Is it safe for kids to eat fried foods?

Is it safe for kids to eat fried foods?

What is fried food

Deep frying is the method of submerging food in hot fat (oil). This is classified as a dry cooking method since no water is used because of the high temperature involved – it actually steams the water inside the food, which is how it cooks. Deep frying food has been a very common method for cooking for some time, especially in restaurants. 

People have always associated fried food to fast food restaurants and they usually classify this food as junk. Many people have classified fried food as a “fat bomb” and have discouraged dieters from eating the food, so there’s a lot of readers out there who wonder if kids can safely eat fried food occasionally.

How to make fried food healthy

Many people have come out to say that fried food is not healthy, especially for children. However, using the right type of oil and knowing how to properly fry will ensure a healthy fried meal. As much as you can make fried food healthy, its still advisable for kids to eat it in moderation.

 

safe for kids to eat fried foods

When frying food, you should make sure that pan does not have debris on it, or if you’re using a fryer, make sure it’s very clean and the oil isn’t too dirty to use. The oil usually burns up the debris and forms a black coating that is not good for your health.

All purpose flour contains gluten that usually absorbs a lot of oil so its advisable to use flour with no gluten, like rice flour. Try to combine fried food with salads to help you with digestion to break down the fat. 

Always use the right amount of temperature to fry the food – low temps won’t cook the food properly, but over heating or cooking for too long will allow oil to saturate the food (this is because the water inside the food will eventually all evaporate. Evaporation actually is a strong enough force to keep oil from entering the food. 

Once the water’s gone, there’s nothing keeping oil from seeping in). It’s very important that you know how to properly use your deep fryer, so if you’re in need of a quick lesson, head on over to learn all about frying properly and with the right tools.

The low fat oils to choose include peanut oil, soybean oil and canola oil. While the argument is far from over, many people recommend using peanut to get the best results.

There is one extra thing you might want to know about for getting healthy results when frying foods. Ever heard of no oil deep fryers? They are a substitute to fryers and are supposed to give you the same results, just with zero to two table spoons of oil, rather than a few liters. If that is your kind of thing, maybe there is the solution right there!

Did you know that many have argued that fat is good for your health? You can eat fat as long as its high quality and you do not eat it the exclusion of plants. This means no processed foods, but when fat occurs naturally like in vegetable oils, it is actually beneficial to you – just remember moderation in all that you consume.

Health risks associated with fried food

Eating a lot of food rich in fat can lead to high blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease – especially food that is deep fried and breaded. Saturated fat raises the cholesterol levels and could weaken your heart. Food rich in fat has been known to also cause prostate cancer (among other cancers).

Generally fat is not good for anyone’s health whether children or adults. Food rich in fat is also not advisable depending on your blood group. Certain blood groups do not work well with fat so before you decide to take food rich in fat, check if it works for your blood group as a general guideline.

Deep frying food is still known to be popular because it is tasty and most young children like it. This is why restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC are popular. Despite the dangers involved, a majority of people still eat deep fried food. 

The high end restaurants are starting to reduce the amount of oil they use, and are now concentrating on shallow frying or boiled food. However this food is more expensive to prepare and thus the class of people that are attracted to such places are those who can afford it.

The bottom line is, yes it is OK for your kids to eat deep fried foods once in awhile. Just remember some of our tips to make this a healthier experience, and make sure it’s on occasion, not regularly.