Eat Pretty: Benefits of Baking Over Frying

Happy Monday friends! Who is ready to clean up their diet and start fresh for 2016? I sure am! My 2016 Eat Pretty Challenge will commence next Monday. Every Friday for the next 4 weeks I will give you the challenge and the rules for the following week. The challenge is not easy, but it is definitely not impossible. The focus of the challenge is to teach way to clean eat the rest of the year, not just the first few months. If one of your New Years Resolutions was to eat better, this challenge is for you!

Making lifestyle changes that foster better health include adding exercise to your daily routine, smoking/drinking cessation and of course, a healthy diet. Healthy diets don’t just include eating fruits and vegetables at all times, it includes learning how to moderate your diet. What I recommend to all my patients {and to myself} is eat everything in moderation AND let the good outweigh the bad. For example, I absolutely love a juicy, delicious cheeseburgers. Since cheeseburgers fall into the “bad” category {high in calories + fat}, I only allow myself 1 per month. This also helps lower my daily fat consumption. Another way to do that is to switch from deep fried foods to baked foods.

The following information on benefits of baking over frying comes for Live Strong. I love this website because the information they provide is backed up by scientific research.

Advanced Glycation End Products

When foods are deep fried in oil, high temperatures cause starches to form Advanced Glycation End Products, or AGE’s. Most deep fried foods are coated in breading made of starch while the food being fried may itself be starch, like french fries. These starches meet with the high temperatures required to deep fry them, then react to form carcinogens. A study published by “Molecular Nutrition and Food Research” linked AGE’s to a variety of diseases, including diabetes. Further research is needed to determine just how harmful AGE’s truly are.

Partially Hydrogenated Oil

Some foods deep fried in restaurants are cooked in partially hydrogenated oil. Partially hydrogenated oils, or trans fats, are cheaper to produce, last longer without spoilage, and withstand high temperatures during cooking, making it a highly desirable staple for restaurants to utilize. However, according to Harvard School of Public Health, trans fats are responsible for an estimated 1 out of 5 heart attacks in the United States, cause inflammation, reduce the effectiveness of your immune system, promote obesity and have been linked to multiple chronic diseases, including stroke and diabetes.

Oxidized Oil

Oil heated to the high temperatures associated with deep frying starchy foods produces yet another negative effect: oxidation. Oxidized oils are thought to cause many possible health problems including damage to the lungs, kidneys and heart. Palm oil in particular was studied in research published in “Plant Foods for Human Nutrition” in 1999 showed oxidized palm oil adversely affected plasma, free fatty acids and an increased risk of high blood pressure, arterial thrombosis and atherosclerosis. Researchers concluded that reducing oxidized oil in your diet would provide multiple health benefits.

Weight Management

Baking requires little or no oil. The oil that is necessary to deep fry food is well-absorbed by the breading or coating that normally covers deep fried foods. Each tablespoon of oil adds 120 calories and 14 grams of fat to your food, and deep frying has to be done at high temperatures which excludes the use of healthy monounsaturated fats like olive oil. Compare the nutritional information of a popular fast food restaurant’s chicken legs. Even skinless fried chicken is higher in calories — a 3.5-ounce serving contains 219 calories, compared to 190 for roasted chicken.

Healthy Cooking

There are many healthy cooking options besides baking or deep frying, but when given the choice, baking is much healthier. Other good-for-you options include foods that are steamed, pan fried with non-stick spray, roasted or grilled. Instead of relying on fat to impart flavor, use marinades and herbs to spice up your meal. Simply topping baked chicken breast with lemon juice and black pepper, or marinading beef in a mixture of olive oil, garlic and rosemary before baking makes for a flavorful main course.

Reference:

Live Strong: Facts on Why Baking Foods is Better Than Deep Frying Foods

• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup milk {your choice}
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• For Topping:
  • 1 Tbsp melted butter
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar + 1/2 tbsp cinnamon (mixed together)

1. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Add to the dry mixture and stir till just combined.
3. Spoon batter into a ziplock bag and snip off the corner. Squeeze the batter into a well greased mini donut pan.
4. Bake at 375° for 11-12 minutes. Let cool for a couple minutes, then remove to cooling racks. While still warm, brush all sides of each donut with melted butter, then dip in the cinnamon sugar mixture till well coated.

 

Xo,