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DoctorGetWell's Monthly Column
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Dr. Alex Tatevian has maintained a monthly acupuncture column in
the health section of the Federal Hill Gazette since 1999.
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Federall Hill Gazette; April 2004
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True Facts about French Fries Are Hard to Swallow
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Dr. Tatevian continues his topic from last month "The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat" that include doughnuts, soda, French fries, chips, and fried seafood.
Dr. Joseph Mercola, author of the highly acclaimed, Dr. Mercola's TOTAL HEALTH Cookbook & Program, compares the harm from eating fried food with smoking. He writes, "I am fond of telling patients that one French fry is worse for your health than one cigarette, so you may want to consider this before you order your next 'Biggie' order."
French fries and other fried foods when cooked in vegetable oils like canola, soybean, safflower, corn, and other seed and nut oils - considered healthy oils because they contain polyunsaturated fats- have the opposite effect when overcooked, and can actually cause aging, clotting, inflammation, cancer and weight gain.
What is not commonly known is that these oils are very susceptible to heat-induced damage from cooking. They easily become rancid when exposed to oxygen and produce large amounts of damaging free radicals in the body. Considered the safest oil to cook with is coconut oil, and not only for French fries.
Nearly all commercially fried foods are problematic. In fact, anything that is fried (even vegetables), has the issue of trans fat and the potent cancer-causing substance acrylamide. Most commercial snack chips, including corn chips, potato chips, tortilla chips, you name it, are high in trans fat. Fortunately, some companies have responded to the recent media blitz about the dangers of trans fat and have started to produce chips with a minimum of trans fat content. However, the high temperatures used to cook them will potentially cause the formation of carcinogenic substances like acrylamide, and this risk remains even if the trans fat is removed.
All questions are welcomed. Address them online at www.DoctorGetWell.org. Email to getwell@doctor.com or send to:
Alex Tatevian, DA
ACU WELL Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine
141 Airport Road, Warwick, RI 02889
Phone 401-738-9355
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This page last updated: 8-Sep-2010
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