Why You Should NEVER Eat Fried Food

calamari-friedFried food at restaurants is often a health disaster. Most people have been warned away from eating fried food for one reason or another, all revolving around the fact that it is simply bad for you.

The problem with eating fried food outside of your home is that restaurants don’t have the incentive to invest in healthier types of oils, and that the way things are cooked is out of your control.

Below are 5 key reasons of why eating fried foods at restaurants or buying pre-packaged fried foods can be a very unhealthy choice.

Fried Foods Increase Binge Eating

A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found a positive correlation between how often children eat fried foods and their body mass indexes. On top of that, those who ate fried foods often also consumed sugary foods and soda more often, had higher trans-fat and calorie intakes, and ate fruits and vegetables less often. The unfortunate psychological fact is that eating unhealthy foods encourages us to eat more unhealthy foods.

The Effects of Overcooking

Fried foods are often overcooked and/or cooked at high temperatures, and eating very cooked food actually has negative effects on the body. It makes sense that the nutrients in the food become less digestible when overcooked; researchers at the University of California found that overcooked food stays in the digestive tract longer than uncooked or lightly cooked food does. In simple terms, it seems that the body doesn’t recognize the food as food due to just how altered the chemical structures are.

The food stays in the digestive tract longer as your body tries to get nutrients out of it. In many cases when this occurs, it is a highly processed food product that contains toxins. The longer the food stays in your body, the more effect the toxins will have.

It is also true that certain chemicals and toxins begin to develop in the food when it is being cooked for too long, and that the chemical structure of the food changes at high temperatures, including the temperatures that foods are normally fried at.

The Frying Oil

Again, there are ways that you can make fried food at home that aren’t so bad, and some that are even rather healthy. However, restaurants have the incentive to use the cheapest kinds of oil that they can and to re-use that oil over and over in industrial fryers.

Being frequently heated to high temperatures, allowed to cool, then heated up again is not good for the oil, and it even sounds gross to think that you’ve eaten food fried in old oil. Re-heating creates new chemical compounds in the oil, some of which are pretty awful for our bodies.

At least one of these falls into a group called aldehydes; this is a broad chemical group, but contains quite a few health bad guys. Some aldehydes are linked to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Researchers at the University of the Basque Country in Spain found that when oils are reheated, the fatty acids begin to break down and produce toxic aldehydes.

On another note, some of the most commonly used frying oils are either genetically modified or synthetic and often contain pesticides, including canola oil. On top of all of the other cons of fried food, canola oil in general is simply bad for you.

Rancid Fats & Oils

The oils become damaged quickly when exposed to high temperature, making them rancid, leading to free-radical oxidation and creating free radicals.

Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that can initiate chain reactions of chemical disruption, destroying cell membranes, enzymes, and DNA. They can cause a wide range of health issues such as heart disease, neuro-degenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s, inflammation, and even aging.

The Risk of Cancer

All right, so just about everything these days besides raw food comes with a risk of cancer, but that doesn’t mean that it should be dismissed. According to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, frequent consumption of fried foods has been linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer (probably among other types, too).

They propose that your risk starts to grow if you eat fried foods more than once a week, but that’s at least a little bit arbitrary. Others have suggested that the negative effects on the body caused by eating fried foods can be partially offset by eating healthy foods, or more specifically, raw foods like fruits and vegetables.

The study mentioned earlier on that looked at how eating fried or overcooked foods affects the body also found that those who consume healthy foods at the same time as fried foods have fewer harmful effects.

Alternatives to Restaurant Fried Food

– Fry your own food at home if you really want fried food. In almost all cases, what you make at home is healthier that what you get at a restaurant as long as make an effort. Healthier types of oils include coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil.

– Choose non-fried alternatives when eating out. Grilled chicken is a much better alternative to fried chicken, and don’t even both with the fried mozzarella sticks – they may be tasty, but they’re packed with unhealthy junk.

– Sautéing food in a pan can create a similar taste to fried food, yet is much healthier. Toss out the fried fish sticks and replace them with wild-caught salmon sautéed in olive oil and lemon juice – yum!

Although these 3 alternatives can be better choices compared to fried food, keeping you healthy and strong…

On the next page, I want to share with you how you can boost your body with the ‘most powerful healing nutrient known to man’.

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About the Author:

Emma Deangela is the best selling author of The Alkaline Diet Program and 80/20 Fat Loss. She has helped over tens of thousands of men and women to lose weight and transform their health with sound nutrition advice.

Do you love fried food? Share with us in the comments below whether if you feel any negative effect on your body after eating them.

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21 responses to “Why You Should NEVER Eat Fried Food”

  1. Daniel Avatar
    Daniel

    Awesome insight into reasons why I should not and will not be eating fried foods again. As I kiddingly say everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening. In my case it only applies to fattening. I will miss my fried calamari so much.i Keep up the great work of sharing this extremely important information with the American public. As a country we are so morbidly obese it is deplorable and we need all the help we can get. Thank you

  2. David Moxon Avatar
    David Moxon

    This one of the Best sites for Natural responses to our
    Dietary needs and a formality to resolving health issues in
    a world of obesity and unhealthy eating fads.

