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Chickening Out!

As best you can, look closely at the attached pictures. The first is a package, amongst many, containing two chicken breasts displayed in a ‘popular grocery stores’ freezer. Focus in and you will see humungous breasts, virtually bursting out of the wrapping. Ironically, I wouldn’t consider these fowl giants obese as they exhibit a low fat percentage especially in comparison to bovine and swine compositions. Beef and pork sources typically possess denser, thicker and heavier concentrations of both subcutaneous and intra-muscular fat. So basically, the breasts you’re observing at are juiced up muscle-bound freaks, literally.


Fowl Arithmetic
According to some, an Average chicken breast weighs between 5.25 oz.– 8.0 oz.1, 2, or roughly 0.50 lb. (½ pound). However, the two chicken breasts in this photo are weighing in at 40.96 oz., or 2.56 lbs. Divided in half, the weight for a single chicken breast weighs 20.48 oz., or 1.28 lbs.
 
Compare 20.48 oz. to the Average of 8.0 oz., and, wallah, we calculate a 256% weight differential.
 
Plumping Up *
With a smidgen of sarcasm, of course there’s restrictions on intentional bloating of animal products, specifically known as plumping. And to prove these chicken breasts have met appropriate health and safety regulations, (clearing my throat) the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and possibly many other trustworthy regulating bodies, stamp a Passed Meat ‘seal of approval’ directly onto packaging labels after inspection. So the chicken breasts you’re looking at here have been (I’m choking) officially inspected, passed, and legally approved, ‘Inspected and Passed Meat and/or Poultry’.
 
FLAVORITE WARNINGS
But wait, there’s more! To uncover further disappointment to my ‘roid raging’ fit here is that you’d, at least, hope these breasts tasted good, but not even close. Hyper-hypertrophied animal food sources taste awful, exhibiting a leather-like consistency. To maintain consumer consumption; i.e., sales, the unpleasant taste must be disguised. Especially pertinent for restaurant goers, many never recognize the (real) taste of these ‘Passed’ chicken breasts because they’re smothered in creams, gravies, sauces and/or crispy crusts. Regarding the recognition of their Herculean sizes, the fowl is chopped into smaller chunks or strips before serving in salads, pasta, casseroles and soups.
For those of you who vote in favor of naturally raised food sources, hypertrophic augmentation is also prevalent with Free Range chickens. See attached; a single breast from this package weighs 12.64 ounces or 0.79 lbs. That’s a whopping 150% bigger than the 8 oz. Average. And to heed a closing warning, many of these Free Ranging breasts also have nasty flavors.
 
In any event, bet you didn’t guess, I’ve been chickening out lately. Quite disappointing since chicken has maintained a good percentage of my overall protein intake. Welcome to the age of engineered foods.
 
Always Make the Healthiest Choice!
John Abdo
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* Plumped or plumping, terms that refer to agricultural practices implemented to enhance and/or enlarge poultry, and other meat products, by injecting fluids into the tissues producing swelling and bloating while concurrently increasing heftiness and heavier weights.
 
1 https://www.reference.com/food/much-boneless-chicken-breast-weigh-6a5142aeda509c4b
 
2 http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=663060

February 26, 2017 Posted by | Performance Library | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Brain Sensation: Part 1

BSMYou’re relaxing in your backyard on a warm, sunny summer day. Without warning some punk detonates a firecracker. You explosively levitate off your lounger and think, “Where’s the punk who blew off that darn bomb?”

From the moment you heard the sound of that explosion, instantaneously, your brain sent out a threat alert to various organs in your body. In particular, the adrenal glands are commanded to secrete a powerful hormone called adrenaline, our fight or flight hormone.

Adrenaline is an essential component of man’s genetic code bestowed upon us by Mother Nature. And although it’s quite an antiquated hormone (another caveman gene) it does offers plenty of modern-day uses like enabling us to fight off an impending pick-pocketer or to flee (flight) the neighbors’ angry pit bull.

In the wake of this brain-adrenal reaction adrenaline serves as an only-when-absolutely-necessary super-powered fuel source that alarms the auditory, visual, muscular, circulatory, respiratory and nervous systems (to name a few) to escape and/or endure life-threatening events. As a result of adrenaline, our hearts beat much more rapidly to increase the circulation of energy-rich blood throughout the body. Our breathing (respiration) accelerates to provide our muscles with more oxygen. Our hearing and eyesight acutely hone in on, “Where’s that punk?”

We need adrenaline, and the brain is the only sensory organ that has the authority to command the adrenals to manufacture and secrete this audacious hormone. And since rises in adrenaline often result in concurrent rises in testosterone, playing sports, participating in extreme activities, or just working out, all qualify, to some degree, as adrenaline instigators.

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Written by John Abdo, ©, All Rights Reserved

Excerpts taken from Brain Sensation & Motivation

December 10, 2015 Posted by | Performance Library | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment