No one can seriously call french fries are “healthy” and keep a straight face, but one Harvard researcher has managed to depress the world by revealing just how bad they are for you.
Last year, Eric Rimm, a Harvard Epidemiology and Nutrition professor, co-authored a study for The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on the effects fried potatoes have on mortality rates.
Turns out participants who ate fried potatoes two to three times a week were at a higher risk of mortality compared with those who ate their taters unfried.
The study didn’t get traction with the public until last week when the New York Times did a story about it, noting that the Agriculture Department considers a serving of fries to be three ounces, which is about 12 to 15 fries and 140 calories.
Rimm felt the french fries’ combination of salt, oil and starch necessitated a change in that number.
“There aren’t a lot of people who are sending back three-quarters of an order of french fries,” Dr. Rimm told the Times. “I think it would be nice if your meal came with a side salad and six french fries.”
HuffPost reached out to Rimm, who did not immediately respond, but as you might expect, his six-fry suggestion made quite a few Twitter users a little salty.
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