Can French Fries Be a Healthy Food?

A huge observational study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recently demonstrated that eating French fries three times a week is associated with a 20% increase in the risk of developing type-2 diabetes.  In comparison, eating boiled, baked or mashed potatoes was not found to be linked at all to increased risk of type-2 diabetes.  (1)

This was a prospective cohort study that included over 205,000 individual men and women participants from the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.  These three large US studies were carried out between 1984 and 2021.  All participants were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer at the beginning of this analysis.  Dietary data was collected through a validated food frequency questionnaire every 2 to 4 years.  During the almost 40 years of follow up in this investigation, 22,299 people were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. (1)

Results after adjustments for lifestyles, BMI and other diabetes-related risk factors were as follows (1):

• Total potato intake (all potato dish types eaten including baked, boiled, mashed potatoes and French fries) was associated with a higher risk of type-2 diabetes. This link was primarily driven by the intake of French fries.
  • For every increment of three servings weekly of total potato, the risk of type-2 diabetes increased by 5%.
  • For every increment of three servings weekly of French fries the risk of type-2 diabetes increased by 20%.
  • Intake of combined baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes was not significantly associated with risk of type-2 diabetes.
• Replacing any form of potatoes with whole grains lowered the incidence of type-2 diabetes (A).
  • Replacing three weekly servings of any potatoes with whole grains was estimated to lower risk of type-2 diabetes by 8%
  • Replacing three weekly servings of baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes with whole grains was estimated to lower risk of type-2 diabetes by 4%.
  • Replacing three weekly servings of French fries with whole grains was estimated to lower risk of type-2 diabetes by 19%.
• Replacing total potatoes or baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes with white rice was associated with an increased risk of type-2 diabetes (1).

This is an observational study so it can not show cause and effect.  However, its results clearly illustrate the links between differing intakes of potatoes, the specific foods used as replacements and the development of type-2 diabetes.

 

Are Potatoes a Healthy Food?

They certainly start out that way! Potatoes are root vegetables and they contain many healthy nutrients including fiber, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium along with antioxidants like flavonoids and carotenoids. (2,3)

Potatoes are also a good source of resistant starch. When starchy foods are heated, their starches swell and soften making them easy to digest in the small intestine.  However, after cooling, the structures of some of the starch molecules realign and become resistant to digestion.  When potatoes are reheated and eaten, this “resistant starch” behaves like soluble fiber.  It passes unchanged into the large intestine where it feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut and strengthens the gut microbiome.  Potatoes that have been cooked and then chilled contain the highest amount of resistant starch among vegetables.  Resistant starch has been associated with healthy blood sugar control and increased insulin sensitivity, a strengthened immune system and the prevention of heart disease and some cancers.  (4,5,6)

All these benefits aside, when it comes to potatoes, it is the method used for their preparation and the ingredients that are added to them after cooking that dictate whether they will turn out to be healthy or not.

French fries are generally prepared by being lowered into a bath of oil and fried. This is not the way to create a healthy food.  (6,7,8)

• Eating French fries is linked to the increased risk of type-2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, stroke and other types of cardiovascular disease.
• A small serving (4 ounces) of French fries can contain 400 calories and 2.7 grams of saturated fat.
• The high temperatures of frying can cause essential nutrients to break down resulting in the loss of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
• Foods fried in oil inevitably absorb some of that oil so the food ends up with many extra calories. Fat is more than twice as high in calories (at 9 calories per gram) as carbohydrates and proteins (at 4 calories per gram). High dietary fat contributes to overweight, obesity and insulin resistance which are risk factors for poor health.
• Fried foods cause oxidative stress in the body. Fats and oils become oxidized at high temperatures.  This creates unstable free radicals that damage cells and cause the immune system to release pro-inflammatory cytokines, both of which lead to excess inflammation.
• Frying potatoes at high temperatures allows amino acids to react with the starches in potatoes to create an organic compound called acrylamide. Acrylamide has been classified as a probable human carcinogen due the increased cancer risk that occurs in animals exposed to high levels of acrylamide. However, the levels of acrylamide that humans encounter through diet are significantly lower than those used in animal studies so a link between acrylamide and cancer in humans has not yet been clearly established.
• Buying frozen French fries and then baking them in the oven does not avoid their high content of fat. A 4-ounce serving can still contain 15 grams of fat.  All frozen French fries have been coated in salt and oil before they are frozen.  The oil improves the texture of the potatoes and prevents moisture absorption leading to soggy French fries.  Also, check the ingredients on the outside of the frozen French fry bag for the ingredient “palm oil”.  Most, but not all, companies have discontinued its use.  Palm oil consists of 50% saturated fat and is linked to heart disease. (9,10,11)

If you are looking for the healthiest cooking methods for potatoes, steer yourself towards boiling, baking, steaming or microwaving.  In addition, refrain from peeling the potatoes.  Many of their nutrients, including fiber, minerals and antioxidants, are present in their highest concentrations in the potato skin.  (9)

Equally important in the production of healthy potatoes is the next step in their preparation,  deciding what to do to them after they are cooked.  If you choose to cover them with butter, sour cream, bacon and/or cheese, their health quotient will be further reduced.  This is due to the added fat calories, especially those from saturated fats.

