If you've ever fried french fries then you know that you don't need many ingredients:
potatoes, spices, and oil is all you need.
But have you ever stopped and wondered why your homemade french fries are so different
from the ones at fast food restaurants like McDonalds?
Actually, not all french fries are made the same way.
McDonalds actually uses 14 ingredients in their famous french fry recipe.
But are McDonald's french fries really potatoes?
The person who discovered the answer to this question was Grant Imahara from the television
show Mythbusters.
When they visited the factory in Idaho where McDonalds makes their french fries, he used
reverse engineering to find out what they were really made of.
Here is an abbreviated list of the ingredients:
- Potatoes; - Canola oil;
- Soybean oil; - Hydrogenated soybean oil;
- Natural beef flavor; - Hydrolyzed wheat;
- Hydrolyzed milk; - Tertiary butylhydroquione (TBHQ);
- Dimethylpolysiloxane; - Dextrose.
In this long list of ingredients, three of them stand out.
Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
The word “soy” may make this ingredient sound healthy and natural, but it's really
not.
Even on its own, soybean oil isn't a very good choice because it's rich in a type of
fat that is already too present in the typical American diet.
Trans fat is the worst kind.
Trans fat increases the production of pro-inflammatory substrates in the body, which increases the
risk of developing a number of chronic diseases such as diabetes, neurological diseases and
mainly heart diseases.
According to some health related websites, these are a few of the health problems associated
with trans fat consumption:
- Cancer; - Obesity;
- Asthma; - Bone degeneration;
- Diabetes; - Heart disease;
- Decreased immune system function; - Reproductive problems.
TBHQ
TBHQ is a type of phenol.
Phenols of different types are used in the manufacture of dyes, resins and even disinfectants.
In the case of TBHQ, it is responsible for keeping the potatoes from spoiling.
Ever.
It can also be found in biodiesel.
Laboratory studies have found that this substance has caused liver enlargement, neurotoxic effects,
seizures, and paralysis in animals.
This substance was also added to the blacklist of the Feingold diet, intended for the treatment
of people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Dimethylpolysiloxane
This hard to pronounce ingredient is one of the main ingredients used to manufacture Silly
Putty.
It's also used to make adhesives, aquarium sealants, cosmetics and breast implants.
It can be very dangerous because one of its by-products, the formaldehyde, is known to
be toxic and is listed as a carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program.
Since the first publication of this troubling data on the ingredients contained in its french
fries, McDonalds has manifested itself by creating an interactive platform on its website
with a FAQ clarifying doubts about its manufacturing process.
This is good news as it shows they are willing to be more transparent about what they put
in their food.
On the other hand, nothing has yet been changed in its original recipe for French fries.
The lesson we can learn from this is that we always need to pay attention to what we
eat, and remember that not all food is prepared the same way.
Being aware of the benefits and risks certain foods can bring us, puts us in a better position
to decide what is best for our health.