Posted July 1, 2011 - 1:20pm by Tracy
Get me a French fry substitute, stat!
No one expects to hear that French fries are good for us. We know they are unhealthy. But because they are so delicious, we occasionally indulge anyway. And it’s easy to indulge in Chicago, where fries are a staple in bars and restaurants.
But fries are not just bad; they are awful for us.
According to a study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, one serving of fries every day (that’s about 10 fries, or roughly a size “small” at McDonald’s) translates to nearly a pound of weight gain every year. Potato chips, sugary drinks, red meat and desserts are not quite as bad as fries, but do also contribute to weight gain.
So even if we eat just a quarter of that amount, that’s still 5 pounds of weight over 20 years — from fries alone.
But even more interesting, the study also found that eating a healthier food (like low-sodium popcorn) — with the exact same number of calories as the fries — every day translates to much less weight gain overall. And better yet, eating daily servings of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and yogurt correlated with weight loss.
After resolving to trade in my French fries for kale chips moving forward, I asked Kate Kinne, a registered dietitian at Swedish Covenant Hospital and writer behind Well Community’s Eating Well blog, what she thought about the study:
“This study shows that for weight loss, not only should you count and cut your total calorie intake, you should pay more attention to what you're eating in those calories,” she said. “While someone could eat 1600 calories of ‘junk food’ and potentially lose weight due to the calorie deficit, according to the study they may actually lose more weight by eating 1600 calories of healthier food, and that's obviously going to support better health in the long run.”
She suggested that if you really love potato chips, you should make them at home, and using a variety of vegetable, rather than just potatoes.
“Cut up sweet potatos, carrots or kale, toss in olive oil and a little salt and pepper, steak seasoning or whatever dried herbs you might like, and then sprinkle a little grated parmesan cheese on the top,” she said. “Cook in 450 degree oven about 20-25 minutes (more or less depending on how thick you cut them).”
If sweet snacks are what you crave, she suggests taking advantage of the summer produce and topping berries or fruit with a little fat free vanilla pudding or frozen yogurt.
With all these options, staying away from trouble foods may not be so hard after all.
Photo caption: My first attempt at making kale chips. My meat-and-potato-style husband asked for seconds, so I consider that a success! Next time, I’ll use less salt — it really doesn’t need it; the texture is everything.
Comments (1)
We own an older model Black & Decker airpopper and love it!! My two sons and I make a lot of popcorn. We never realized just how much popcorn we consume until we purchased the industrial size at Costco which was 12 lbs of popcorn. We finished our favorite snack in one year. Luckily, we don't use a lot of butter...but we love popcorn! (:
July 8, 2011 - 2:18pm