During frying, French fries soak up excess oil, making them greasy. The baking method used in this recipe allows you to control the amount of oil and use far, far less. Less Fat and Calories. Because of the decreased amount of oil, baked French fries calories and fat are lower than their fried counterparts.
Most nutritionists will recommend the oven-baked option because they do not use as much oil as the deep-fried kind.
Potatoes that are baked also retain a larger number of vitamins and nutrients. Yes, they are carb-heavy, but potatoes contain fiber, Vitamin C, and many more essential nutrients. In moderation, and when cooked with a healthier approach (oven-baking), french fries can be healthy!
In fact, some restaurants even sell frozen iterations of their fries to further their popularity. Finding a brand and style of frozen fries that you like is a great way to not only save money by staying in, but also has health benefits, as frozen fries are often healthier than restaurant or fast food fries.
1.Baked Potato
Baked potatoes offer more nutritional value than fries because they still have skin. Potato skins are the most nutrient-dense part of a baked potato. Another benefit of heart-healthy baked potatoes is that they are not deep-fried in oil and grease like french fries.
Moderation Is The Golden Rule
However, moderation is key.” Unfortunately, there are no concrete numbers for what moderation means for different people. For some, having a plate of fries once a week might be fine. For others, twice a month may be a better idea.
Fries vs Tater Tots
A serving of tater tots (86 grams) has 160 calories and 8 grams of fat, but packs a whopping 420 milligrams of sodium. While fries do have more calories and fat than tater tots, the extraordinary increase in sodium in tots makes fries the healthier choice — barely.
You may be wondering: can people with diabetes eat french fries? White potatoes aren't the best choice from a glycemic index perspective, but for most of us, it doesn't hurt to enjoy them every once in a while. Just be sure to monitor the total amount of carbs you're eating.
Yes, homemade baked fries are healthy and good for you. Potatoes in moderation are nutritious if prepared with the right cooking method. There is no need to deep fry them in highly processed and hydrogenated oils, and to add a lot of other unnecessary additives.
Advantages of Baked Fries
Baked fries are lower in calories and fat, and they're also much easier to make at home. When you fry potatoes, a lot of the potato's natural nutrients are lost in the process. But when you bake potatoes, they retain more of their vitamins and minerals.
By most measures, air frying is healthier than frying in oil. It cuts calories by 70% to 80% and has a lot less fat. This cooking method might also cut down on some of the other harmful effects of oil frying.
For starters, fries are nutritionally unrecognizable from a spud, says Jonathan Bonnet, MD, a family medicine resident physician at Duke University. “They involve frying, salting, and removing one of the healthiest parts of the potato: the skin, where many of the nutrients and fiber are found,” he says.
Vegetable Oil
The blend includes canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, and natural beef flavor. Now the different oils are probably pretty self-explanatory. But what is "natural beef flavor"? That's what gives McDonald's french fries their signature taste.
Eating them once a week or less would likely have a negligible effect on your health. Portion size matters. This study didn't provide details of how many fries study subjects ate at one sitting, but an "official" serving is just 10 to 15 individual fries (130–150 calories).
To avoid going over the six-fry limit, doctors recommend that you share a plate of fries with friends, alongside healthier foods.
To contextualise, a McDonald's hamburger packs 250kcal and 13g of muscle-building protein, while a medium portion of fries comes in at 337kcal, 3.3g of protein and 42g of carbohydrates, a macronutrient often linked to weight-gain. Looking for a good reason to go big on your next cheat day?
Fried food (which is typically processed) can be unhealthy for the human body. Fried food can lead to problems such as weight gain, increased blood pressure, developing diabetes, and increasing your risk for heart disease. Pizza, on the other hand, can protect your heart because of the nutrients that it provides.
Acrylamide is a chemical created in certain foods that are cooked at high temperatures. Because chips are sliced so thin and fried so hot, they're even heavier in acrylamide than French fries (which, sadly, 7 out of 9 experts warn against).