Why You Should Avoid The Fried Chicken Livers At Popeyes
Fried chicken livers are a controversial topic. Despite being particularly popular in the southern states, their specific taste means that they are not enjoyed by everyone — although catfish like them, apparently (via Taste of Southern). It is certainly an interesting development of nature that chicken is now being used to lure fish.
Being a fast food establishment, it's not surprising that Popeyes chooses to deep fry its chicken livers. If you're one of the people who enjoy the dish, and suddenly develop an irresistible craving for the specialty (especially as Popeyes fixes them), you might have a bit of a search on your hands — Popeyes only sells its fried livers at a limited number of restaurants (via The Daily Food).
Perhaps the exclusivity of the chicken livers is not such a great tragedy, because they have the curse of being extraordinarily unhealthy. Popeyes own website details the grim nutritional truth of the livers, which contain a wealth of fat, salt, and cholesterol.
High salt content is just one of the issues with Popeyes chicken livers
Ten pieces of the fried commodity is packed with 80 grams of fat, 765 micrograms of cholesterol, and 2,070 micrograms of sodium — a particular public health concern. Harvard School of Public Health notes the risks of excess salt include high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. The school explains that a sufficient daily intake of salt is considered to be 1,500 micrograms, but consuming less than 2,300 micrograms is seen as necessary to cut the chances of developing associated chronic health conditions.
Not everything about chicken livers is bad news, however. Sure, frying them in vats of mingling exotic juices obviously doesn't cause them to brim with goodness, but they do have a raft of naturally occurring benefits. According to The Guardian, chicken liver is bursting with protein, vitamins A and B, iron, and folate, which can improve fertility and reduce the chance of birth defects.
Ignoring Popeyes fried chicken livers is the only guaranteed way of avoiding the potentially nasty side effects, but the widespread presence of fried food in society makes such an approach a tough challenge to succeed with.