The festive season is upon us once again, and with everyone getting into the celebratory mood, our fitness goals tend to take a backseat. However, it’s important to keep an eye on the calories that you consume, especially when socializing with friends over drinks. One of the most popular starters that are served with alcohol is chicken lollypop and in today’s know your calories blog, we will analyze the ingredients and calories in a serving of this popular dish.
Ingredients:
Chicken lollypops are made using chicken wings, that are high in fat, and moreover, the skin isn't removed, adding unnecessary calories to the dish. Moreover, these chicken wings are coated in a batter of corn starch and refined flour, before being deep-fried twice; once for the chicken to cook through, and the second time for it to get a crispy exterior. Moreover, the oil used by these restaurants is reused multiple times, often beyond its smoking point, releasing many carcinogens that can damage your health in the long run.
Carbohydrates:
If you have been following our know your calories series then you would know by now that we at HYP aren’t against carbohydrates per se, but the devil is in the detail here. As chicken is usually low on carbohydrates, all of the carbohydrates come from the corn flour and refined flour concoction in which the chicken is coated and fried in, along with artificial food coloring.
Fats:
Again, fats aren’t particularly bad for you, and healthy fats must be a part of your daily diet. However, most of the fats here come from the reused vegetable oil that is used to deep fry the lollipops. Moreover, restaurants pre-cook I.e. partially cook the lollipops by deep frying them first and refrying them once the order is received, thus ensuring that you get more than a generous serving of unhealthy carcinogenic oils. Moreover, a whopping 72% of the calories come from fats alone per lollipop, and overeating these famous party snacks will only add to your waistline.
Protein:
The most important macro-nutrient of them all is protein and sadly it comes in at a mere 4 grams per lollipop. The low protein content not only leaves you feeling hungry, but will also result in you overeating this favorite drink-time snack, making it an unhealthy meal.
So does that mean that you must completely avoid eating chicken lollipops when out with friends, especially when you’re bringing in the new year? Absolutely not! Just ensure that you keep your unhealthy snacks to the minimum and keep these occasions far and few.
Questions?