This is what chips do to your body - and the right way to eat it

Everyone loves French fries, it is impossible not to, but everyone also knows that it is a dubious dietary choice.

Still, on the occasion of French fries day, we asked Dikla David, a dietitian at Maccabi Health Services, a good excuse to snack on some fries.

Here is her answer

Dikla David

13/07/2022

Wednesday, July 13, 2022, 07:23 Updated: 07:29

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This is how we make chips at McDoland's House (@cheftimclowers)

French fries, considered, and often rightly, one of the foods to avoid.

But it is also one of our favorite foods as an addition to a meal, as a snack at a party, as a quick fix when there is nothing else delicious around or just for fun.

So is he really that awful?

Maybe there are methods or ways to improve it?

In honor of International Chips Day, we looked at what exactly chips do to our body, and what is the right way to eat it.

but before we get to the optimistic part, let's talk about the reasons to reduce the presence of French fries on our menu.

First, the burnt chips, soaked in oil that came to our plate from an unknown source is really bad food for health.

This is due to the "deadly" combination of simple carbohydrates in boiling (and burnt) oil.

Beyond these components, the frying action itself leads to the formation of carcinogenic toxins of the ecliamide type.

More on Walla!

A scientist checked how many chips should contain a healthy serving of chips, and you do not want to know

To the full article

In a large portion of the places that offer fries, the oil is not changed on a daily basis.

Boiling oil, which passes the boiling point over time, or oil that is heated and cooled and heated again - oxidizes, stagnates and becomes a product that should be avoided.

To this we add that sometimes the chips are just an excuse to eat the ketchup, salt and other sauces that are very rich in sugar, artificial flavors and aromas, preservatives and saturated fat.

When was the last time you changed the oil?

French fries (Photo: Giphy)

Another disadvantage of the chips is that it is very tasty, and why is it a disadvantage?

Very tasty food disrupts our ability to feel full, we will always prefer to eat more of it.

Our satiety system, the same system that signals to us that we have eaten enough, weakens when we eat fried and salty foods.

There are evolutionary explanations for this, fried and salty food provides the body with what was previously less available to us, for example calories and salt.

Today, we do not have such a deficiency - but we are still 'programmed' to be able to eat more of these foods.

Another problem that the chips present to him is the way he cuts.

When served to us in a dish of potatoes whole, almost unconsciously, we are able to estimate what is the right amount of eating for us.

We can count and estimate 'one, two potatoes' and estimate the amount that is right for us.

In chips, that appreciation disappears.

We can reach the amount of almost 4 potatoes in a serving of chips without knowing that this is the amount we have chosen to eat.

About 10 units of medium-sized French fries are usually counted as a whole serving of potatoes.

How many of us have counted or estimated the number of chips units in our portion?

Still, it is delicious and comforting and fun and we are in favor of incorporating such food in our menu, so how do we do it more correctly?

Potassium, magnesium and B6

It is important to know that potatoes have nutritional benefits: they are relatively low in calories;

An excellent source of potassium, magnesium and B6, and their availability is relatively high compared to other plant products.

These minerals and vitamins have been found to be associated with a reduction in blood pressure and the onset of cardiovascular disease.

Potatoes also contain antioxidants, and if we choose cooking, baking or frying with the peel - we will lose less of them.

So the main problem is not in the potato, but in the way it is prepared.

So if we choose to prepare it in the oven with olive oil and spices, we will get a much more satisfying and healthy addition.

• Choose to make French fries in the oven - the same strips, with a little salt and olive oil.

• You should add to the portion of chips a vegetable and a portion of protein that is not fried, such as chicken breast or lean meat.

• It is advisable to cut the potato into large strips, this way less oil is absorbed in each unit.

  Hence curled purchased chips have the largest surface area and therefore absorb the most oil.

• Pre-fried French fries in the factory, so even if you put in an oven, it is still considered fried and it is recommended not to add additional oil to the preparation.

• Be careful with the sauces - try to avoid sauces or choose sauces that are low in fat and sugar.

  For example, 5% mayonnaise or sugar-reduced ketchup, and in general to the credit that the main thing is the chips and not the sauces.

• The last and perhaps also the most difficult tip to follow: limit the amount of chips eaten in particular and fried in general.

  If you often eat out, plan ahead when you will eat and how much.

  Planning will help you limit the amount of eating.

• And most importantly, when you already choose to eat, enjoy every bite

Dikla David is a bariatric dietitian at Maccabi Health Services

• health

• Nutrition and diet

• Preventive nutrition

Tags

• Fries

• Potatoes