Fast Food Nutrition: Grilled Chicken = Cancer?

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Maria Lorenz
Maria Lorenzhttps://ifitandhealthy.com
Join me on my "I Fit and Healthy" journey! Maria is an Upstate New Yorker interested in all things healthy-living related! She started the "I Fit and Healthy" Blog to document life and her pursuit of healthy living. By day she work in digital media and advertising. By night she’s a first-rate wife and mom of two crazy little girls! She is self-proclaimed addicted to her iPhone/iPad and always on the hunt for the latest health tools and fitness gadgets.

What is fast food nutrition? When I think about fast food nutrition, it is all about finding healthy fast food choices. This process could be a little tedious, but it does not have to be.

For the most part, fast food nutrition comes down to what seems to be common sense choices, such as choosing grilled chicken over pork ribs. Speaking of grilled chicken, did you know it could cause cancer?

According to Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), “…grilled chicken can cause cancer. Even a grilled chicken salad increases the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer…” and other forms of cancer.

Why did they come to this conclusion? They tested grilled chicken products from major fast-food chains including McDonald’s and Burger King. The test results came back positive for a carcinogenic compound (PhIP).

Based on these test results, PCRM filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s, Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse and TGI Friday’s.

PCRM says they are willing to drop the lawsuit, if the restaurants take the steps to warn unsuspecting consumers about the carcinogens in their food, as required by California law.

The California Restaurant Association (CRA) called the lawsuit “groundless and politically motivated“. In addition, they said, “The PCRM are anti-meat advocates who want to limit consumer choice and limit access to healthy dining options, which grilled chicken most definitely is“.

CRA claims that PhIP (in small amounts) is harmless for humans. I think CRA’s dismissal of any health dangers related to PhIP is not surprising. According to Diet-Blog, a number of scientists dismissed a recent warning about low levels of man-made chemicals in some processed foods.

I think they should display a warning, if that is what the law requires. However, to be fair, they should also explain that the very process of grilling causes carcinogens to form. They cannot really do anything to prevent this from happening, short of removing all grilled products from the menu.

Tip: If you are concerned about this, before eating anything grilled, take some Vitamin C or eat vegetables that are high in Vitamin C – some studies indicate that Vitamin C could offer protection against common carcinogens found in grilled foods.

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