 

So….Can French Fries Be a Healthy Food?

Let’s return to the beginning of this article and the recent study from Harvard that looked at the health effects of French fries.  This research was massive with almost forty years of follow-up.  Results showed that eating French fries three times a week could raise your risk of developing type-2 diabetes by 20%. On the other hand, eating the same amount of boiled, baked or mashed potatoes had no negative effects.  (1)

The obvious conclusion here is that the problem isn’t in the potatoes themselves but stems from the deep-frying process.  Luckily, it is possible to prepare French fries that retain their healthiness.

 

Three Tips for Creating Perfectly Delicious AND Healthy Potatoes

 

1.  Try out our recipe for “Oven-Baked French Fries”.

 

SUPER OVEN-BAKED FRENCH FRIES

7 to 8 small to medium-sized potatoes (Yukon Gold are the best)

1 tbsp whole-wheat flour

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Clean and slice potatoes into fairly thick French fries ¾” to 1” thick.  (There is no need to peel Yukon Gold potatoes, red potatoes and new potatoes.  Some other types of potatoes such as Russets may have a thicker skin that you might choose to peel off.}

Add potato slices to a pot of cold water (enough water to cover the potatoes) and bring to a boil

Once boiling, continue to boil for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

After 5 minutes of boiling, drain potatoes and place back into pot.

Add all seasonings to the pot and cover the pot.  Place lid securely on the pot and then shake the pot and its contents vigorously for at least 5 to 10 seconds to distribute the seasonings amongst the potatoes.  The shaking will also “roughen-up” the potatoes a bit which makes their edges brown nicely while baking.

Spread the coated potatoes on the cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden-brown.

 

2. Whip up a batch of our plant-based gravy recipe.

This recipe doesn’t take long to make.  It is not only tasty on French fries but makes a very appealing, fat-free gravy for mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, baked potatoes and other vegetables too.

 

PLANT-BASED GRAVY

A couple tablespoonsful of red wine (substitute with vegetable broth, apple juice or water)

1/3 cup chopped onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbsp light soy sauce

4 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 cups vegetable broth

½ cup red wine (may substitute with vegetable broth; water with a splash of balsamic

or red wine vinegar; or apple juice diluted with water)

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp rubber rosemary

¼ tsp ground black pepper

2 to 3 tbsp Veloutine (or flour) to thicken

 

Heat a small amount of wine in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in soy sauce & continue sautéing.

Add nutritional yeast, broth, rest of the wine and spices.  Bring to a boil.  Add Veloutine and stir to thicken.

Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

 

3. Use an air fryer.

Air frying is not fat-free but it can cook tasty French fries with only a small amount of oil.  About 1 tablespoonful is recommended in most recipes.  Season the finished product with salt and pepper and some malt vinegar.

 

 

SOURCES:

1 Mousavi, S.M., Gu, X., Imamura, F., AlEssa, H.B., Devinsky, O., Sun, Q., Hu, F.B.,  Manson, J.E., Rimm, E.B., Forouhi, N.G., Willett, W.C. Total and specific potato intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three US cohort studies and a substitution meta-analysis of prospective cohorts. BMJ, 2025;390:e082121 Doi: 10.1136/bmj-2024-082121.

2  Hesam, F., Balali, G.R., Tehrani, R.T. Evaluation of antioxidant activity of three common potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivars in Iran. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2012 Spring;2(2):79-85. PMID: 25050234; PMCID: PMC4075666.

3  https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/potatoes/

4  https://health.clevelandclinic.org/resistant-starch

5  Raatz, S.K., Idso, L., Johnson, L.K., Jackson, M.I., Combs, G.F. Jr. Resistant starch analysis of commonly consumed potatoes: Content varies by cooking method and service temperature but not by variety. Food Chem. 2016 Oct 1;208:297-300. Doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.03.120. Epub 2016 Apr 1. PMID: 27132853.

6 Robertson, M.D., Bickerton, A.S., Dennis, A.L., Vidal, H., Frayn, K.N. Insulin-sensitizing effects of dietary resistant starch and effects on skeletal muscle and adipose tissue metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Sep;82(3):559-67. Doi: 10.1093/ajcn.82.3.559. PMID: 16155268.

7  https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-fried-food-is-bad

8  https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/chemical-contaminants/food-processing-induced-chemicals/acrylamide.html

9  https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/2012/04/frozen-french-fries-good-or-bad

10  https://mccain.ca/en/products/regular-fries/straight-cut-french-fries/

11  https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/by-the-way-doctor-is-palm-oil-good-for-you