Story at-a-glance
•
Stackable chips oftentimes contain so
little actual potato that they cannot, technically, be considered “potato
chips”
•
One of the most hazardous ingredients
in potato chips is not intentionally added, but rather is a byproduct of the
processing. Acrylamide, a cancer-causing and potentially neurotoxic chemical,
is created when carbohydrate-rich foods are cooked at high temperatures,
whether baked, fried, roasted or toasted
•
According to a 2005 analysis, ALL
potato chip products tested exceeded the legal limit of acrylamide by 39 to 910
times, and baked chip products oftentimes contain more acrylamide than their fried counterparts
•
There are more than 800 different
heat-induced compounds, 52 of which are potential carcinogens. Three of the
most well-known, aside from acrylamide, include Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs),
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and Advanced Glycation End Products
(AGEs)
•
Ideally, you should consume foods that
are raw or minimally processed to avoid these types of toxic byproducts of
high-heat cooking and processing. The more raw food, the better, but strive to
consume at least one-third of your food raw to protect your health
By Dr. Mercola
To understand the nature of Pringles and
other stackable chips, forget the notion that they come from actual potatoes in
any recognizable way.
The Pringles Company (in an effort to avoid
taxes levied against "luxury foods" like chips in the UK) once even
argued that the potato content of their chips was so low that they are
technically not even potato chips.
So if they're not made of potatoes, what
are they exactly?
The process begins with a slurry of rice,
wheat, corn, and potato flakes that are pressed into shape.
This dough-like substance is then rolled
out into an ultra-thin sheet cut into chip-cookies by a machine.
"The chips move forward on a
conveyor belt until they're pressed onto molds, which give them the curve that
makes them fit into one another.
Those molds move through boiling oil ...
Then they're blown dry, sprayed with powdered flavors, and at last, flipped
onto a slower-moving conveyor belt in a way that allows them to stack.
From then on, it's into the cans ... and
off towards the innocent mouths of the consumers."
I suspect nearly everyone reading this
likely enjoys the taste of potato chips. However, they are clearly one of the
most toxic processed foods you can eat—whether they're made from actual potato
shavings or not.
Potato Chips are Loaded with
Cancer-Causing Chemical
One of the most hazardous ingredients in
potato chips is not intentionally added, but rather is a byproduct of the
processing.
Acrylamide, a cancer-causing and
potentially neurotoxic chemical, is created when carbohydrate-rich foods are
cooked at high temperatures, whether baked, fried, roasted or toasted. Some of
the worst offenders include potato chips and French fries, but many foods
cooked or processed at temperatures above 212°F (100°C) may contain acrylamide.
As a general rule, the chemical is formed when food is heated enough to produce
a fairly dry and brown/yellow surface. Hence, it can be found in:
•
Potatoes: chips, French fries and
other roasted or fried potato foods
•
Grains: bread crust, toast, crisp
bread, roasted breakfast cereals and various processed snacks
•
Coffee; roasted coffee beans and
ground coffee powder. Surprisingly, coffee substitutes based on chicory
actually contains 2-3 times MORE acrylamide than real coffee
How Much Acrylamide are You Consuming?
The federal limit for acrylamide in
drinking water is 0.5 parts per billion, or about 0.12 micrograms in an
eight-ounce glass of water. However, a six-ounce serving of French fries can
contain 60 micrograms of acrylamide, or about FIVE HUNDRED times over the
allowable limit.
Similarly, potato chips are notoriously
high in this dangerous chemical. So high, in fact, that in 2005 the state
of California actually sued potato chip makers for failing to warn
California consumers about the health risks of acrylamide in their products.
A settlement
was reached in 2008 when Frito-Lay and several other potato chip
makers agreed to reduce the acrylamide levels in their chips to 275 parts per
billion (ppb) by 2011, which is low enough to avoid needing a cancer warning
label.
•
Cape Cod Robust Russet: 910 times the
legal limit of acrylamide
•
Kettle Chips (lightly salted): 505
times
•
Kettle Chips (honey dijon): 495 times
Beware: Baked Chips May Be WORSE than
Fried!
If you think you can avoid the health risks
of potato chips by choosing baked varieties, which are typically advertised as
being "healthier," think again. Remember that acrylamide is formed
not only when foods are fried or broiled, but also when they are baked. And according to U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) data on acrylamide levels in foods, baked
chips may contain more than three times the
level of acrylamide as regular chips!
Interestingly, the same trend holds true
for other foods, too, which suggests that baking processed potatoes at high
temperature may be one of the worst ways
to cook them. For instance, according to the FDA's data, Ore Ida Golden Fries
contained 107 ppb of acrylamide in the regular fried version and 1,098 when
baked. So remember, ALL potato chips contain acrylamide, regardless of whether
they are natural or not; baked or fried. Likewise, they will ALL influence your
insulin levels in a very negative way.
