Why are french fries considered UNhealthy?

Options
Onasi
Onasi Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm just wondering why are french fries considered unhealthy?

For example, after picking up and eating some McCain 5% fat chips (same taste as regular chips, delicious) I checked the label. 180 calories per 100 grammes, no saturated fat and no salt content. The fat is mostly poly, so not unhealthy for you.

I can understand that french fries don't have any vitamins or stuff and as such can't be considered "healthy", however they don't seem to be unhealthy either. I'd say they're neutral, neither good nor bad for you.

Even fast food fries aren't unhealthy, they're just fattening. Healthy eating =/= eating low calorie foods. I'm struggling maintaining weight as it is eating only vegetables and "healthy" food and I'm borderline anorexic at this point.
«1

Replies

  • whiteoutpen
    whiteoutpen Posts: 212 Member
    Options
    I think it's the fact that they're fried in oil, which isn't good for you in excess. Plus, white potatoes are just a starch/carb with very little nutritional value. You could eat sweet potato and get much more out of it.

    Of course, everything's okay in moderation.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    Options
    I'm just wondering why are french fries considered unhealthy?

    For example, after picking up and eating some McCain 5% fat chips (same taste as regular chips, delicious) I checked the label. 180 calories per 100 grammes, no saturated fat and no salt content. The fat is mostly poly, so not unhealthy for you.

    I can understand that french fries don't have any vitamins or stuff and as such can't be considered "healthy", however they don't seem to be unhealthy either. I'd say they're neutral, neither good nor bad for you.

    Even fast food fries aren't unhealthy, they're just fattening. Healthy eating =/= eating low calorie foods. I'm struggling maintaining weight as it is eating only vegetables and "healthy" food and I'm borderline anorexic at this point.

    they're empty calories that have no nutritional content. so the point is if you use up too much of your daily cal requirements with foods that don't offer you any nutrition, you could end up malnourished even if you're reaching your calorie goals.

    also depends on the fries. they vary greatly in how they're prepared and what oils they're fried in.
  • djshari
    djshari Posts: 513 Member
    Options
    Well they pretty much embody everything you want to avoid - fried foods, too much salt, too much fat, starchy white vegetable. Not going to lie I did enjoy pointing out that they are technically a vegetable to an annoying foodnazi.

    If you are making them at home you have more control over the salt and calories and if you aren't eating them in excess I don't know that it is a problem exactly, unless you have issues digesting or controlling blood sugars.

    I really don't eat fries much anymore because most places they just aren't that good. I save my evil fry calories for places that make really really good fries like seasoned amazing fries.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    Options
    Nothing is unhealthy in moderation.

    However they are deep fried and offer very little nutritional value.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
    Options
    McCain's seasoned spiral fries, baked in the oven, 3oz. serving.

    150 calories 18g carb 7g fat 2g protein 2g fiber

    Maybe not the most nutritionally dense food out there, but not nutritionally void. If you like them and they fit your goals, enjoy them. I know I'm going to have some tonight with bacon cheeseburgers.
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
    Options
    Disclaimer: I love french fries.

    With that said, unless you're making them yourself, they're usually fried in low quality oil and contain a lot of chemicals and/or non food items. Even if you're making them yourself, they're typically made from white potatoes and mostly nutritionally void (so I consider them neutral in that case but unhealthy from places like fast food joints).

    I find that the more whole and natural foods I eat, plus the more I cook my own foods from scratch, the weirder commercial french fries taste. I can't even eat McDonald's fries anymore...they smell amazing but then just taste funny to me now. Never thought I'd say that considering I used to go through a supersize fry by myself as just a small part of a meal...back when supersize was actually supersized.
  • kuderstadt
    kuderstadt Posts: 134 Member
    Options
    Nothing is unhealthy in moderation.

    However they are deep fried and offer very little nutritional value.

    ^^^ This.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    Options
    McCain's seasoned spiral fries, baked in the oven, 3oz. serving.

