should we stop deep frying

Should we stop deep frying?

     Nowadays, people are preferring fast food to homemade or healthy food.  Most of the fast food is fried food; for instance, chicken wings, French fries, and hamburgers. Additionally, the majority of fried food consumers are children because of the delicious taste, and the way it is packed and served. As it is common among people, because oil is used to fry it, it is unhealthy and it causes cancer and obesity, so we should stop eating and feeding our children fried food. Although fried food is unhealthy, it can be healthy if a cook fries it in a healthy way. We have made fried food unhealthy because we do not fry it properly. If we know the reasons why scientists do not recommend eating it, be aware of how it became harmful, and be educated about how to make it healthy, consumers would be on the side of fried food.

     According to scientists, it is highly recommended not to consume fried food because of the negative consequences on human health; for example, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity. Another reason, it has been claimed that some parts in the fried food can be unhealthy to eat and harmful. Fried chicken with skin for instance, people like it because it is crispy and tasty, but not healthy. What consumers might not realize, the skin has fat and the oil that is used as well, so when they combined together, the fat turns into trans-fat and that can cause

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. Consequently, the trans-fat will be absorbed by human body and will be a reason for high blood pressure and cholesterol.

      In order to help consumers fry food in a healthy and correct way, they should first be aware of how it became unhealthy. The major reason that makes consuming fried food unhealthy is frying it in used oil; in other words, reusing the same oil again, which had already been used, to fry the food. There is a process where it is possible to filter the oil then reuse it, yet it works, but it would be healthier to use fresh oil every time. That process would work if the oil had not been heated at or above 375 F. According to Alice, heating the oil up to 375 F or above changes the oil’s chemicals characteristics and the oil will become too heavy on the liver to digest. As a result, it becomes a toxic substance that causes various liver diseases.

     However, consumers still want to reuse the oil again to save money or if fresh oil is not available. It is not an issue to reuse the oil, but only after have the oil goes through a process that can make the oil fit for one or two more usages; hence, the amount of food also matters. In other words, the oil should not be reused if it is had been used to fry a big amount of food, so restaurants should not be doing the process. The process should start after using the oil for the first time. Turning off the heat right after finishing frying is the first step. Once the oil has cooled, it has to be taken and filtered by using many layers and making sure that all impurities have been removed. Finally, pour the oil in an appropriate container and store in cool and dark place. Hence, the process will be useless if the oil was heated above 375 F.

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     It is impossible to fry food without oil, yet there is a way to avoid the consequences of using the oil. In order to avoid that; first, the oil has to be heated at or below 375 F to prevent that toxic substance from being built up. Secondly, be sure that the frying pan or the skillet is not scratched. The paint that is being scratched can combine with the oil and produce another substance; therefore, it will be absorbed by the food and cause some health issues on the long term. Finally, avoid mixing different types of oils together because different oils have different ingredients and different preservations materials.   

     Additionally, there are different types of oil that are used to fry like oils which are produced by using vegetables and the type which are produced by using animals. Consumers use these types of oil without being aware that they are different. “Oils with the highest percentage of linoleic acid are safflower oil, grape seed oil, sunflower oil, and corn oil, so you may want to stay away from those if you enjoy deep frying,” Alice said. According to Wikipedia, all those oils, which Alice mentioned, have extremely high percentage of linoleic acid .It is significant to use the proper oil to fry food.

     The best types of oils to fry food are vegetable oils. “Unsaturated fat is best. Saturated fat should be minimized, and trans-fat should not be consumed            ,” Dr. Delichatsios says. What Dr. Delichatsios means is that the in the other types of oils have saturated fats which are not healthy and they cause the bad cholesterol. Unsaturated fat, on the other hand, is the good fat and it raises the good cholesterol. Another advantage of using vegetable oil is that consumers can use higher amounts of oil without being worried because it is healthy oil and has benefits to human body; olive oil for instance.

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     Speaking of the fat and calories that are obtained from fried food, it is thought that these fats are useless and harmful. Dr. Delichatsios says that getting up to 30% to 40% of your calories from fat is fine. As mentioned, the majority of fried food’s consumers are children, so that would be good for their health to get the fat fried food, as long as it is fried in vegetable oil or processed used oil. Also, fried food can be consumed as a snack simple, easy to be made at home, and provides what is needed.

     Fried foods still one of the food that has huge consumers in the U.S, as Dr. Delichatsios says, “At some fairs in the United States, people consume fried Twinkies, fried cheesecake, and even fried butter.” Because of that, consumers should deal with it correctly or the huge rates of obesity and people who have blood pressure will increase. In order to keep enjoying fried food and decreasing the side effect of it, consumers should follow the ways to make it, and fry it at home.

     Briefly, there are major issues that fried food causes them. These issues might have stopped consumers from eating it. Fried food, is like any other food, needs to be cooked properly in order to benefit from it; otherwise, it will be harmful. Oil is the most significant part in frying food. The oil should be fresh oil or at least appropriately   processed oil; also, it had better be vegetable oil to the results that a study had gotten. Vegetable oil is healthier based on a study that was conducted in Spain, where vegetable oil is used, Dr. Delichatsios says “the results of this study do not apply to most fried foods available in the U.S. population and other countries.” Fried food is a good source of good fat and protein which human body needs in certain amounts. To sum up, fried food will never be a cause of the issues that most people nowadays have. People should enjoy eating fried food in a health way and they should never stop eating it.

(Work cited)

"Healthier Oils Make Fried Food Safer." Harvard Health Letter 37.9 (2012): 4. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Feb. 2013.

“Is reusing cooking oil safe?” Originally Published: November 8, 2002 - Last Updated / Reviewed On: March 16, 2012.web. 2/6/2013 <http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/reusing-cooking-oil-safe#.URFznxDXSSk.email>

 “Linoleic acid” From Wikipedia, web 2/6/2013<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linoleic_acid>