Disadvantages of fried food:
- long-term risk of heart attack, stroke, and cancer
- risk of stomach indigestion and heartburn
- risk of a grease fire
- messy clean-up of grease that splatters around the cooking area
- messy clean-up of the frying pan or basket itself
- messy disposal of oil (especially when deep frying)
- expense of oil that can’t be reused (especially when deep frying)
Advantages of fried food:
- slightly better taste
I don’t understand why people eat fried food, except to give the medical and pharmaceutical industries a fresh supply of junkies. (I tend to think that the health problems that lead people to visit doctors and to take the subsequent medications that they prescribe are caused by long-term patterns of reckless, unhealthy living.)
But I personally think there are more pleasant ways to live. Here are some suggestions to avoid fried foods.
Fried chicken is overrated. Boiled chicken tastes pretty good when eaten with whole-wheat bread (as a sort of sandwich) or mixed with rice that’s boiled with salt, pepper, other potential spices, and an unsaturated oil. — Don’t be discouraged if the grilled chicken sandwich you get at a fast-food restaurant tastes disgusting. They’re doing something wrong. Try cooking the meat at home yourself and actually boil it instead of grilling it before you give up on the idea. –
You don’t need french fries if you have bread or rice, and if you really want potatoes then you can boil them just like rice. I wish the fast-food industry would catch on.
Crackers are usually a healthier snack than potato chips (because potato chips are usually fried).
Some fat is necessary, but consider more natural sources like non-fried unsaturated oils, cheese, eggs, or nuts (although personally I find that nuts cause me stomach pain because they are difficult to digest).
Even a piece of cake with all its fat and sugar is usually slightly less unhealthy than a donut (because donuts, in addition to being loaded with fat and sugar, are usually fried).
