Most of the dieticians will advocate against the fried foods as they are considered to be very unhealthy and fattening option. It is known that they help rise the bad cholesterol in the body which is really terrible for the cardiovascular strength. But are the fried foods really that bad?
Let’s find out
High In Fat
Deep fried foods are generally high in fat content and thus if something is fried, it retains so much of calories in form of Trans fat. And if these foods are coated with flour or egg they retain even more oil than fried without these. Therefore it is harmful as if you eat more calories than the bodily requirement, it will lead you to gain more weight and it is a well-known fact that obesity is the root cause of many disease.
Reuse of Oils
Mostly these oils are reused time and again and this not only drops the nutritional content of the oil but also the food which is getting fried in it. Apart from this, if any food item is fried at a very high heat, it releases chemicals which are known to cause cancer and other problems.
Threat to Heart
It is known that if food is fried some antioxidants from the oil are transferred to the food. Therefore, if the foods which are already fattening like corn, potatoes etc., are fried they will absorb more oil increasing the threat of heart disease and cancer.
However if you fry some vegetables like eggplants in healthy oils like canola oil, peanut oil or extra virgin Olive oil you might be just locking the nutrients of these vegetables inside them. Making them a crunchier option to munch upon. These oils are unsaturated and not as harmful as other oils.
Other Health Issues
If eating outside in a restaurant you will not be able to make out if your food is fried in healthy oils or not. Also if some healthy vegetables are fried in harmful oils, their nutritional value can even get diminished. Besides the temperature of oil plays an important part. Which obviously you cannot gauge while frying things. So these will lead to terrible health issues like acidity and irritable bowel movements.
If you still want to have fried food then take care of the following things:
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- It is best to fry food at home.
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- Use the oils which are helpful and contains the right kind of fats. The best options are soybean oil, canola oil, Extra Virgin olive oil and peanut oil.
- Never ever reuse the oil for frying food. It will not only deteriorate the value of oil but also the food.
- Have fried foods once in a while.
Conclusion
The best option is to bake the food as they tend to be more healthy option then the fried ones. Fat is also an essential component of one’s diet and should not be totally ignored. But one needs to be cautious with the amount of consumption. It should totally be dependent on the daily dietary requirement and not for the satisfaction of your taste buds.