Chips, sometimes called french fries, are potatoes cooked in fat. There are a number of nutritional problems with chips, and these problems are worthy of discussion. The main problem with chip relates to the way that the potato slices from which they are made are cooked. Traditionally chips were cooked in animal fat and whilst not ideal, the saturated fat in animal day is reasonably stable under heating. More recently chips are usually cooked in vegetable oil, primarily because it is cheaper. When vegetable oil is heated, chemical changes in the oil cause the formation of fatty acid derivatives including trans fatty acids and oxidised fats. When consumed these can lead to metabolic damage. Chips are also very easy to over consume because they are palatable, and are an energy dense food. Therefore regular consumption significantly increases the risk of weight gain. Further, chips contain virtually no essential nutrients and are therefore empty calories. Lastly, in processing the potatoes, the fibre in the skins are lost, and so the starch in chips is not accompanied by its natural fibre.
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