Why are french fries considered UNhealthy?

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  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
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    Potatoes are high in Potassium, but the best part nutritionally is the skin and just under it, which most french fries have removed.

    What gives them the bad rap is that they are high for glycemic index, absorb a lot of the fat they are cooked in which is usually the kinds of fat to avoid, high in sodium, calorie dense so it's not hard to eat a lot of calories without realizing it, and the portion sizes can really be way too large. They're also very spotty for consistency. If all places used oil without trans-fats, and made sure the oil was hot enough to reduce how much fat was absorbed, etc.. then that would be better but it's a crap shoot at most places.

    Go for fat sized fries (less surface area to absorb fat) natural fries with skins still on cooked using non trans-fats if you can and since everybody loves fries, share an order with a friend and that's a win-win situation.
  • BeeElMarvin
    BeeElMarvin Posts: 2,086 Member
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    Good source of potassium, Vitamin C, B6 and iron... or does the potato somehow magically lose this nutritional value when fried?
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,473 Member
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    well I LIKE THEM!
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Because they are fried in dirty oil??? (fast food ones anyway)

    Baked fries, especially if you make them, are healthy. Same as eating a potato.

    But watch them at resturants.. as they add a lot to them to make them *taste good*
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
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    They're very calorically dense. I eat them occasionally by counting out 15. That works out to about 200 cals. Yikes!
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    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:

    the point is potatoes in general are a simple starch that should be eaten in moderation already, combine that with heat-damaged fats and you've got a food that isn't very nutritionally beneficial.
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
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    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:

    the point is potatoes in general are a simple starch that should be eaten in moderation already, combine that with heat-damaged fats and you've got a food that isn't very nutritionally beneficial.

    Funny how opinions start morphing from the below into the above:

    they're empty calories that have no nutritional content.
  • brettmichaelyoung
    brettmichaelyoung Posts: 1
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    Here is why French fries are unhealthy:
    1) Mcdonalds and other fast food chains lace their fries with HFCS
    2) Putting ketchup on them is just more added sugar to the fries
    3) If the fries keep the skin of the potatoes on them & if the oil used to fry them is unrefined, expellar pressed (and is using a healthy fat like Olive oil or Coconut oil and avoiding the vegetable oils) then french fries can be healthy
    - The skin of the potato is incredible healthy so eat your fries with the skin
    http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442459089
    - Oils need to be unrefined and expellar pressed
    http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/skinny-on-fats


    5 guys, for example, makes french fries with the skin on them. And they do use Peanut oil, which can be healthy except its refined.

    So, at home, if you use french fries without any added sugar and fry it with a healthy, unrefined, expeller pressed fat oil, then its possible that french fries can be healthy.

    BTW here is a good list of bad and good oils

    Keep in mind that if you are counting carbs, a potato is to be avoided.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,017 Member
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    Because people believe potatoes are nutritionally challenged and of course deep frying anything is a heart attach, right? lol
  • kaylindeschanel
    kaylindeschanel Posts: 105 Member
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    they are deep fried potatoes (which are already low glycemic) and then drowned in oil. they are greasy with all the nutrition - the little nutrition that was left in it - stripped off. how are they healthy?
  • h8fklvr
    h8fklvr Posts: 8
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    mmmMmmmmmM, I love french fries... Oh, and rum, oh and Peanut M&M's. Oh, and ice cream... oh,, and SYRUP... I F***ing LOVE LOVE LOVE syrup!!!!
  • TheEffort
    TheEffort Posts: 1,028 Member
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    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.

    bump

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  • dancinmama
    dancinmama Posts: 47 Member
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    I take a small potato, slice it lengthwise with the skin on, spray some olive oil on it, use a little seasoning, and bake. So good.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
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    Plus, white potatoes are just a starch/carb with very little nutritional value.
    well that's just not true.
  • pmteet
    pmteet Posts: 69
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    French fries are one of the few foods I do enjoy eating. Potatoes DO have nutritional value especially where potassium is concerned. I see the snarky responses that frying foods somehow make them unhealthy. Maybe yes maybe no but you are adding a lot of very unhealthy stuff that you do not need. Bake the fries wit the skins on! And no in moderation they are fine. But ANYTHING in excess is bad. The main idea here should not be just to lose weight but to get healthy. Potatoes should not be a daily thing but a couple times a week. Is not a bad thing.

    Michelle
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
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    French fries are one of the few foods I do enjoy eating. Potatoes DO have nutritional value especially where potassium is concerned. I see the snarky responses that frying foods somehow make them unhealthy. Maybe yes maybe no but you are adding a lot of very unhealthy stuff that you do not need. Bake the fries wit the skins on! And no in moderation they are fine. But ANYTHING in excess is bad. The main idea here should not be just to lose weight but to get healthy. Potatoes should not be a daily thing but a couple times a week. Is not a bad thing.

    Michelle
    ''But let’s boil it down to basics. By itself, the humble potato has no fat, no cholesterol and no sodium. A medium potato is only 170 calories. It’s a great source of fiber and potassium.

    Potatoes contain phytochemicals. These are protective substances that occur naturally in plants. They include compounds you may have heard of, such as antioxidants and flavonoids. And there is some evidence that they play a role in protecting us from illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers.

    Potatoes come in a wide variety — 10,000 varieties, in fact. You can dress up the drab brown Russet by mixing in purple, red and gold potatoes. Some stores offer a premixed assortment, often sold in a small size called new potatoes.

    Here are a few fast facts about potatoes:
    •A Russet baked potato has more potassium than the also-popular sweet potato and more than a banana.
    •A potato is sodium-free and can be a good part of a low-sodium diet. Just don’t add salt!
    •Americans will consume 112 pounds of potatoes per person in 2012.

    And what about the potato skin? Is it fact or fiction that it is the healthiest part? Experts at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics say it’s true. When compared ounce for ounce, the skin has more nutrients.

    But remember, being a root vegetable, the potato comes right out of the ground. So be sure to wash it well and remove any buds or blemishes.''

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