Chicken Nuggets

Dear Dr. Bone,

My mother hates it when I eat McDonald’s food. She says that the chicken nuggets are loaded with chemicals. Would I be more likely to get cancer from eating too many chicken nuggets? If so, what kind of cancer?

Junk Food Junkie 

Dear Junk Food Junkie,

Hard question to answer. I won’t single out one fast food chain. Most chicken nuggets bought at a fast food restaurant are made with combinations of chicken meat and what are called by-products. These are other parts of the chicken including the tendons that attach muscles to bones. They grind the meat into a paste and add food starch, dextrose, and other flavorings. There is no documented evidence that the contents of nuggets cause cancer and it is highly unlikely that eating nuggets now and again will cause cancer. However, a diet rich in vegetables and fruits will help to prevent cancer. So, if you are going to eat chicken nuggets and fries, you’d be smart to order the apple slices or carrot sticks to go along with them!!!

Dr. Bone