A new study has found that the trouble with fries may be more than just the calories. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health analyzed data from 6,212 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2007 and 2010. They found that those who ate fried potatoes two or more times a week were more likely to have poorer diets overall, consume more calories, and have a higher body mass index (BMI).
The study’s lead author, Marya Zlatanovic, said that while fried potatoes are often thought of as unhealthy, they’re also considered a “comfort food” that can be hard to resist.
“Our findings suggest that fried potato consumption is associated with some concerning dietary and health behaviors,” she said. “Given the popularity of fried potatoes, these findings could have important public health implications.”
The study’s authors say that more research is needed to understand the exact relationship between fried potato consumption and poor diet and health outcomes. In the meantime, they recommend that people limit their intake of fried potatoes.
Malcolm Gladwell’s article “The Trouble with Fries” dives into the concerning topic of how fast food is slowly killing us. He asks whether or not this problem can be fixed, but doesn’t provide a clear answer to his own question.
However, he uses evidence very effectively throughout the article to convince readers that a change needs to happen in order for fast foodchains improve their nutritional value. By discussing various factors and providing factual support, Gladwell expertly illustrates why it’s so hard for there to be any sort of nutrition movement surrounding fast food restaurants.
Gladwell begins his article by discussing the difficulties of a woman who is struggling to have a baby. She had just given birth to her third child and she was extremely overweight. The doctors told her that if she didn’t lose weight, she would never be able to have another child. This story shows how fast food is starting to invade our everyday lives and cause problems.
He then goes on to discuss how the fast food industry has taken over America. He talks about how there are now more McDonald’s in America than there are supermarkets. He also talks about how the average American eats three hamburgers a week. This is showing how fast food has become a part of our society whether we like it or not.
Gladwell then talks about how the fast food industry has been trying to make a nutrition movement for years but it has failed. He talks about how McDonald’s tried to introduce salads but no one wanted them. He also talks about how Burger King tried to introduce a veggie burger but it didn’t sell well. This is showing how the fast food industry is struggling to make a nutrition movement because no one wants healthy food from fast food restaurants.
Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers” exposes some interesting and little-known facts about French fries. For example, the average American consumes approximately 30 pounds of these fried potatoes every year! In 1990, public concern over the health risks associated with consuming animal-based cooking oils led many major fast food chains to switch to vegetable oil for deep frying their fries.
Dr. Oz explains how this switch to vegetable oil is even more detrimental. Trans-fat is a type of saturated fat, so switching to vegetable oil means going from saturated fat to trans-fat.
With all this new information, it becomes quite clear why so many Americans are obese. While Gladwell’s article is effective in frightening the reader with statistics, it does little to offer solutions. He briefly mentions that some companies are now using a healthier oil to fry their foods, but doesn’t say how common or available this option is. Even if everyone stopped eating French fries tomorrow, the fast-food industry would still be pumping out unhealthy food. It’s not enough to just know that something is bad for you, we need to be presented with ways to make things better.
Gladwell’s “The Trouble With Fries” sheds light on an important issue in our society, but fails to give us the tools we need to make a change.
In his article “The Trouble With Fries,” Malcolm Gladwell discusses the problems with the popular food item. He states that the average American eats about thirty pounds of French fries a year, and that health concerns have arisen about the use of animal-based cooking oil to deep fry them. This has caused major fast-food houses to switch to deep frying in vegetable oil, which is even more unhealthy.
A study that Gladwell references shows that for every 5% increase in saturated fat intake, a woman’s risk of heart disease increases by 17%. However, just a 2% increase in trans-fat will result in a 93% greater chance of developing heart disease. This study was designed by Walter Willett who also suggests that the consumption of trans-fats leads to approximately 30,000 premature deaths annually in America.
Gladwell then talks about the difference between natural and synthetic trans-fats. Synthetic trans-fats are created in a lab by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil in order to make it solid at room temperature, like margarine. This process also makes the fat more stable, so that it doesn’t go rancid as quickly.
Natural trans-fats are found in beef and dairy products. They are not as dangerous as synthetic trans-fats because they occur in small amounts and our bodies can metabolize them differently. However, Gladwell argues that we should still try to avoid them if possible because of the potential risks.
In the early 1990s, the fast food industry came under fire for its use of trans-fats. McDonald’s, in particular, was singled out because of the high amounts of trans-fats in their french fries. In response, McDonald’s switched to a vegetable oil blend that didn’t contain any trans-fats. However, this new oil was less stable and caused the fries to go rancid more quickly. As a result, McDonald’s had to switch back to using partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Gladwell argues that the fast food industry is not entirely to blame for the problem of trans-fats. He points out that the FDA only requires companies to list the amount of trans-fats on their nutrition labels if the product contains more than 0.5 grams per serving.
In conclusion, Gladwell effectively uses evidence to show why a nutrition movement is needed especially for fast food. He discusses many factors with supporting evidence that is factual which makes his argument convincing. Fast food is becoming a problem in our society and something needs to be done about it.