A Batch Full of Food Choices

by Christina Meyer-Jax, Tastemaker in Residence

Avocado Caribbean Jerk Chicken Bowls = one great food choice!

How many times a day do we consider food choices? Research1 at Cornell University revealed it’s over 200 times/day!  For many of the individuals I work with, as a nutritionist and dietitian, they work hard to consider the choices they make in deciding what’s on their plates or in their bowls.  My role with clients is to support them in making the best nutrition decisions to reach their health goals. I’m also a mom and that role means I need to figure out how to get nutritious and delicious on the table wicked fast most nights of the week.

One of my solid food recommendations for both my roles is batch cooking chicken.  It’s a versatile, great source of lean protein that works well in most cuisine types.  I have two very distinctive eaters in my own house, so being able to customize to each taste preference is key. With batch cooking chicken we can enjoy our chicken the first night we cook it and store remaining cooked chicken for lunches and dinners throughout the week. All that’s needed is each family member’s favorite spice blend and sauce in the pantry, and they can create their own “Chicken of the Day” special.

But what type of chicken do I recommend? Remember back to the 200+ choices a day?  There are often a lot of factors to consider.  One such example is my clients who consider antibiotic use in the foods they eat. So I was excited to learn that choices are easier to make now that 100 percent of PERDUE® chicken chicken products in select Midwest markets are ‘No Antibiotics Ever’. This makes them the first major poultry supplier to make that commitment, and their No Antibiotics Ever offerings, including refrigerated, frozen and now fresh chicken products, are backed by its USDA Process Verified Program. This gives me the added confidence that the chicken that I am recommending and buying is raised in a way that did not require antibiotics to keep it healthy.

Choices, we have a lot of them. Glad there is one less to consider for tonight’s table.

This post was written as part of my partnership with Perdue. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sources:

1. The published version of this working paper is: 

“Wansink, Brian and Jeffery Sobal (2007), “Mindless Eating: The 200 Daily Food

Decisions We Overlook,” Environment and Behavior, 39:1 (January), 106-23