Too much sodium and fat aren't the only problems with potato chips

Potato chips contain many ingredients that are harmful to health and which are unknown.

potato chips

Potato chips and other types of French fries are well known and consumed around the world. The pleasant flavor is conferred through the frying process, which highlights the aromas, flavors and makes the food more crunchy. However, the consumption of fried foods must be cautious. It is common knowledge that potato chips are bad for your health due to the fat and salt present in them, but the situation gets complicated. Understand

Greasy and salty

Although fats provide energy for the body and are a source of essential fatty acids and vitamins such as A, D, E and K; the intake of fats, oils and oilseeds should comprise 15% to 30% of the total 2,000 kcal that we should ingest daily, that is, we can ingest at most about 66 grams (600 kcal) between fats, oils and oilseeds per day. However, in the contemporary Brazilian food pattern, amounts greater than the established limits of fats and oils are consumed.

Potato chips are worth mentioning because of the amount of oil absorbed during frying. When a food has a large surface/volume ratio, the amount of oil absorbed will be greater. In other words, between potato chips and potato sticks, the first absorbs more oil than the second, as it has a higher surface/volume ratio.

In addition to high oil absorption, processed potato chips contain a lot of sodium as one of the main ingredients. According to the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population prepared by the Ministry of Health, the maximum amount of sodium that should be ingested by each person per day is 5 grams, equivalent to a flat teaspoon; however it is possible to find industrialized French fries whose value can reach almost 1 gram of sodium for every 100 grams (a packet). This amount is considerable when we think that the rest of the day we only have 4 grams of sodium to be ingested with all other meals. Going beyond this amount is very easy, as Brazilians currently consume about 10 grams of sodium per day.

extra ingredients

In order to make potato chips even more attractive, during the manufacturing process many other ingredients are added to the food, such as diacetyl. This artificial flavoring gives the potatoes the "cheese flavor", "cheddar flavor", "butter flavor" among other "flavors" that mimic milk derivatives. The effects of constant inhalation of this flavoring are not good, as the emergence of various respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis and chronic cough. Due to the presence of this substance in several other types of food, the inhalation of diacetyl can be frequent (learn more about diacetyl here).

Another substance that is produced during the potato chip preparation process is known as acrylamide. This substance is formed due to frying and overcooking starchy foods. As potato chips can be fried or baked normally at a temperature above 120°C, acrylamide is released, which is considered by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to be likely to be carcinogenic to humans (learn more here) .

What to do?

The most radical measure would be to completely avoid eating chips, French fries, and other types of fried or overcooked foods, but we shouldn't be too strict. Here are some tips:

  • Do not consume fried or fatty foods daily at meals, even if they are of different types: fried cassava, pastry, French fries, parmigiana, among others - they are all fried and harmful to health;
  • Try to ingest the 66 g/day of oil, fat and oil seeds through foods that contain fats that do not cause health problems (when consumed in regular amounts) such as olive oil, olives, avocados, nuts, walnuts, almonds , sunflower, canola, rice, fish, corn, cotton, and linseed oils;
  • Consume the 5g/day of sodium through foods that offer other properties, such as vitamins, proteins and complex carbohydrates (see more here).
  • Try not to ingest your daily amount of sodium from foods that offer no properties other than sodium and trans or saturated fat;
  • Consume foods with iodized salt or use it in recipes;
  • Avoid adding ready-to-eat spices to foods - use fresh or dried herbs to replace them in recipes;
  • Do not overcook food (do not exceed 120°C). The elimination of harmful microorganisms to health occurs when all parts of the food reach 70°C.



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