Tyson Anytizers – Processed Chicken Appetizers Are Not Healthy!

I keep seeing the commercials for Tyson Anytizers – so of course, I had to find out exactly what they’re about, knowing perfectly well, that it’s not going to be a healthy outcome.

From their web site:

Any time is right for Tyson Any’tizers®. They are the hot, substantial snacks that are always perfectly delicious. Ideal for any snack, partying with friends or as a unique meal, they’re unbelievably easy to prepare in just minutes. With so many varieties to choose from, the only hard part is deciding which ones to eat first.

Notice, there’s nothing mentioned about healthy. They do use the word “substantial” though. I guess that’s supposed to make a mom feel good about feeding this processed crap to her kids for a snack.

Hmm, how about some celery sticks with some peanut butter? Or an apple with some yummy locally made cheese? Or a cup of plain yogurt with seasonal fruit? Would any of these suggestions take longer than the 15 minutes that it takes to bake Tyson Anytizers? No, I don’t think so.

How about buying some plain chicken breast tenders, throwing them in an oven for 15 minutes, and giving those to your kids for a healthy snack!

Tyson Anytizers – Where’s the Ingredient List?

Don’t you just love it when a food company “forgets” to share the list of ingredients on their web site. Do they think we won’t notice? I guess they figure it would take up too much space? Or perhaps they are ashamed and know that once you actually read what these morsels are made of, you possibly won’t buy them.

Thankfully, other web resources are willing to pull back the curtain on their secrecy.

Here is the list of ingredients for Tyson Any’tizer Popcorn Chicken:

White Meat Chicken, Water, Salt, Sodium Phosphates. Breaded with: Bleached Wheat Flour, Water, Yellow Corn Flour, Salt, Spices, Dextrose, Dried Whey, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Soybean Oil, Nonfat Dry Milk, Sugar, Yeast, Dried Whole Eggs, Sodium Alginate, Soy Flour, Extractives of Paprika and Annatto, Garlic Powder, Mono and Diglycerides. Breading Set in Vegetable Oil.

chicken and water? hmm, when you make baked or sauteed chicken at home, do you usually add water? Nope, me neither. But there’s lots of salt, and sugar (dextrose) and some icky GMO products like corn flour, soy flour, and soybean oil. Yeast? Leavening? Sodium Alginate? Nope, not what I usually put in my homemade chicken.

They do have the nutritional data

Serving Size 7 PIECES (84g)
Serv. Per container About 9
Amount Per Serving
Calories 180
Calories from Fat 80
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 1.5g 8%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsturated Fat 4.5g
Monounsaturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 560mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugars 0g
Protein 13g 26%
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0%
Iron 4%

Without benefit of the ingredients list, at first glance, you’d probably think that it’s not too bad, right? Especially when looking at the low saturated fat, and higher amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. But they neglect to tell you that cheap GMO soybean oil is the fat ingredient.

But wow, the sodium is through the roof! There is no fiber, and 180 calories is too high for only 84 grams (under 3 oz). Almost half the calories are fat calories. A full 100 grams of chicken breast is only 165 calories, with 31g of protein! Tyson Any’tizers popcorn chicken only offers a paltry 13 grams of protein, with more calories and more fat!

What’s wrong with that picture? And don’t even get me started on Tyson’s factory farming practices. Stay away! There are better choices!