It seems a dubious precept on which to base a food post. But someone did it, nonetheless. I think I know why. It involves our old frenemy, human nature. But bear with me as I relate the gist of Delish‘s ‘Healthiest Fast Food Fries You Can Order In America’…
Why a respected recipe source such as Delish.com would lower itself to dish on the dietary merits of Fast Food fries escaped me at first. But when I actually got into the article, I realized contributor Megan Schaltegger had a valid point….
If you must…
Schaltegger explains herself right off the top, in her opening paragraph: “Fast food fries get a bad rap. And while, yes, most orders probably deserve the artery-clogging reputation (have you seen the sod-ium content on Five Guys Cajun style!?), every drive-thru delivers a different take on the starchy side—and that means some are healthier than others.”
The message being, if you do ‘want fries with that’, there are some brands that are less dangerous to your health than others.
A scientific approach
Schaltegger asked registered dietitian and nutritionist Lauren Manaker to set the scene…
“The most significant issue with fast food can vary depending on your individual health needs,” Man-aker says. “However, sodium often ranks as a key concern, as fast food meals tend to be very high in salt, which can impact heart health. Saturated fats are another common factor to watch, as too much can contribute to cholesterol levels.”
Armed with that knowledge, Schaltegger dug the dietary dirt on a host of Fast Food fries and came out with a ‘heathiest’ top 5…
The results…
Some of Schaltegger’s choices and rankings may surprise you. But bear in mind, she based her survey on the numbers, not her preferences…
The least healthy of the Top 5 was…
5. Dairy Queen
The drive-in’s fries clocked in at: with 280 calories, 36 grams of carbs, 13 grams of fat, 2 grams of sat-urated fat, and 614 mg of sodium. That’s a lot of sodium, particularly. But remember it’s still in the top 5 of a much longer list of possibilities.
Next came…
4. SONIC
They’re much lighter on the salt at 350 mg. At 340 Calories, they’re somewhat higher than DQ’s. But other metrics are a little better: 46 grams of carbs, 16 grams of fat, and 3 grams of saturated fat.
3. Burger King
The second-largest global burger brand’s fries are on a par with SONIC’s, but slightly better on some key stats. They’re a little higher in Calories (360) but level-up with SONIC’s at 360 mg of salt, 16 grams of total fats, and just 2 grams of saturated fat.
2. McDonald’s
Schaltegger points out that McD’s might not have a reputation as all that healthy. Nevertheless, the brand does land second from the top in her rankings, with 320 calories, 43 grams of carbs, 15 grams of total fat, 2 grams of saturated fats, and just 260 mg of sodium.
1. In ‘N Out
In first place, we find the West Cost’s fan fave. Here’s another brand we didn’t initially expect to rank high in the ratings. After all, one would think the fries at a cult-inspiring Fast Food chain would be higher in salt and fat – which are naturally attractive – actually addictive – to humans. But INO’s fries lead the numbers: 360 calories, 49 grams of carbs, 15 total grams of fat, but just 1.5 grams of satur-ated fat, and a low-low 150 mg of sodium.
My take
Although I no longer partake regularly of fries from any source – even frozen supermarket sticks or my own hand-cut wedges, baked in the oven – I retain a sort of morbid interest in The State of the Fry.
As Manaker observes: “Sure, you might not put them in the same category as a salad or bowl of fruit, but pretty much anything can fit into a well-balanced diet when you practice moderation.”
~ Maggie J.