  3. ahmad Avatar
    ahmad

    Great artile ver useful infomation exposing the big food corps whose only goal is gain oo much money even at the expene of damging our health

  4. Mark Avatar
    Mark

    Why are you telling people to saute in olive oil? Olive oil should never be used for frying/sauteing, but only consumed as is. It is greatly damaged by heating.

    1. Diana Dee Avatar

      I have been confused about this as well because of the misinformation that is out there. 20-30 years ago, everyone switched to Canola Oil because “health” people and chefs were saying it’s so much healthier. 10 years ago, Canola was out and Olive Oil was the best, for cooking as well! I sauteed everything in olive oil. the last few years now Coconut Oil is held up as the healthiest. How do you know WHO to listen to and which info is accurate???

  5. Maggie Avatar
    Maggie

    Good point, Mark, about olive oil. I wondered about that too. I learned about using Ghee from my daughter. It is clarified butter and withstands high heat much better than olive oil. I find big jars of Purity Farms brand which is organic also. Would like to see more about healthy oils to cook with here.

  6. Cacheatuh Avatar
    Cacheatuh

    Through invigorating, easy to read and digest series of articles. It is understandable why “Emma Deangela is the best selling author of The Alkaline Diet Program and 80/20 Fat Loss. She has helped over tens of thousands of men and women to lose weight and transform their health with sound nutrition advice.” She was able to hold my attention for the entirety of two long articles and I absorbed and stored all the information of both articles. One was regarding “Science of Sleeping, and the other “Never Eat Fried Foods. I will be checking out “The Alkaline Diet Program and 80/20 Fat Loss,” as well. Thanks for the much-needed insight into this very important topics.

  7. Lucette Avatar
    Lucette

    Few years back CANOLA oil was supposesd to be the best..
    and now, you say it is not good, so what is the truth????

  8. REKHA Avatar
    REKHA

    now I am totally confused…I switched to canola oil for cooking and frying as it is supposed to withstand high heat but she is saying NOT TO!HELPPP!

    1. tonyw Avatar
      tonyw

      you poor thing …canola oil is poison ..use olive oil ..extra virgin

  9. Janet Wheeler Avatar
    Janet Wheeler

    I have been using coconut oil or olive oil for eggs or any of the few items I fry. I use olive oil mostly in salads.

  10. Marguerite Bellamy Avatar
    Marguerite Bellamy

    Cooking with broth, cocoanut oil, not olive oil, canola oil, as it changes the properties when cooked! Your body is to be 80%
    alkaline withe steam vegetable, yogurt, organic fruit and what is called KEFIR, natural probiotic in plai or flavors!

  11. eagereater Avatar
    eagereater

    I’d take such articles as this more seriously if the authors documented their claims using references that I can check out myself. Otherwise, where do they get their information, from hearsay or some kind of osmosis?

  12. P. Jenks Avatar
    P. Jenks

    I believe just like you do. I stay away from fried foods. About once a month I have French fries. I like grilled chicken. I stay away from bacon and anything greasy. Thanks for all your very informative emails. Love them!

  13. tonyw Avatar
    tonyw

    Toss out the fried fish sticks and replace them with wild-caught salmon sautéed in olive oil and lemon juice – yum!
    yea great if you can find some wild caught salmon that is not fukishima radiated..nothing caught in the pacific or atlantic oceans are radiation free with Canada and Alaska being the worst

  14. Margie Avatar
    Margie

    So Dr. Oz says to use Canola Oil and not Olive Oil, do we not listen to a Heart Doctor??
    I use both…

  15. Monique Cyr Avatar
    Monique Cyr

    I think Dr Oz should do more research about Canola oil !!!

  16. Monique Cyr Avatar
    Monique Cyr

    I should add that most Doctors don’t know anything about nutrition as they don’t learn that is school…medical schools teach how to cure a disease with drugs and not how to prevent disease….Emma Deangela has her facts right…I have been on an alkaline diet since going through chemo therapy and radiation for an aggressive cancer 7 years ago. I will be 76 years young the 13 of April and I have never fell so good in all my life and I must add that everyone I know are amaze how good I look…so keep up the good work Emma!!!

  17. Joel Avatar
    Joel

    I have been chemically sensitive for years. I have severe reaction to aldehydes. Needless to say, I have a big problem with oils heated to high temperatures as well as the smoke from barbecue. You don’t have to convince me that deep fried food is unhealthy. I use coconut oil and avocado oil for sauteeing and tolerate that just fine. Also, I can tell the difference between food fried in clean oil and that fried in rancid oil The smell and taste is difference. Whoever invented fried mozzarella sticks is probably six feet under by now.

  18. Zannah Avatar
    Zannah

    Canola oil comes from Canadian motor oil……do a search or ask a Canadian. How something like this poison could be added to our food supply, is beyond imagination!! Thanks Emma, for this great article.

  19. Geoff Donnelly Avatar
    Geoff Donnelly

    We were advised to use Macadamia oil it has a higher temperature rating.

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