Chicken breast is the primary whole-food protein source for many bodybuilders. This makes sense because it’s low in calories and high in protein. However, should a dieting bodybuilder gravitate toward dark meat or white meat? And does either help or hinder the ability of younger guys seeking to add quality mass?
WINNER QUALITY CUTS
Are you trying to cut calories or carbs? Neither white nor dark meat contains any carbs. When you’re dieting you need saturated fats to improve satiety and support hormone production. We’ve been beating the drum, encouraging bodybuilders to emphasize saturated fats for boosting hormones such as testosterone while also suggesting that they supplement omega-3s because they’re vastly underrepresented in American and even bodybuilding diets. Therefore, bodybuilders should focus on quality cuts of organic chicken rather than worrying about white or dark meat. Hard-gainers and those seeking to add mass can also consume the skin, which is almost all fat, if they’re partial to it.
The FDA prohibits the use of added hormones in the production of poultry in the U.S. So when you see “no hormones added” or “raised without hormones” on poultry packaging, it’s essentially an empty marketing term.
