Our recent post on 5 Healthiest Kids Meals stirred up controversy over chicken. Some folks felt that it’s loaded with artery-clogging saturated fat while others voiced their concern over how chickens are raised and fed. Here’s a breakdown of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Good?
Chicken is easy to prepare in a healthy way by grilling, roasting, sauteing, poaching, stir-frying and baking. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, we should be eating lean sources of protein, including chicken. It is recommended to remove the visible fat and skin from chicken before eating to decrease unnecessary calories from fat. Here is a comparison of 3-ounces of chicken breast with and without the skin:

Without the skin:
Calories: 142
Fat: 3 grams
Saturated Fat: 1 gram
Cholesterol: 73 milligrams
Protein: 27 grams

With the skin:
Calories: 193
Fat: 8 grams
Saturated Fat: 8 gram
Cholesterol: 82 milligrams
Protein: 29 grams

As with most meat and poultry, it can get expensive. The problem is, most folks eat much higher portions that they really need. Purchasing 3-4 ounces cooked (about 4-5 ounces raw) per person can help keep portions at bay and control costs.

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Poultry is a top cause of foodborne illness; wash your cutting boards and knives with soap and water before cutting up vegetables or ready-to-eat foods.

What’s really lurking in the food you eat? These days, lots of things. A newly-released study from the University of Florida found that the 14 most common food microorganisms kill more than 1,300 people each year and cost more than $14 million in health care dollars. Let’s stop these bad boys from making us sick (and costing us a fortune) — read up on the top 5 and what you can do to stop them.

The top 5 foodborne illnesses and how to stop them »