Potato chips, their harm and health benefits
Chips are considered one of the most popular products among young people, while they invariably occupy the first places in the ratings of goods harmful to human health. What is the reason for such a high demand, combined with the poor nutritional quality of this product?
It is well known that the production of most types of chips is based on ordinary potatoes. It can be prepared in two ways: by slicing peeled tubers followed by heat treatment or making crackers from potato powder. By itself, this vegetable is not only not harmful, but also useful: it contains vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, B9, PP, K as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium and phosphorus. Most of it is water - up to 75 percent. Potatoes are one of the most affordable products, they can be purchased at any time, they are easy to store and do not need to be specially processed.
It is not surprising that the production of chips is such a profitable business: raw materials cost a penny and can be stored for a long time without maintaining special conditions, the process itself is extremely simple and does not require expensive equipment: cutting - heating to a high temperature - flavoring additives - packaging - and now there are bags of chips lie on the counter.
At first glance, it seems that chips cannot contain anything harmful to the body, because in fact this is the same product as boiled potatoes, which are cooked in many families almost every day. However, everything is not so simple: potato tubers contain a large amount of starch - a substance that is converted into glucose in the body, which determines the satiety of the product. When starch is heated rapidly during the manufacture of chips, acrylamide is formed, which is a very dangerous carcinogen, the regular consumption of which in large quantities leads to cancer. This substance is especially dangerous for women - after all, under its influence, tumors arise precisely in the female genital organs: the uterus and ovaries.
Acrylamide attracted the attention of scientists only recently, but the results of experiments (they were carried out on rats) made a great impression and made me think: many European countries began to impose restrictions on the content of this substance in products, which concerns not only chips, but also nuts, crackers and other products, in the production of which rapid heating and frying is used.
Unfortunately, there are other reasons because of which chips are harmful to the body: to save money, the manufacturer often uses the same oil for new batches of potatoes, from this it acquires a bitter taste and adversely affects human health, increasing blood cholesterol.
But that's not all: to give certain taste qualities to the chips, an amount of industrial chemicals is added, sometimes exceeding the weight of the potato itself: these are dyes, flavor enhancers, flavors identical to natural ones. Most of them are approved by food examinations, however, when checking the percentage, the fact that consumers, especially young people, eat them regularly, which leads to dire consequences: digestive disorders and, as a result, metabolism, allergies, and decreased immunity, are not taken into account. In addition, these substances act on the enamel of the teeth, destroying it, microscopic particles remain on the surface of the esophagus, causing bad breath, which many unsuccessfully try to fight with the help of gum and sprays.
Statistics of adolescent diseases show that neglect of nutrition affects the health of young people: the age of people suffering from severe or chronic forms of diseases of the digestive system is growing all the time: excessive consumption of products with a large amount of dyes and flavors brings children from 14 to 15 years old to this group., although previously severe forms were rare in people under 30. But an unhealthy digestive system cannot function normally, which affects other vital organs: the liver, heart, blood vessels, nerves, without normal good nutrition, a person becomes lethargic, more often tired and is prone to depression: the whole life is changing rapidly.
What can you do to avoid these problems? Really give up chips or nuts with crackers forever? Of course, you should not approach the matter so radically, and for many this is not feasible: after all, there is not always an opportunity to refresh yourself differently at work or in between school hours. However, it must be remembered that the cause of diseases is, first of all, regular consumption: once or twice - not scary, but several times a day - irreversible consequences. In addition, do not forget about the label - sometimes it is enough to read the composition of the product in order to refuse the next pack of chips, take an apple with you for breakfast instead of nuts, and crackers can be quickly and simply prepared at home.
Author: Maria Lev (specially for Calorizator.ru)
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