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| Chickpea tikka masala with grilled polenta |
Food Diary (November 30, 2011)
Breakfast: Rolled oats with banana, coconut and flax seeds
Lunch: Chickpea tikka masala with grilled polenta
Dinner: Mushrooms on toast
Baking/sweets:
Today's Favourite Photo
Angus Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio with White Truffle
Today’s Favourite Blog
A very lengthy and somewhat interesting article titled “What’s Really In Potato Chips?” Its no surprise that Pringles contains more than just potatoes, it’s made from rice, wheat, corn, and potato flakes, along with other ingredients. In an effort to avoid taxes levied against “luxury foods” Pringles once argued that the potato content of their chips was so low that they are technically not even potato chips.
One of the most harmful ingredients in potato chips is produced during 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. 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, bread crust, crisp bread, roasted breakfast cereals and coffee.
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. In 2005 the state of California 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.
Here’s the most interesting bit. Baked chips may contain more than three times the level of acrylamide as regular chips. So baked chips are not necessarily healthier. This is good news. Fried chips are tastier, and according to this article, healthier, or should I say, less unhealthy.
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No kidding! There goes a great snack.
ReplyDeleteMasala with chick peas. Yum!
ReplyDeleteLuckily there's a silver lining of all this sad information: I am so glad that for once tastier means healthier. I love browned grilled or fried dishes...
ReplyDeleteThe chick peas look so good!
ReplyDeleteSo scary about what's in the stuff these days.
I used to love Pringles---a long time ago. I knew they were full of things other than potatoes, but I'm glad I quit eating them! THanks for debunking the idea of "baked potato chips" as being better than kettle-fried.
ReplyDeletebeautiful photo of the carpaccio...
love the look of those chickpeas - and so glad I can eat fried potato chips again - I think!
ReplyDeletemary x
ping: just wait for another research which says its not that bad, or its good. Hang in there, it will come.
ReplyDeleteYummychunklet: yes, definitely yum!
Sissi: it is great that tastier is healthier, according to this research anyway:)
Carol: thank you
Nancy: you are welcome
Mary: thank you
rice, wheat, corn, and potato flakes and cancerous chemicals? Glad I am not a big chip addict! The Chickpea tikka masala with grilled polenta looks appetizing!
ReplyDeleteLol this pringle thing was one of our discussion topics in the office last week
ReplyDelete