Admit it. Most of us cannot resist eating French fries. It is our go-to side dish when we’re hungry, our comfort food when we’re stressed, and our first grab when we’re in a hurry.
And the taste — who can actually resist the yummy taste of French fries?
Studies have shown that on an average, Americans eat four servings of French fries every week. That’s got a lot to say about how French fries have become our favorite. But not a lot of Americans know about how many calories we get from eating French fries. For those who don’t, it will surely be a surprise to know that small servings of French fries has 200 to 340 calorie content! It’s for servings as small as what they serve in fast food. Large servings, meanwhile, have 370 to 730 calories. Fats, on the other hand, range from 8 to 17 grams, with unsaturated fat ranging from 2 to 3.4 grams. Large servings, meanwhile, range from 11 to 37 grams of fat, with saturated fat amounting to 8 grams.
Why, then, is French fries unhealthy?
1. French fries from fast foods use processed corned oil. Corn oil is damaging to the health because it has 60 times more omega-6 fatty acids that are usually inflammatory.
2. French fries is high in glycemic carbohydrates which spike your hormone insulin in the bloodstream. Therefore, all nutrients get shuttled into your cells. But with French fries, it’s not nutrients that get shuttled. It’s fats.
3. Since French fries is cooked with corn or vegetable oil, it becomes so full of trans fats. Trans fats are dangerous to the health because they mess up with other chemical reactions vital to our body. Studies have proven that just a 2% increase of trans fats in our body gives us 93% chances of incurring heart disease.
4. French fries from restaurants contain 160 mg to 740 mg of salt, while large servings have 330 to 1500 grams. Too much salt is bad for the health.
The next time you feel the urge to order large French fries your favorite store, think again. You don’t want to get heart disease just because you can’t say no to French fries, right?