1.French Fries have bad fat in them

Frying up our food is sure tasty, but bad fats or saturated fats are what turn a potato into a time bomb for heartdisease, diabetes and cancer. Not all fats are bad and more Americans are learning that fats come in the categories of the “Good Fats” and “Bad Fats.”

While good fats like vegetable oils, sunflower, and olive oilmay actually have some protective effects on our health, the “bad fats” or saturated fats are directly linked to the clogging of arteries, it is the bad fats that do far greater damage. Damage caused by saturated fat is found in margarines, vegetable shortening and anything that says “partially hydrogenated!”

Bad fats have been shown to raise levels of “bad” cholesterol or Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL). Saturated fats also stay in the body longer and raise circulating blood triglycerides that lower the “good” cholesterol or High Density Lipoprotein (HDL).

2. French Fries are made of bad carbs

No potato in its natural state is bad for us, but rather we make it bad because of how we eat it or when we decide to eat it. A potato is a starch and it is made up of simple carbohydrates. Most conventional french fries are made up of white potatoes, and white potatoes have been proven to more easily convert in the body to sugar.

When our body takes in these quickly-absorbing carbohydrates we are forced to use them as energy right away or store them in fat. Unless we are headed to the gym after we eat or consume them after exercise, we are more likely to gain weight from these kinds of potatoes.

When we continually consume quickly absorbing carbohydrates, the high conversion of sugar causes a surge in insulin production. When we continually spike our insulin, we develop a resistance to insulin that has been linked to a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease.

3. They contain Trans fats and Carcinogens

Frying up our food is sure tasty, but trans fats or trans fatty acids are what turns a potato into a ticking-timebomb for heart issues, diabetes and cancer. Not all fats are just “good fats” and “bad fats.” Fats also come in the “damaged fats” category. Damaged fats act as carcinogens in the body.

French fries have high levels of acrylamide, reported to be a possible cancer-causing substance. While there are not yet any conclusive studies in children that show a link has been established to consuming french fries and cancer, it has been reported that cancer in children is on the rise in children ages 2-4 years old.

Watch what you eat and what you’re feeding your children.