In the past two years, due to the disclosure of the dangers of acrylamide, the unhealthy image of crispy foods such as potato chips has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. But in fact, the trouble with crispy foods goes far beyond acrylamide.
Producers admit that the fat content in potato chips is as high as 35%, which brings extremely high calories and is very detrimental to weight control. Every 50 grams of potato chips can bring about 260 kcal of energy, which is equivalent to 12% of an adult woman's daily requirement. For children, potato chips are particularly harmful. Regular consumption will not only lead to malnutrition, but also affect growth and development.
The fat in potato chips is not good for people. Not only do they contain a lot of saturated fat, but they also contain trans fatty acids, which are a great threat to heart health, and toxic fat oxidation polymers. This is a very bad thing for young children, the elderly, and people with kidney disease who have weak detoxification abilities.
High-temperature frying will cause most of the vitamins to be lost; attractive seasoning will bring a lot of salt and too many freshness-enhancing substances. For some varieties with stronger seasonings, 50 grams of potato chips can bring about 0.6 grams of salt, which is not a big problem for healthy adults, but for young children with immature kidney function and those with kidney disease For patients, this is a big burden.
With children’s food shelves flooded with crispy foods, wise parents are deeply worried about their children’s health, and responsible businesses have also begun to take action. It has been previously reported that "Vita World", a snack bar supplier for large schools in Hong Kong, has launched a new policy in the new school year and "bans" the sale of unhealthy snacks such as potato chips and shrimp crackers in the 300 schools it provides services.
Except for these snacks, there are similar "crisp hazards" in daily cooking. Data from multiple measurements show that among crispy foods, the thinner and crispier the food, the higher the content of harmful substances. Thin means that the food is in greater contact with the heat source when frying or baking, and crispy means that the food is heated at a higher temperature or for a longer time. This reminds me of some dishes that are popular in restaurants recently. One of them is made of potatoes grated into thin strips, fried, seasoned with spicy food, and piled into a tall tower. In essence, it has nothing to do with fried potato chips. Same. There are also "pai cha", steamed buns and small twists that are traditionally eaten by the common people. They are also highly fried and have a crispy texture.
No desire is satisfied without paying a price. There have never been foods with such a "crispy" texture in nature. They are human creations, products of hot oil, ovens and extrusion machinery. I don’t know when people will truly wake up from the endless pursuit of taste, return to a light, complete, and natural eating life, and stay away from all kinds of bad news about diet.