The Dish: Sweet potato fries are calorie bombs
August 26, 2010
Megan Ogilvie
HEALTH REPORTER
Hot dogs will always remain the eats of choice at the ballpark.
But at the Rogers Centre, where hungry fans can choose from a plethora of foods, from kung pao wraps to hand-carved roast beef sandwiches, the lowly frank has some competition.
On a recent visit, the kiosk selling sweet potato fries boasted one of the longest lineups around. Faster than the cook could swing a basket out of the fryer, trays of orange fries were being swept away by (mostly) girlfriends, wives and kids. The men were going for the meat.
It may be that those buying sweet potato fries aimed to get something healthier than a hamburger. Munching on the salty sweet fries, I wondered if I was giving my body anything good. We have, after all, been hearing a lot about how sweet potatoes are better for us than regular spuds.
But registered dietitian Carol Harrison sets me straight.
“For sure, sweet potatoes are loaded with a lot more vitamin A than potatoes — about 10 times more,” she says. “But as soon as you put the sweet potatoes in hot oil, you can kiss that healthiness goodbye. The nutrition numbers tell you this isn’t a very good choice.”
The sweet potato fries with aioli sauce contain 881 calories, 52 grams of fat and 1,430 mg of sodium.
Gulp. That’s a lot for two handfuls of fries. And for a dish the Blue Jays’ website lists as a “snackable” amongst the Rogers Centre’s concession choices.
“A Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream bar has 290 calories,” says Harrison. “From a calorie point of view, eating the sweet potato fries is the equivalent of eating three Haagen-Dazs bars. Not many people would have more than one of those.”
The 52 grams of fat is two-thirds of the maximum recommended daily allotment for the average woman. While the almost 1,500 mg of sodium is what Health Canada posts as its recommended minimum daily allowance.
“There are three strikes against this dish,” says Harrison. “And really, who wants to eat a 900 calorie snack?”
Splitting the tray of fries so that a bunch of people just get a few bites will help get it into the snack range. And, adds Harrison, going light on the aioli sauce — a mayonnaise-style dip traditionally high in fat — will save a couple hundred calories and some fat.
VERDICT: Only you can know if you want to eat a 900 calorie snack.
Do you have something you want us to test? Email thedish@thestar.ca
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