Whew! It's great to have that off my chest!
Seriously though, I simply have never had a desire to eat one of those small chicken nuggets. McDonald's has said that they are 100 percent real chicken, but there's just something about those small chunks of chicken that don't look good to me. By what I understand, although the nuggets are supposedly free of any artificial preservatives, colors or flavors, they have been reported to be high in unhealthy fats and sodium.
The chicken nugget was invented in the 1950's by Robert Baker, a food science professor at Cornell University. The bite sized piece of chicken, coated in batter and then deep fried, was called the "Chicken Crispie" by Baker and his associates. It wasn't until 1983 (my senior year of high school) that Chicken McNuggets were introduced at McDonald's restaurants. McDonald's method is quite simple -- the breast meat is removed from the bird and then mixed together with seasoning prior to forming the Chicken McNuggets. The nuggets are then coated with a tempura-style batter.
You may recall the 2016 news story about Stacey Irvine (then age 17) who – since she was a toddler – had eaten little else but chicken nuggets and the occasional portion of french fries. The factory worker – who says she has never tasted fresh fruit or vegetables – had to be taken to a hospital when she collapsed after struggling to breathe. Her doctors warned her to change her appalling diet or die. Doctors found that her 15-year chronic chicken nugget addiction had left her with anemia and inflamed veins on her tongue. Her body was so deficient in vitamins and nutrients that she had to be injected with them. She is quoted as saying: "I loved them so much they were all I would eat. I just couldn't face even trying other foods. Mum gave up giving me anything else years ago... My main meal is always chicken nuggets every day."
Even Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt has an appetite for the McNuggets. Bolt estimated that he ate 1,000 McDonald's Chicken McNuggets during the 2008 Beijing Olympics – or 100 per day over 10 days at the Athletes' Village. He wrote in 'The Fastest Man Alive," one of his autobiographies, "Honestly, I ate nothing else in all my time out in China except chicken nuggets. They were the only food I could properly trust which wouldn't affect my stomach."
I know that there are many people who just love McDonald's Chicken McNuggets (including my children as they were growing up), but I have to say... I'm not lovin' it.
From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek
Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
- United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
- Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
- Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
- Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
- The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
- Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
- Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
- Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
- Some Cycling Moments From The Past
