The French Fry: Public Enemy Number One!

Did you know that the first time you downed one of those delicious French fries that at a far off point in time the French fry would be filling your veins with gunky, sloppy plaque????

This horrible little fried potato raises our cholesterol, makes us stop wearing bathing suits, and raises our possibility of stroke.

More and more articles are being written screaming about the horrible Trans fat. Many restaurants and fast food joints have eliminated this stuff altogether. But, what about its evil twin, saturated fat? Let's think about it. About a year or so ago, our government decided to start making grocery stores disclose the amount of trans fats in our packaged foods.

Guess what! The U.S. population is eating about 5 times more saturated fat than trans fat. It's common knowledge that trans fat is more dangerous than evil twin, saturated. Even so, saturated fat does not count as your daily requirement of fruits and veggies.

Actually, I have a vivid memory of the first time I had French fries at a restaurant. French fries, any kind of fried food, was a staple on my mother's table. Fried chicken, hamburgers, fried veggies of all kinds, you name it, fried it was!! But, in those days, people just didn't eat out very much. High school gave me the opportunity to chomp down at the local teen hangout. Getting a plate of fries loaded with catsup and salt was a big treat to me. My pristine veins had no way of knowing as a young adult that at a far off time in the future, this food intake would result in dual heart enemies, high cholesterol and hypertension.

At grocery stores, the government began forcing food labels to disclose the amount of trans fat in packaged foods last year, and the race was on to see which manufacturers could eliminate it first.
The irony: Americans eat about five times more saturated fat than trans fat. And while gram-for-gram, trans fat is considered somewhat more harmful than its cousin, too much of either greatly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other ailments.

Let's look at the recipe for homemade fried potatoes: Just thinking about those little fried wiggly things makes my mouth water.

Homemade Fried Potatoes

6 large baking potatoes, cut into strips (about 1/3 to 1/2-inch thickness and width)
oil for deep frying
Salt

PREPARATION:
Soak potatoes in ice cold water for 1 hour at room temperature. Drain well; pat dry with paper towels.
Heat oil in deep fryer to about 375°.
Place potato strips in a single layer in deep fry basket; fry in hot oil for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown and tender. Drain on paper towels then keep warm in the oven while frying remaining batches.
Serves 4 to 6.

YUM!

Sadly, though, Americans are still running up the tab on obesity and heart disease. The only way to truly get on the health bandwagon is to educate ourselves. So, here is a short lesson on the difference between good and bad fats.

Bad Fats:

Saturated Fats: Saturated fat is primarily found in high fat cuts of meat, poultry with the skin, whole and 2 percent dairy products, butter, cheese, and tropical oils: coconut, palm, and palm kernel. Eating foods like this helps to make the good cholesterol to rise. The risk of developing certain types of cancer may be associated with a high intake of saturated fat.

Trans Fats: Surprise! These are the manufactured fats, mostly found in margarine, lard, cooking oils, and shortening. Cookies, snack foods are notorious carriers of trans fats. Notice I utilized the word "carrier". They are carriers of heart disease. French fries, fried chicken, anything fried, sorry wrong number.

Polyunsaturated Fats: The following fish, salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, and rainbow trout, among others. Canola oil, walnuts, and flaxseed also contain some. And in order to remain on this side of paradise, corn, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, and safflower. All of these foods contain the Omegas. Great for preventing sudden heart attack!

Monounsaturated Fats: The following; olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and in most nuts and nut butters. This type of fat does not cause cholesterol to increase and help to elevate the good cholesterol. Learn what this means if you are prone to heart disease and want to stay prone instead of having it.

Who would have known that a little potato covered in hot oil could have caused so much trouble. Sure, French fries aren't the only outlaw in the heart disease outfit, but they certainly ride along with the best.