Can you eat chicken feet?
In this short article, we will provide an answer to the question, “Can you eat chicken feet?” with an in-depth analysis of chicken feet, how to eat chicken feet, the nutritional profile and the health benefits of eating chicken feet and the potential dangers of eating chicken feet.
Can you eat chicken feet?
Yes, you can eat chicken feet. Chicken feet are safe to consume. Chicken feet mostly consist of cartilage, skin, connective tissue, tendons, and bones. They contain many beneficial nutrients that provide numerous health benefits. Chicken feet can be used to make soups, broths, and other dishes.
The nutritional profile of chicken feet
Chicken feet provide a fair amount of nutrients including vitamins and minerals.
A 70 gram serving of two chicken feet provides:
- Calories: 150
- Protein: 14 grams
- Fat: 10 grams
- Carbohydrates: 0.14 grams
- Vitamin A: 2% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Calcium: 5% of the DV
- Folate: 15% of the DV
- Phosphorous: 5% of the DV
Around 70 per cent of their total protein content is collagen. Collagen is a structural protein that provides strength, shape, and stability to your muscles, skin, tendons, bones, and ligaments.
The folate present in chicken feet helps in DNA synthesis and aids to prevent birth abnormalities.
The fat content largely comes from the skin, which is normally discarded before cooking. Also, chicken feet are sometimes deep-fried or served with sauce, which may significantly raise their calories as well as carbohydrate, and fat content.
The health benefits of eating chicken feet
The potential health benefits of eating chicken feet are mostly due to their high collagen content. Collagen is a protein that works as glue, holding our body parts together. The advantages of collagen are not only for the skin but for the heart too.
Clears complexion
One of the most positive health benefits of eating chicken feet is clear skin tone. This is due to the presence of a lot of collagen content in chicken feet. Collagen is known for younger-looking skin. It also improves the overall hydration, roughness, elasticity, and density of your skin
Prevents ageing
Chicken feet are not only a good source of collagen but also contain a sufficient quantity of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate. Hyaluronic acid is known to prevent the effects of ageing. Chondroitin sulfate, on the other hand, is beneficial for osteoarthritis, therefore, it is suitable for people with joint problems.
Reduce joint pain
The high amount of collagen provided by chicken feet may relieve joint pain. Collagen works by stimulating tissue regeneration to decrease signs of osteoarthritis and reduces stiffness and physical dysfunction.
Prevent bone loss
Collagen consumption may also help to improve bone formation and bone density in postmenopausal females. In addition, it provides other benefits to bones and that may be because collagen is a major constituent of bone mass.
Controls blood sugar levels
Proteins present in chicken feet may help to improve blood sugar levels by activating glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone that stimulates insulin production.
Promotes heart health
Collagen, together with elastin, is an essential element of arteries and veins. It has been found that healthy elastin to collagen ratio is important in the prevention of heart diseases.
Other benefits of chicken feet provided by collagen are:
- Promotes blood supply as it helps to strengthen the blood vessels
- Help the body in metabolizing fats, hence it is fit for people who want to lose weight
- Slows the impact of arthritis
- Reduce pain and swelling
Dangers of eating chicken feet
Following are the dangers of eating chicken feet:
Trans fatty acids
Chicken feet are mostly served deep-fried, which may neutralise any of their potential health benefits.
Deep-fried foods are rich in trans fatty acids (TFA), which is a harmful unsaturated fat known to damage heart health.
TFA, particularly, may increase total cholesterol levels, inflammation markers, triglycerides, and Low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol while decreasing high-density lipoprotein or good cholesterol. This, in turn, raises the chance of atherosclerosis, or plaque accumulation in the veins, as well as heart attacks.
Moreover, TFA is associated with an increased danger of prostate and breast cancers
Hygiene and choking hazards
When purchasing chicken feet, make sure to examine them thoroughly. Those that look dirty or have ammonia-burned skin symbolise bad hygiene control.
Make sure to not buy those with ammonia burns, which seem like overgrown calluses and are often caused by the chicken standing on their faeces.
If the chicken feet you have bought look dirty, properly wash them to eliminate all the dirt. Also, chicken feet consist of several little bones, which may be a choking hazard for both children and adults.
Conclusion
In this short article, we have provided an answer to the question, “Can you eat chicken feet?” with an in-depth analysis of chicken feet, how to eat chicken feet, the nutritional profile and the health benefits of eating chicken feet and the potential dangers of eating chicken feet.
