A questionable twist to a fan favourite
Fries can be considered a common determinant of how many stars a food franchise gets. If the fries aren’t fresh, crispy, salty, or even curly enough, it’s no surprise to see people walk out and never turn back.
The fan favourite French Fries are made from white potatoes. A well-known healthier option is sweet potato fries.
Round 1:Macronutrients
Basically, both sweet potatoes and white potatoes clock in around the same number of calories, about 100 to 120 calories.
Round 2:Nutritional value
Sweet potatoes are often thought to be more nourishing than white potatoes. On the contrary, both types can be highly nutritious.
WHITE POTATOES:
>> They’re high in iron and vitamin C.
>> Has less natural sugar.
>> Contains a higher content of potassium.
SWEET POTATOES:
>> They’re high in fibre and calcium.
>> Especially high in vitamin A. According to the US National Institutes of Health, just one whole baked sweet potato will give you more than a day’s worth of vitamin A.
>> The red and purple varieties are similarly rich in antioxidants. This can help the body fight cell damage which is brought about by free radicals.
Round 3:Preparation
So, the tie-breaker is how your potatoes are being prepared. Deep-fried potatoes are certainly not the healthy version of cooking your fries. This is because when you drown them in cooking oil, their calories, carbs and fat content shoot up.
Reusing the same frying oil can also create trans fats that can seep into the food. In some studies, deep frying was found to increase the amount of carcinogens too!
How to prepare them healthily:
>> Mash them with butter and cream.
>> Boil or bake them. Try keeping the skin on for more fibre, and serve with fresh herbs or spices instead of cheese, butter, and salt. This way you wouldn’t have to worry about your sodium intake, calorie count as well as your blood sugar level too much.
>> Air frying them is by far the healthiest and arguably the quickest option. That’s because air-frying uses minimal amounts of oil, even one tablespoon of olive oil can do the trick.
We hope you got to learn a thing or two about choosing healthier Fries! If you happen to have a homemade batch, mind sending us some?
Sources: Healthline, WebMD, Medical News Today, Men’s Health
