{"id":2707,"date":"2017-07-28T17:24:42","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T21:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/?p=2707"},"modified":"2026-04-05T23:23:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T03:23:00","slug":"potatoes-whats-really-french-fries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthfree.com\/blog\/potatoes-whats-really-french-fries\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than Potatoes: What\u2019s Really in Your French Fries?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I used to absolutely love McDonald\u2019s French fries. Whether it was the salt they used or the type of oil, I will never know; but what I do know is that every time I ate them, I always wanted more. Even if I got a burger somewhere else, I would still\u00a0swing by McDonald\u2019s on the way to get my fries.<\/p>\n

I later learned that part of their magic formula involves a strict insistence that only 3 specific kinds of potato be used because these produce such an enticing display in the iconic red french fry boxes. You know what I mean, the bright red box with the long slender perfectly shaped French fries, no stubby, short little weird looking fry pieces in those boxes!<\/p>\n

In order to get such perfect potatoes, certain growing and processing techniques also have to be followed. Which leads me to one of the biggest reasons I will never touch another McDonald\u2019s fry again and why I think you should reconsider ever eating them as well? Darker than the artery clogging fat content, even more sinister than the blood pressure-increasing salt content, and even more malignant than the havoc their high glycemic load can wreak on your blood sugar, is the fact that they are little more than tasty little sticks of literal poison.<\/p>\n

I have known for some time that potatoes are consistently at the top of the Environmental Working Group\u2019s Dirty Dozen for being one of the most pesticide-laden foods in our diet, but I really had no idea how far it went until I learned exactly how McDonald\u2019s gets those perfect-looking fries, and how they could make sure their potatoes are blemish-free.<\/p>\n

The answer is the pesticide Monitor. The thing to note with the pesticides used on our foods are that they are so strong there are EPA health requirements for the length of time that workers must stay out of a field after it is sprayed. For Monitor, this range is 4 to 5 days. Yes, the farmers cannot return to a sprayed field for 4 to 5 days because it is so toxic, but somehow it is ok for us to eat the foods produced with this stuff?\u00a0 I\u2019m thinking no.<\/p>\n

On top of not being able to go into the fields, they often are required to store the potatoes for 6 weeks so that some of the pesticide residue can dissipate. Even after that, they still contain supposedly \u201csafe\u201d amounts of pesticides . . . though I highly doubt there is even an actual safe amount. There is still a lot we don\u2019t know about the long term effects of most modern pesticides on the human body. Many of these pesticides bioaccumulate – they build up in our bodies over time and with frequency of ingestion. So a \u201clittle bit that is safe\u201d here and there could still add up when multiple sources or servings are eaten in a day, month or year.<\/p>\n

There are actually studies showing that the chemical that makes up Monitor, Methamidophos, can cause food poisoning, and in other tests proved to be genotoxic (damaging to genetic information) and mutagenic (increasing damage to DNA causing increased frequency of mutations which increases risk of occurrence of cancer).<\/p>\n

Even after all that, McDonald\u2019s still feels the need to process the heck out of the ingredients as they produce their final product. Do you think, as I once did, that your fries are the product of simple potatoes, salt and oil?\u00a0 Think again! Besides potatoes, there are a number of other ingredients in those fries including \u201cnatural beef flavoring\u201d made from hydrolyzed wheat and soy and 24 grams of fat in a large serving. So much for the vegan and vegetarian options! Ingredients include:
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