What is the difference energy wise between eating a plate of chips and a Jacket Potato?

Question

Having lunch today, one of us had a baked potato and the other a plate of chips. Now I know that the baked spud is far better for you as a slow release energy food but if the chips are just chopped up potato why are they so much worse for you?

Is is just because they are fried?

Also - as a side question - what exactly do nutrients do for you?

Answer 1

There are two issues here—one is the carbohydrate (which includes starches, sugars and fats) content, the other is the nutrient content. (BTW, "nutrient" is just "a substance which nourishes"—this includes vitamins AND minerals)

The spud and the chips will have a similiar starch (slow release carbs) content, but the chips will have a lot of extra fat (fast release carbs) as well. Frying fat also tends to be higher in saturated fats (especially if it's animal fat), so leading to production of more of the so-called "bad" cholesterol once it gets into your body (and of course being a lot easier for your body to store as excess fat tissue).

Frozen 'oven' chips from the supermarket are only marginally healthier than fried chips, as they've already been part-fried at the factory before being frozen. The only good thing you can say about them is that you don't have to fry them twice.

There's also the separate issue that most cafe-style food outlets use industrial deep-fat fryers and (to save money) generally don't change the cooking oil as often as they should, leading to a buildup of all sorts of unpleasant substances in the oil, which then gets into the food.

So a baked potato generally has a lower fat content than chips, making it "better" for you. Having said that, if you throw a load of butter/cheese/sour cream over it, you knock the fat content straight up. How far depends on how much filling you like!

On the nutrient issue, a baked spud is really only more "nutritious" if you eat the skin as well as the inside, as most of the vitamin and mineral content is in the skin. That is, what's left over after the potato's been sitting in an oven for an hour or so—some vitamins decompose when heated. (This also applies to microwaved spuds—obviously you wouldn't nuke them that long, but you're still heating them up!)

In answer to your side question: Nutrients do all sorts of things for you! Some vitamins are used in metabolism (energy release), some are needed for your immune system functioning, some help to break down toxins produced by or introduced into your body cells. Minerals particularly are used as adjuncts to proteins, for structure, catalysis, transport across cell walls and around your body—too many functions to list them all!

Most vitamins and minerals have a limited lifespan in your body, though—either they get broken down during the chemical processes they're involved with, or by the liver, or they get excreted via your kidneys. That's why you should eat a balanced diet EVERY day, to keep the levels up.

This might mean being a bit more careful about what you eat, but that's healthier than taking vitamin pills, whatever the adverts say—not to mention cheaper! Too many people use vitamin pills as an excuse for eating a lousy diet ("I can have a burger, I'll just take a Centrum to cancel it out!").

Answer 2

The oil used to fry the chips does add more calories and fat to the potato, however, a balanced diet is just that - a bit of this and a bit of that...so as long as you eat sensible portions and get plenty of variety in your food ( and yes, that DOES mean eating fat/oil as well as protein and carbohydrates ! ).

The potato is no different to the chips in terms of energy release from the carbohydrate itself ( i.e. the starch ) as it all gets mashed up anyway and the rate of breakdown of the starch by the body is the same in both cases - so that theory can go into the bin....nutritionists should study more......flippin' quacks....

In terms of what nutrients, potatoes are pretty good.....overall the nutrients are things like vitamins and minerals, both needed in trace amounts to keep your body functioning e.g. iron is needed to make the haemoglobin which enables the red blood cells to carry oxygen, calcium and phosphorus are needed for ( amongst other things ) making bone and so on.....

Answer 3

Nutrients are little mites that run around your body fixing anything that goes wrong with it. Every body knows that!

Chips and Spuds; diference? I think you have a point - but is it in the preperation or does the skin have more goodness than the mushy potato inside? Oooo... not thought of that... good luck in your quest Tarnibee!

Answer 4

Depends what the chips are fried in. Some people still use animal fat which is most unhealthy (McDoanlds?)

Answer 5

yes as the oil adds thousands of callories onto each sliced potaoto nodule-so thats why they are worse for you-also see biology book for nutrients-and ur local library and science teacher

Answer 6

AS FOR NUTRIENT CONTENT IS CONCERNED ITS NOTHING ALL U CAN FIND IN CHIPS IS FAT