This Harvard Professor Says You Should Only Eat 6 French Fries—and We Have Questions

We officially join the crowd of online commentators: six French fries are not enough.

Last week, a Harvard professor told the New York Times that six to six! "I think it would be good if your food came with a salad and six fries," said Eric Rimm, ScD, professor in the departments of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health T. H. Chan.

Naturally, Twitter lost its mind.

What kind of MAD MAN would want six french fries? I get it, they are bad for you, but eating SIX sounds like torture. I’d rather not have them at all. But we all know that’s not going to happen. 🍟 pic.twitter.com/dDT4HYjNUF

— ⚜️ηαтαℓιє ℓσ¢кєтт⚜️ (@natlckettwrites) November 29, 2018

The violent reaction even led Rimm himself to enter the fray and defend his statement.

Ahem.... in defense of Dr Rimm, quoted for the @abc piece, he is correct#StayInYourLane@EricRimm is in his lane pic.twitter.com/R7hdz13Dl2

— AgentSarcasm (@LexLax1) December 4, 2018

Here in Health, we can see where it comes from. The size of the portions of the restaurants is huge, and the fries are not as healthy as you can ask for. We are not willing to give the green light to eat a lot of potatoes a day (everything we want to be able to). But six just sounds like a joke, is not it? We have questions.

Are six potato chips really a serving?

Whether you order them in a restaurant or thaw the frozen guy at home, you probably end up with more than six fires on your plate. As a potato chip fan on Twitter pointed out, some of us could easily drop six potato chips in a single bite.

But what officially constitutes a serving size? Here there is good and bad news. While you can safely eat more than six fries in one session (yes!), You really can not go much higher than that (boo!). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines a fried potato that is served in about 10 strips, which accumulate around 200 calories. That's very far, I mean, cry, from a large order at McDonald's, with its 497 calories.


Can you eat more sweet potato fries?

So they try to take away our fries, but at least we have sweet potatoes, right? The variety of orange is constantly praised for having vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, fiber and a lower calorie count. And if all that can be true with the sweet potter of the good olive tree, it is not enough to compensate the processing, the frying and the added salt (and sometimes even the sugar). Side note: Something?

However, those vitamins and minerals make you earn at least a couple of extra bites: The USDA's standard reference for the size of the serving of chips? Twelve. Win!

What happens if you fry or bake your "fries"?

There are many ways to enjoy potatoes without dipping them in oil and frying them crispy. In fact, one of the most modern cooking methods of this year, frying in the air, is also one of the best ways to replicate that frying texture that we all love, while reducing calories and fat.

"Frying in the air saves calories because, instead of immersing food in oil, the machine produces a crispy texture by circulating hot air containing fine drops of oil," health nutrition editor Cynthia Sass told us in an interview. , MPH, RD. .

While there is not yet an official USDA stance on frying in the air, this recipe for fried potato chips we love from Pickled Plum serves half a potato sticks with 239 calories.

Baking and roasting your potatoes also seriously reduces the oil that would otherwise be used to fry them. Try our fries on the grill or wedges of spicy sweet potatoes for a more satisfying solution than six.

Are potatoes even healthy?

Sass told us that he eats potatoes once a week, and it can not be denied that when cooked and prepared thoroughly, potatoes can be part of a healthy diet. Even white varieties contain potassium, B vitamins and fiber. But cooking methods are important, even if you stay away from the fryer.

Do you remember the last time the internet got angry for someone trying to take our fries off? They told us that potato chips cause cancer.

The truth is much more nuanced than the headlines. By roasting foods with a high starch content, such as potatoes at high temperatures, a chemical called acrylamide, which is believed to be a "probable human carcinogen", can be produced. (Acrylamides is also formeds during the coffees roasting process). Fries (sigh) occasional side dishes in favor of healthier daily cooking methods such as boiling and poaching.

Of course, if you are really concerned about starchy potatoes, you could exchange them completely. Prepare our baked zucchini fries or crunchy avocado fries and join us at least, well, 10? left-sidebar