When Common Foods Produce Higher Acrylamide
An article in one of my favorite journals, Nutrition Action Health Letter, October 2017, revealed the shocking fact that acrylamide, a likely carcinogen, is present in some of our favorite foods. Acrylamide is a compound that typically forms in starchy foods when they are baked, fried, or roasted. When the sugars and amino acids that are naturally present in these starchy foods are heated, they combine to produce pleasant aromas and flavors. The browning that you see on these fried foods produces acrylamide.
One of the most shocking revelations was that sweet potato chips are higher in acrylamide than regular potato chips, and sweet potato fries are higher than baked sweet potatoes. So, ditch the chips! Another instance of higher levels of acrylamide are when plums are dried into prunes and then made into prune juice. So, stick with the natural form of these fruits for a better health benefits.
The article from Nutrition Action Health Letter even went on to give some cooking tips to lower acrylamide. Try these tips to reduce the amount of acrylamide in your foods:
- Toast bread and cook potatoes until they are slightly golden yellow, but not dark brown.
- If you must eat fries, make them thicker. Those skinny deeply-fried fries are higher in acrylamide.
These are just some simple tips to try and make your meals just a bit healthier, and reduce the amount of possible carcinogens that are created from the certain ways which we prepare foods. This is just another reason that the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute (DSWI) encourages wet sautéing and light steaming rather than baking and frying starchy vegetables such as potatoes.