Eating chicken offal: what are the benefits and what are the dangers?

Chicken digestive organs or what is commonly called chicken offal, is a daily food for people in Indonesia. People from other countries also consume offal as a traditional food ingredient, depending on their culture. Then, is the offal good for consumption? Are there any health impacts that will arise if you eat offal? Check out the explanation below

The benefits of eating chicken offal

1. Rich in protein

One serving of chicken offal contains a hefty dose of protein, which is a nutrient needed for energy production. Protein also functions to replenish the cells that make up the muscles and tissues in your body. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, a 3.5-ounce serving of chicken offal contains 30.39 grams of protein.

2. Contains iron and zinc minerals

In addition to protein, 3.5 ounces of chicken offal contains iron and the mineral zinc which is needed by the body. Well, this organ in a chicken stomach contains 3.19 milligrams of iron and 4.42 milligrams of zinc. When compared with a person's nutritional and mineral needs, women need 18 mg of iron and 8 mg of zinc every day, while men need 8 mg of iron and 11 mg of zinc daily.

Both of these minerals and iron from chicken offal can support a healthy immune system and promote wound healing.

3. Provides vitamin A and vitamin B 12

Several vitamins that the body needs, such as vitamin A and vitamin B12, are also found in chicken offal. In fact, 3 ounces of chicken offal contains 1.04 micrograms of vitamin A and 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12, which you need each day.

The content of vitamin A plays a high role in the health of the immune system, by triggering the growth of new white blood cells and controlling the function of mature white blood cells. Then, vitamin B-12 is useful for the development of new red blood cells that support the health of the nervous system.

The dangers of eating chicken offal

Although eating chicken offal can increase your body's intake of minerals and vitamins, you must still consume it in moderation because one chicken contains high cholesterol and is quite high. For example, each ounce of chicken offal contains 8 grams of total fat, which includes 2.7 grams of saturated fatty acids. The following, are bad effects for health due to eating offal:

1. High cholesterol levels

If the above fat content is compared to a 2,000 calorie diet, this will result in an excess of 12 percent of your daily saturated fat limit, or 17 percent higher if you have high cholesterol or heart disease. Saturated fats have a harmful effect on your blood cholesterol, negatively affecting cholesterol levels and contributing to cardiovascular (heart) disease.

2. Contains poison

Many experts say that offal contains various nutrients. But in addition, offal also contains various poisons. Animal liver or liver and kidneys are full of toxins that are filtered from the blood. Some of the toxic contents in offal are mercury, lead, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, selenium and so on. The function of the liver in animals is the same as that of the liver in humans. In the liver, toxins will be deposited and consuming the liver is the same as consuming poison.

3. Lots of dirt

In chicken innards there are also various parasites that enter through the food while the animal is alive. No one knows how these animals eat. Nobody knows whether an animal is completely free from parasites. Eating offal will increase the risk of infection caused by the parasites in it.