Chicken McNugget’s “secret ingredient”

Chicken McNugget’s “secret ingredient”

As if chicken McNuggets weren’t stomach-turning enough, I just read an article revealing one of the “secret ingredients” that goes into them at the manufacturing stage.

Not surprisingly, it’s one of those unpronounceable, eight-syllable chemicals–dimethylpolysiloxane–and it is a silicone anti-foaming agent. Apparently, it keeps the oil from foaming when the nuggets get tossed into the deep fryer…But it’s also used in Silly Putty, bathroom caulk, hair conditioner, and many, many other non-food products.

Granted, there have been animal studies of this stuff–and even a few human studies–and they all claim that there’s no toxicity. But just because it won’t poison you outright, doesn’t exactly make it a health food. Or even particularly edible.

It makes me nauseous just thinking about it. Especially considering kids are the ones who are eating the majority of the McNuggets sold in this country. (And many kids eat them all the time!)

Do yourself and your grandkids a favor. Skip all those fast food kids’ meals, and opt for a treat made at home.

Hot dogs are always a great kid-pleaser and you can find preservative-free versions in many large-chain supermarkets these days. Turkey-and-cheese roll-ups are another  quick, kid-friendly meal.

But if it’s chicken nuggets they want, it’s simple to whip up a batch of them at home, using natural, healthy ingredients (no silly putty required).

Just cut some 100% organic chicken tenders into bite-size pieces, dip the pieces into a couple of eggs that you’ve beaten, then coat them in homemade whole-wheat bread crumbs mixed with Parmesean cheese. Bake them at 375 for 20 minutes, and voila! You’ve got a meal tastier than anything you can get from a drive-thru.