    150 calories 18g carb 7g fat 2g protein 2g fiber

    Maybe not the most nutritionally dense food out there, but not nutritionally void. If you like them and they fit your goals, enjoy them. I know I'm going to have some tonight with bacon cheeseburgers.

    you can be an "empty calorie" food and still have macros. it's that the carbs are all starchy simple carbs that metabolize as sugar and the fat is mostly omega-6s. the protein is the one redeeming quality, however it's in very small amounts.

    by all means have fries every now and again, the won't kill you and they're delicious, but they're not nutritionally beneficial for you in any way.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,662 Member
    Options
    relatively high GI. potatos do anyway, not sure what the GI is of a french fry now that i think of it.
  • iuew
    iuew Posts: 624 Member
    Options
    they are calorie dense ; high in fat and salt.

    i really enjoy fries, so i just get them every once in a while. get a small or kid's size when you can. that's what i do, unless the restaurant won't sell me the kid's portion; then i just throw some of them away.

    for my fry cravings on other days, i just take barbecue baked lays or low fat chips and put ketchup on them works great.
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    Options
    So the basic argument here is that fries have NO nutritional value at all? Really? I get the high fat and sodium, but potatoes somehow magically lose their nutritional value when fried? :noway:
  • Riemersma4
    Riemersma4 Posts: 400 Member
    Options
    for the same reason that I don't pour whiskey on cereal....

    french fries are great. crisp, oily, salty little buggers dredged through ketchup! Yumm...

    that problem is that they lack any real FUEL value to your body.

    They can (and should) fit in to your diet but.... Enjoy them (in moderation!)

    Best
  • Riemersma4
    Riemersma4 Posts: 400 Member
    Options
    relatively high GI. potatos do anyway, not sure what the GI is of a french fry now that i think of it.

    The oil/grease should bring the net GI down and help prevent an insulin spike. Sounds like a good reason to run to McDonalds!
  • vikkistarr89
    vikkistarr89 Posts: 122 Member
    Options
    because theyre deep fried?!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,960 Member
    Options
    I don't understand all this "no nutritional value" stuff...still has carbs, potassium, fiber.


    The damaged fats are not that great. . . but I don't know, some things are meant to be eaten daily and some things are meant to be eaten say, oh, once a week.

    You'll have to pry my Red Robin fries from my cold dead hand.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    Options
    Eating skin-on fried potatoes will up the nutrition factor, but white potatoes are high in fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Folate, Iron, Niacin, etc. etc. etc.

    But here's the nutrition data on McDonald's french fries. Note the fiber, protein, vitamin C and iron content. Not to mention the other nutrients that MFP doesn't track, such as Thiamin, B6 and Folate.

    http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fast-foods-generic/8054/2

    Just eat in moderation. Anything high in calories should be eaten in moderation when trying to lose weight.
  • daphne_m
    daphne_m Posts: 84
    Options
    I had a packet of potato chips the other day. I was surprised to find out that along with the expected number of calories (that fit neatly into my allowance), they also had 6g of protein, 3g of fibre and 1364mg of potassium. Seems a pretty sweet deal to me.

    My favourite has got to be homemade wedges. I bake them in the oven with cajun seasoning and they're ever so tasty. Probably good stats too. I should make them soon and find out.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    Options
    I make homemade ones, parboil them then oven bake them with some seasoning and using a spray oil.

    They may be low in nutrition in comparison to other foods, but they are tasty and low calorie when cooked my way and I eat them probably twice a week, sometimes just as a snack, and it hasn't affected my weight loss.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    Options
    hellllooooo sweet potato fries...
  • leighann881
    leighann881 Posts: 371
    Options
    McCain's seasoned spiral fries, baked in the oven, 3oz. serving.

    150 calories 18g carb 7g fat 2g protein 2g fiber

    Maybe not the most nutritionally dense food out there, but not nutritionally void. If you like them and they fit your goals, enjoy them. I know I'm going to have some tonight with bacon cheeseburgers.

    you can be an "empty calorie" food and still have macros. it's that the carbs are all starchy simple carbs that metabolize as sugar and the fat is mostly omega-6s. the protein is the one redeeming quality, however it's in very small amounts.

    by all means have fries every now and again, the won't kill you and they're delicious, but they're not nutritionally beneficial for you in any way.

    ^This

    I ordered fries with my tuna yesterday... took one bite and realized they weren't worth it. Probably because they were cold and gross. If I'm going to eat fries they are going to be piping hot and glimmering in oil. ;-)

Categories