CoN]

Thanks for all the replies. I do infact have a new toaster oven and its relatively new - I will try broiling it to see how it turns out with my next meal. My concern right now is that 40 minutes in the oven might make the chicken really dry. Brown rice sure is more nutritious but I grew up on white rice and eating brown rice is like stuffing a spoon full of grain in my mouth. I guess its an aquired taste and its a type of food to get use to.

Overall no, im not concerned about building muscle at the moment but rather slimming down my big stomach. I do love meat and I guess chicken is probably the healthiest meat so I thought I might just stick with that for the majority of my dinner meals. Its also known that turkey is a very healthy meat product as well but I dont usually ever eat it (unless its thanksgiving) and I have no idea how to go about cooking and seasoning it. Im trying to stay away from all types of red meats also pork, beef etc as they are heavy in fats.

[GQchris]

what about choking the chicken, I heard that was healthy too

[Juanchogespacho]

COCONUT OIL!!!



Once again I must remind everyone


NONE of the 26 long term Prospective Trials conducted since 1963 ( All that have ever been done to date) examining the relationship between saturated fat and CVD, NONE have shown any reduction in CVD mortality at all from saturated fat restriction


MORE IMPORTANTLY NONE of the CLINICAL TRIALS support the unfounded CROC known as the Cholesterol Theory. Clinical Trials are far more reliable than Prospective Trials.


NONE of the 18 randomized tightly controlled CLINICAL TRIALS ( All that have ever been done to date) , NONE have shown any reduction at all in CVD mortality from saturated fat restriction or cholesterol lowering. NONE ZERO Did I mention NONE???


www.theomnivore.com/Malmo_Study_2005.html

[Tom Yum]

Originally Posted by CoN

Thanks for all the replies. I do infact have a new toaster oven and its relatively new - I will try broiling it to see how it turns out with my next meal. My concern right now is that 40 minutes in the oven might make the chicken really dry. Brown rice sure is more nutritious but I grew up on white rice and eating brown rice is like stuffing a spoon full of grain in my mouth. I guess its an aquired taste and its a type of food to get use to.

Overall no, im not concerned about building muscle at the moment but rather slimming down my big stomach. I do love meat and I guess chicken is probably the healthiest meat so I thought I might just stick with that for the majority of my dinner meals. Its also known that turkey is a very healthy meat product as well but I dont usually ever eat it (unless its thanksgiving) and I have no idea how to go about cooking and seasoning it. Im trying to stay away from all types of red meats also pork, beef etc as they are heavy in fats.

When you eat, do you try to max out or get just enough? That can help too.

If you're eating a whole chicken for one meal, that may be a bit much. I've been told to eat about a fist-sized chunk of protein per meal if that's any help - I was told this by a Marine Sgt, don't know if that means anything or not but he was in bad ass shape.

[tanuki]

Originally Posted by CoN

Overall no, im not concerned about building muscle at the moment but rather slimming down my big stomach.

“Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the minimum calorific requirement needed to sustain life in a resting individual. BMR can be responsible for burning up to 70% of the total calories expended in a day....The more lean tissue on the body, the higher the BMR, the more fatty body tissue, the lower the BMR.”

http://www.weightlossforgood.co.uk/b...bolic_rate.htm


What this is saying, is that the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn just sitting there. I say the best way to burn your belly off is with a mix of lifting weights (or other methods of building lean tissue) and cardiovascular excerisize. Oh yeah and eating right.

[CoN]

Originally Posted by Tom Yum

When you eat, do you try to max out or get just enough? That can help too.

If you're eating a whole chicken for one meal, that may be a bit much. I've been told to eat about a fist-sized chunk of protein per meal if that's any help - I was told this by a Marine Sgt, don't know if that means anything or not but he was in bad ass shape.

I eat chicken about the size of a fist and a half along with one cup of white rice and a big bowl of veggies (usually broccoli)

[Sagacious Lu]

The George Foreman Grill is a bachelor's best friend

[tanuki]

Originally Posted by GQchris

what about choking the chicken, I heard that was healthy too

After you're done choking it, do you stick it on the foreman grill?

[tanuki]

Originally Posted by CoN

Overall no, im not concerned about building muscle at the moment but rather slimming down my big stomach.

I just found this quote. I think it explains why you should lift better than I did earlier.

"Weight Training: Too many people exclude weight training from their routines when trying to burn fat. This is a costly mistake! Weight training spares and conditions our muscle mass. If you didn't weight train while dieting then you would end up burning up a lot of your muscle as energy. This is a dieters worst enemy, muscle needs a lot of calories too maintain itself. Quite simply put, the more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn. If you don't lift you can kiss your muscle goodbye, along with your metabolic rate. Not only that, but weight lifting doesn't stop by burning calories in the weight room. It actually raises our metabolism significantly for hours following our workouts! Therefore, we are actually still burning major calories even after we have left the gym!"

[bigred389]

Originally Posted by Sagacious Lu

The George Foreman Grill is a bachelor's best friend

Hell yes. But IMO it's not so great for chicken.

When griling/broiling the bird, you don't want to jack the heat up too high or you'll end up flash cooking the outside, while the inside stays nasty. So then you need to chop it open to get the heat to the inside, and that DOES drain all the chicken fluid.
Not good.

[Tom Yum]

Originally Posted by Sagacious Lu

The George Foreman Grill is a bachelor's best friend

No, no....chicken is the bachelor's best friend. The internet is tied for second (along with the Foreman grill).