Doctors Got It Wrong: Eating Chicken Skin Is Good for You

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Doctors Got It Wrong: Eating Chicken Skin Is Good for You
Why is chicken skin now okay to eat?
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Dec 30, 2015 | 11:41 am
By
Milagros Cruz

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Leave the skin on the next time you make chicken.

For years, cardiologists and nutritionists have said that eating chicken skin and other fatty parts of the chicken was not good for you. Before you baked your chicken in the oven, it was imperative that you take the skin off. Now, it is coming to light that chicken skin is not as bad for you as was once thought.

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Why? Most of the fat in chicken skin is the healthy, unsaturated kind, beneficial to your heart. The next time you make chicken, then, it’s okay to leave a piece of the skin on. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, unsaturated fat can be associated with lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure.

In addition, leaving the skin on keeps the chicken moister and more flavorful, so you'll need less salt — and you won't need breading at all.

One thing to remember is that the chicken skin should be eaten in moderation. Chicken meat, as well as the skin, has more omega-6s than other meats, which can increase inflammation in your body.

Bottom line: Chicken with the skin on is okay to eat once in a while.