Why do fried foods blow me up?

There are four elements that set the stage where fried foods perform on the official Food Pyramid.

1. Foods are submerged in fat vats and generally absorb oil amid the cooking process.

Some foods absorb more oil than others, depending upon the strength of their sponge.

And keep in mind that all oils, margarine and butter consist of 100% fat. This includes animal sources such as chicken fat.

This is why it is vital to remove all of the visible amount that you see before cooking. If you feel that you need to leave some for the flavor and texture, then make sure that amount is minimal.

Another thing to avoid is meat that has a marbled appearance; the marbling is an indication of a fatty cut.

In addition, work to change your cooking methods and you'll be thrilled at the new numbers on your bathroom scales as they decrease. Let's see how frying impacts the caloric values - as well as fat grams.

One large egg in its raw state contains 72 kcals and 4.76 fat grams.

When fried the values increase to 90 kcals, and almost 7 total grams of fat.

When hard boiled, the same size egg will contain 78 kcals.

The energy values increased by about one-fourth amid the frying process. And eggs tend to absorb less oil while cooking than many other foods like squash, mushrooms, potatoes and onion rings.

2. Foods that are fried are generally coated with breadcrumbs, cornmeal or flour, thus adding more calories. For every cup of all purpose flour or break crumbs that are used, about 400 kcals are being added to the recipe. When it involves yellow cornmeal, the values jump to almost 600 per cup.

This is just one reason why keeping foods as close to their natural state is a great idea - as well as limiting sauces, dips and dressings.

3. Many times fried foods are dunked into a batter created with one of the dry ingredients mentioned above. The batter may be a mix of any of the following wet ingredients: milk, buttermilk, sour cream, eggs - thus adding even more calories to the recipe.

4. Fried foods are often topped-off with fatty favorites such as melted cheese or ranch dressing.

Popular Hot Spots That Can Pack on Pounds

It's not only the home life where temptation abounds. In fact, more and more individuals are taking meals away from home that ever before in modern day history. Restaurants are in turn challenged with producing menu selections as quickly as possible.

And it's difficult to beat the frying method of cooking in this area. It's fast - and the fat makes the food taste good and it leaves a nice texture. In addition, salt is used liberally on most fast foods.

While flavor and quick delivery to the customer are key in retaining the diner, often it comes with an unhealthy benefit to our health.

In Summary, Food For Thought

If the average Joe requires about 2,000 kcals per day in order to retain his recommended weight, one Tablespoon of oil contributes to a little more than 1/20th of his daily required amount. Oil weighs in heavily at about 120 kcals per Tablespoon and is 100% fat.

Let's say that the average Joe enjoys an order of chili-cheese fries. At this point, he is about 1/2 way to his daily caloric needs. Sad but so, this method of cooking contributes to the makings of an average Joe Blow.

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