Eating chicken or fish for a side dish of rice: which is more nutritious?

Which do you prefer as a side dish, whether eating chicken or fish? Both are food sources of protein that the body needs. However, they still have different nutritional content. So, from these two protein sources, which one is healthier and more nutritious?

Better to eat chicken or fish for a side dish?

Chicken and fish include white meat which is cheaper and healthier than red meat. But if you have to compare chicken and fish, which one is better?

Chicken and fish protein, which one is more?

The protein content in chicken and fish is quite high, not even inferior to beef.

One piece of fresh, medium-sized skinless chicken (8 grams of whole chicken) which weighs approximately 40 grams has a protein content of 7 grams. With the exact same weight, a 40-gram serving of fish also contains 7 grams of protein. So, the protein content of both of them is the same.

How about the fat?

When compared to red meat, of course fish and chicken meat have less saturated fat content. With a note that the chicken you consume is skinless, yes! The reason is, chicken skin has a high enough fat content.

If you eat one piece of chicken (40 grams) without skin and it is not processed by frying, then the fat is only about 2 grams. With the same weight, one slice of fish also has 2 grams of fat.

However, what distinguishes the two is the type of fat. Fish fat is a type of omega 3 fatty acid. Although not all types of fish have it, omega-3 has been proven good to help normalize cholesterol, blood pressure, and prevent free radicals from forming in the body. Omega-3 fatty acids are only found in deep sea fish, such as salmon, sardines and tuna.

Comparison of other nutrients

Chicken and fish are also enriched with various minerals and vitamins. For example, iron. But when compared, chickens tend to have more iron, especially in chicken livers. Every 75 grams of cooked chicken liver contains about 6.2-9.7 mg of iron. Meanwhile, in 75 grams of tuna and salmon there is as much as 1.2 mg of iron.

So, should I eat chicken or fish?

Actually, it's better if you keep consuming both of them as your animal protein side dish. So, eating chicken or fish is still good for your health. The thing you have to remember is that the more diverse your food is, the more nutrients you will get. So, don't keep eating the same food every day.

Another thing that must be considered is the way of processing these two animal side dishes. If you want to maintain its nutritional content, you should avoid cooking it by frying it. You can make a team, soup, grill it, or just simply sauté it.

The reason is, frying in oil will only add calories to your chicken or fish. What used to be that chicken and fish don't contain a lot of saturated fat, in the end they contain the bad fats because they are fried. So, it is not only food ingredients that are important to choose, but you have to pay attention to how to cook it.

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