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What’s REALLY Inside McDonald’s French Fries?

  • January 04, 2017

If you thought all you were getting was potatoes and about 500 extra calories when you say, yes, you’ll take fries with that burger at McDonald’s, think again. According to Livestrong.com, a research associate at New York Obesity Research Center has analyzed those fries — and found that they not only contain a variety of preservatives and additives, but sugar as the third ingredient following potatoes and oil.

This article is eye-opening, if for no other reason than the fact that so many ingredients and so much effort goes into creating a look and taste for a simple potato strip. Besides added beef flavoring in them, the sugar is disconcerting, but not surprising because processed and junk foods are notorious for their sugar content. Together with the fats they’re cooked in, fried foods are known to promote heart disease.

Add to that the preservatives, artificial colors and dyes and even artificial sweeteners that can alter your gut microbiome that are sometimes added to fast food menu items, and you have a diet disaster, no matter which restaurant you patronize. Some fast foods even contain endocrine disrupters, including phthalates.

The easiest way to dramatically cut down on your fat, sugar and fructose consumption is to skip the fast food line and switch to a diet of whole, unprocessed foods, as most added sugar and fats come from processed fare, not from adding a teaspoon of sugar to your tea or coffee. And read labels: If a food is boxed, canned or bottled, it's likely also been processed and may include added sugar.