Acrylamide is Not the Only Danger
Acrylamide is not the only dangerous
genotoxic compound formed when food is heated to high temperatures.
A three-year long EU project, known
as Heat-Generated
Food Toxicants (HEATOX), whose
findings were published at the end of 2007, found there are more than
800 heat-induced compounds, of which 52 are potential carcinogens. In addition to their finding that acrylamide does pose a public
health threat, the HEATOX scientists also discovered that you're far less
likely to ingest dangerous levels of the toxin when you eat
home-cooked foods compared to industrially or restaurant-prepared
foods.
Additionally, the HEATOX findings also
suggest that although there are ways to decrease exposure to acrylamide, it
cannot be eliminated completely.
According to their calculations, successful application of all presently known methods would reduce
the acrylamide intake by 40 percent at the most—which makes me wonder whether chip manufacturers have really succeeded
at this point in reducing acrylamide levels to within legal limits... There's
no updated data as of yet, so there's no telling whether they've been able to
comply with the 2005 settlement.
•
Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs): These form
when meat is cooked at high temperatures, and they're also linked to cancer. In
terms of HCA, the worst part of the meat is the blackened section, which is why
you should always avoid charring your meat, and never eat blackened sections.
•
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
(PAHs): When fat drips onto the heat source, causing excess smoke, and the
smoke surrounds your food, it can transfer cancer-causing PAHs to the meat.
•
Advanced Glycation End Products
(AGEs): When food is cooked at high temperatures (including when it is
pasteurized or sterilized), it increases the formation of AGEs in your food.
When you eat the food, it transfers the AGEs into your body. AGEs build up in
your body over time leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and an increased
risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.
The Search for a "Healthful"
Chip Continues...
Like a modern-day search for the Holy
Grail, chip manufacturers keep searching for methods to improve the image of
their health-harming but profitable snacks. For example, by the end of 2011,
about half of Pepsi's Frito-Lay brand snacks will be reformulated with
all-natural ingredients. The switch is part of PepsiCo's master plan to tap
into the healthy foods market share. The Wall
Street Journal recently reported the company hopes to boost their
nutrition business from $10 billion to $30 billion by 2020.
The company will remove dietary hazards
like monosodium glutamate (MSG), replacing it with natural seasonings, such as
molasses and paprika. Artificial colors will be replaced with beet juice,
purple cabbage and carrots. All in all, about different 60 snacks are scheduled
to get an all-natural makeover.
This is certainly a good example of how
consumer demand can alter the direction of food manufacturers in a positive
way.
The reformulated chips may end up
being less bad for you than the
original formulations. However, chips will never be truly healthful. All-natural chips may be the lesser of two
evils, but if consumed regularly, they will still push your health in the wrong
direction... There's no getting away from the fact that modern plagues such as
cancer, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes have a dietary component, and
potato chips and French fries will always be a losing bet if you want to avoid
becoming another disease statistic.
How to Avoid Heat-Induced Toxins in Your
Diet
Ideally, you should consume foods that are raw
or minimally processed to avoid these types of toxic byproducts—the more raw
food, the better. My
nutrition plan emphasizes the need for at least one-third of your
foods to be consumed raw. Personally, I consume about 80 percent of my food
raw, and I find it is one of the most important factors that help keep me
healthy.
It may take you awhile to switch over to a
less processed diet, but throwing out the most obvious culprits would be a
great start.
These would include:
•
French fries and potato chips
•
All sodas (both regular and diet, as
artificial sweeteners may be more problematic than fructose)
•
Doughnuts
Healthy Eating Made Easy
Aside from creating potentially toxic
byproducts, cooking and processing also depletes the food of valuable
micronutrients, which is another reason for eating as much raw food as
possible. This includes protein sources such as eggs. Raw
whole eggs from organic, pastured chickens are an incredible source of
high-quality nutrients that many are deficient in. Raw milk is another good
example of a food that is beneficial
in its raw state but becomes harmful after it is pasteurized.
By opting for foods that will benefit your
health, such as raw, preferably organic and/or locally-grown vegetables,
organic grass-fed meats, healthy
oils, raw dairy, nuts and seeds, you can change your health for the better.
These are the foods that are truly natural, and quite easy to prepare once you
get the hang of it.
Remember, eating fresh whole foods is the
"secret" to getting healthier, losing weight and really enjoying your
food. It's unfortunate that so many are under the mistaken belief that it's
"next to impossible" to create a meal without processed foods. Bruce
Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough tackle this issue head-on in their book Real
Food Has Curves, which is a great starting point to "relearn" the
basics of how to enjoy and prepare real food.
Once you get used to it, you'll find you
can whip
up a healthful meal from scratch in the same amount of time it would
have taken you to drive down the street to pick up fast food. The main
difference will be greater satisfaction, both physically and mentally, and
perhaps even financially, as processed foods typically end up being more expensive than
cooking from scratch.
