Philip J. Goscienski, M.D.
December 2010
Have you noticed? When you stop by your neighborhood KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) you'll be met with their promotion of KGC — Kentucky Grilled Chicken. The chain boasts that it contains fewer calories, fewer fat grams and less sodium than the original recipe without sacrificing the flavor. Trans fat is out, of course. This change is not unique to Colonel Sanders' outlets but marks what will eventually be a real shift in the nation's eating habits.
Don't expect all fast food places to join the parade right now but as government bodies mandate menu content by banning trans fat and threatening to lower the nation's sodium intake, you can expect that well-meaning politicians will try to ban fried foods as well.
America's enjoyment of fried foods runs deep but this might be an appropriate time to think about changing our personal eating habits to exclude what is clearly contributing to heart disease, the major cause of death in developed countries. It isn't just the saturated fat used in frying that is damaging to the heart. When cooking oil is kept at high temperatures for several hours, as in a deep fryer, it forms chemicals that directly harm the lining of blood vessels and limits their ability to accommodate increased blood flow. Even in healthy young persons a high fat meal causes changes in coronary blood vessels that in susceptible individuals can predispose to heart attack.
Cooking meat at high temperatures induces the formation of heterocyclic amines, chemicals that are well-established cancer-causing agents. Slow cooking limits their formation.
The good news is that as the folks at KFC suggest, there are tasty alternatives to fried foods. Grilled or broiled meats are beginning to replace fried foods on many menus and some chefs offer to prepare your selection as you would like it.
At home you can sauté instead of fry. Try a minimum of oil or even substitute with water, wine, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce or fruit juice. A variety of cooking sprays and non-stick utensils have made it easier to eliminate traditional fried foods.
Fried foods are so well-established in the American cuisine that it will probably take a generation or two before they disappear. In a nation that is facing a financial crisis in healthcare, don't be surprised if the Colonel and his compatriots succumb to the politics of food regulation.
Philip J. Goscienski, M.D. is the author of Health Secrets of the Stone Age, Better Life Publishers 2005. Contact him at drphil@stoneagedoc.com.