I have a slogan about how to achieve happiness in life: "Never turn down offers of ice cream or french fries."
Of course, I've had to modify that slogan in 2018. I now only eat french fries once-a-week. Believe me, that's a MAJOR life change. I used to find every reason to have french fries with a majority of my weekly meals. But that wasn't sustainable when pursuing a healthy life style.
I've learned the MAJOR lesson in eating healthy - ALL things in moderation. But...six french fries PER SERVING????
An article was published by The New York Times last week about how unhealthy french fries are. In the piece, nutrition expert Eric Rimm called the classic American side dish “starch bombs,” saying that an ideal serving is just six french fries.
That struck a nerve with the fry-lovers of the Twitterverse, who responded to the article to protest the idea. Even some celebs weighed in on the issue. Here’s what they had to say:
- One Twitter user @ReverendLars wants to verify the expert’s claim with potato experts. “I’m going to need a second opinion,” the user writes. “From a professor at the University of Idaho.”
- Another tweeter @Kristen_ONeal wants Rimm to clarify what she means by “serving.” In response to the “six” fries, she asks, “per bite?”
- User Brunette Bohemian agrees with O’Neal’s fix. “I eat them 6 fries at a a time until I hate myself,” she offers.
- Author and television host Padma Lakshmi isn’t having it, either. “I don’t have time for this kind of negativity in my life right now,” she replies.
- Comedian Mike Birbiglia responded to Lakshmi saying this has to be a mistake. “It must be a typo,” he says. “They probably mean 600.”
- Twitter user Natalie Lockett is calling the suggested serving size straight-up “torture.” “What kind of MAD MAN would want six french fries?” she wonders. “I get it, they are bad for you , but eating SIX sounds like torture. I’d rather not have them at all.”
Since the commotion, Rimm has issued a statement hoping that the hype would get “chefs and restaurateurs” to consider his case. He adds that depending on the serving, fries can have the same amount of calories as three to four cans of soda. “[The] starch in potatoes breaks down very quickly to sugar in the bloodstream, and is fast calories,” he says.
Could you do it? Could you order fries for the table and ONLY EAT SIX?