My Love – Hate Relationship With French Fries

I pride myself with being a healthy eater.  Not only that, I don’t have any addictions to bad things of any sort that might be taken into my body.  I’m not a teetotaler, mind you, but have always kept the advice of “moderation in all things.”   But if there was one weakness I had to admit to, it’s french fries.    I know they are very bad for me.  And yet I,  like everyone else, well,  I love them!

French Fries: The Good

Ok, so nothing is all bad, right?  There must be good things about french fries, too.  I mean, they’re potatoes, how bad can they  be?  So, what’s good?  According to positivemed.com:

Potatoes are a great source of fiber and French fries are made from potatoes. Fiber helps pass waste through your system and lower cholesterol. (love fries = 1, hate fries 0)

When you eat French fries, you are also getting some potassium, a nutrient present in potatoes. The energy you require throughout the day can be obtained from potassium. (love fries=2, hate fries 0)

You body needs vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine,  and this can be found in French Fries. Women may get even better benefits as B6 helps prevent bloating, menopause, and hormonal swings during the monthly cycle.  (Score two for this one!)(love fries =4, hate fries 0)

According to the Agricultural Research Service in Navarre, potato skins are packed with 60 phyto-chemicals, many of these are flavonoids which help lower bad cholesterol and keep arteries clear. (love fries=5, hate fries 0)

Potatoes are rich in kukoamines, a molecule that lowers the blood pressure. (love fries=6, hate fries 0)

Is it time to head to McDonald’s for my contribution to the 16 pounds of fries the average American eats every year?  Not so fast!

French Fries: The Bad

A medium order of fries has 365 calories lurking in 17 grams of fat.  And about nobody orders a medium fries.  (love fries=6, hate fries=1)

That same medium fries averages about 250mg of sodium, or 10% of the max we’re supposed to consume in a day. That’s just the fries. (love fries=6, hate fries=2)

Fries, like their cousin potato chips, are two of the highest sources of acrylamide, which is . . . wait for it . . . a carcinogen.  Very bad, double bad.  (score love fries=6, hate fries=3)

Potatoes are starch.  French fries are made with white potatoes,   which  more easily convert to sugar  in the body.  So the body is forced to either use the energy right away or store it as  fat.  More fat.  Not good.  Strike two on fat.  (score love fries=6, hate fries=5)

They are fried not just once but twice.  Once before they are frozen, and once prior to serving.  To maintain “freshness,”  through all that,  preservatives are used.  That also keeps the color and texture stable.  Now you know why that three year old fry under your car seat still looks good enough to eat.  If you’ve ever eaten one of those mummified fries, score this one double.  (score love fries=6, hate fries 7)(doh!)

French Fries: The Ugly

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.  It’s no secret that in the United States 66% of the population is considered obese.  Nothing against large people, I just don’t care for all the ill health effects that come with it. That’s another one in the hate fries column.

So there we have it.  Score:  Love fries=6, hate fries=8.

So why am I craving a fresh, hot, salty, large order of french fries?!

Images:

Scale Jodi Green

French fries woman: appears to be open stock but may be attributed to