Not all rotisserie chickens are the same. Surprising but true, you have to read the labels and understand what you are putting into your body. I used to frequently purchase Costco Rotisserie Chicken and the deboned chicken that they packaged up from unsold rotisserie chicken. I never thought to read the ingredients....it was chicken, right?
But did you know:
Sodium Phosphate is a preservative that can put you at a greater risk of kidney disorders and heart disease.* - It is often used as an additive in processed food manufacturing. It’s also an ingredient in many household products and medications. For some people, sodium phosphate may be used to prepare the bowel prior to colonoscopy. Sodium phosphate is naturally occurring in many foods. It’s also added to foods to maintain freshness, alter texture, and achieve a variety of other effects. Sodium phosphate is considered safe by the FDA but should be avoided by certain people, including those with kidney disease.*
Sugar, Dextrose, and other unnecessary ingredients like Modified Food Starch can spike your blood sugar levels and modified means that it was treated with some type of chemicals.* - Modified food starch is typically obtained from a variety of sources like wheat, corn, potato, or tapioca. This greatly processed carbohydrate adds roughly 30 calories or seven grams of carbs in each teaspoon, without offering any nutritional value in return. It is freely used in the food industry in everything from candies to baked goods, yogurt, ice creams and meats. It serves a large variety of functions like enhancing shelf life, improving freezing and thawing cycles, it acts as a stabilizer, thickening agent, and an emulsifier. Because it is stripped of if nutrients, it may cause your blood sugar levels to rise sharply and drop quickly. Additionally, the starch from these sources is chemically, physically or enzymatically treated, hence “modified”, to allow it to have the desired properties.
Carrageenan which is linked to digestive problems and intestinal inflammation. It also increases the risk of cancer.*
- Carrageenan has been the subject of a lot of controversy. So, what is it? It's an edible seaweed that is native to the British Isles, where it's been used in traditional cooking for hundreds of years. It's also widely used in the food industry, mostly as a thickener and gelling agent. Some scientists have presented evidence that carrageenan is highly inflammatory and toxic to the digestive tract, and claim that it may be responsible for colitis, IBS, rheumatoid arthritis, and even colon cancer.
It's no wonder I was looking forward to a detox. I had no idea so many things that I knew to avoid were in so many "healthy" foods.
You can, however, find rotisserie chicken with no hidden chemicals - just read the label!
(*Note: Sodium Phosphates Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing - WebMD (Sodium Phosphate in Food: Is It Bad for You? (healthline.com) The Carrageenan Controversy - Scientific AmericanWhat is Modified Food Starch - Fermentools)
