
The researchers found that the veggies' fat content increased when they had been deep-fried and sautéed, but that they also had higher levels of antioxidant phenols. This is primarily because, during cooking, the veggies absorb some of the antioxidants already in the olive oil — along with some of the fat. In contrast, the foods boiled in water had about the same amount of phenols as when they were raw, but had much less fat than their oily counterparts.
Though we'd all love to hear that deep-fried anything is actually great for you, the question is, do those extra antioxidants leached from the oil really make the veggies healthier?
Plus, you've probably heard that antioxidants are basically nutritional magic; people love to tout them as cancer-fighting, anti-aging silver bullets. But it's good to know that the real story is far more complicated, with some studies suggesting overdoing it on certain types may actually exacerbate diseases or make them more likely to develop.
The bottom line is that french fries are not going to prevent cancer (groundbreaking, we know). If you're really that concerned about the antioxidant phenols in your life, the best way to get the most nutrition out of your vegetables is to steam them and then drizzle some EVOO on top, Mills says. But hey, if you want to chow down on some deep-fried anything now and again, don't feel bad about it — french fries are delicious with or without that extra antioxidant punch, after all.
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