Care2, one of my favorite websites, just sent me their newsletter, with an article that asked "Have you ever wondered what's in McDonald's Chicken McNuggets??" Well, yes I have. The article went on to say I might be surprised to learn that they contain a whopping 25 ingredients—and that's assuming I don't use any dipping sauces! According to the ingredients list from McDonald's website, here is what they contain:

• Chicken breast—At least they're made with chicken. To be honest, I was wondering about that.
• Water—OK
• Modified corn starch—Corn starch referring to chemically- or enzymatically-treated corn starch, which leaves chemical residues behind. Additionally, it often contains monosodium glutamate (MSG).
• Salt—OK again, although it's likely not needed.
• "Seasoning"—containing yeast extract (includes the neurotoxin MSG, linked to a whole host of diseases), more salt, wheat starch (a processed food that contains just the starchy part of the wheat, "natural flavor" and more MSG), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid, and rosemary.
• Safflower oil—believed to be a healthier oil, most safflower is unfortunately heated to high temperatures long before it is ever used for cooking, causing it to be chemically-altered from the heat, and a source of inflammation in the body.
• Dextrose—a type of sugar.
• Citric acid—used as a preservative.
• "Natural extractives of rosemary"—any number of ingredients found within rosemary, the health of which is determined by the process of extraction and whether any chemicals are used in this process.
• Breaded with:—water, wheat flower, yellow corn flower, modified corn starch, spices, MORE salt, baking powder, sodium aluminum phosphate, dextrose, wheat starch, corn starch, modified hydrogenated soybean oil.
• Yellow corn flower and modified corn starch—both derived from corn which is now almost 100% genetically-modified (GM). GM foods have been linked to sterility, allergies, infant mortality, organ defects, and childhood diseases.
• "Spices"—this could be any number of ingredients and is used by the food industry to hide MSG.
• Baking powder and sodium aluminum phosphate—both contain aluminum, a metal that researchers link to Alzheimer's.
• Cooked in vegetable oil—a blend of canola, corn, soybean, and hydrogenated soybean oils) with added TBHQ, citric acid and dimethylpolysiloxane.
• Modified hydrogenated soybean oil—chemically-altered to be more "stable"and is linked to heart disease.
• Vegetable oil for frying—a blend of 7 ingredients, including: canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), citric acid, and dimethylpolysiloxane.
• Canola, corn, and soybean oils—derived from three of the most widely genetically-modified crops on the planet. These oils are heated to high temperatures during extraction and manufacturing, causing them to be inflammatory and harmful to the body.
• TBHQ—a petroleum-based, butane-like (yes, that's lighter fluid!) ingredient used as a preservative; it's linked to asthma, skin conditions, hormone disruption, and to cancer and DNA damage. WHY is this allowed in food?
• Dimethylpolysiloxane—an anti-foaming agent (an industrial chemical) used in caulking and sealants and comes with a list of safety concerns.

All of this is why you don't want to eat fast food nuggets, let alone feed them to your children and grandchildren (I wouldn't feed these to my cat!). Yet kids LOVE chicken nuggets: they're a standard on kids' menus in every family restaurant in this country (second only to hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches).

So what to do? Dodge the bullet when eating out and opt for the grilled cheese sandwich if you have kids in tow. And then learn to make your own nuggets and freeze them for when you or kidlets decide you gotta have 'em.

So here's a great recipe I've hybridized from one that is coming in our new cookbook this October, Everday Gourmet (URL listed in sources, last). Co-author Jeanne Wolfley and photographer Kaycee Leishman and I wanted a substitute for this fast-food-of-choice so we went hunting and experimenting. Our version of McDonald's Chicken Nuggets was a pleaser—kids as well as adults gave us the "thumbs up." So take my advice-stay away from those fast food pellets of dietary gloom and give this recipe a try, and then try the one you'll find in our new cookbook next month!