Althouse: How many calories in an order of fries?

March 1, 2010

How many calories in an order of fries?

Think again! (Via BoingBoing.)

The other night we shared an order of fries and counted it as our entire dinner. But even then, we were probably eating too much.

51 comments:

garage mahal said...: Worst Fries in America
Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries w/Jalapeno Ranch
1,920 calories
147 g fat (63 g saturated)
3,580 mg sodium

Jesus.; 3/1/10, 2:11 PM
Mark O said...: About 500 in a medium order of regualr fries. But, who wants that?; 3/1/10, 2:12 PM
Anonymous said...: Anybody eating food at Arby's by God deserves what they get.

And a slow death would cleanse the gene pool for the rest of us.

So, eat up, I say.; 3/1/10, 2:14 PM
Anonymous said...: Most interesting result:

McDonald’s Small French Fries
230 calories

And yet, the lefty's will shut down the McDonalds' in the hood quicker than all the rest of these 1,950 calorie joints.; 3/1/10, 2:16 PM
Anonymous said...: Why are fries considered "empty calories"?; 3/1/10, 2:20 PM
traditionalguy said...: Potatoes are equal to that much sugar (carbs) inside the body. But who can eat just one. I blame Bush and salt.; 3/1/10, 2:24 PM
Meade said...: Don't forget to factor in (or out) the 200 calories we each burned walking over and back.; 3/1/10, 2:28 PM
Sarah from VA said...: I don't know anybody who goes to Five Guys and orders large fries just for themselves. I go out with my husband and two of his siblings there and we split the large order between us and then there's still some to take home. (And they're DELICIOUS. I love Five Guys. May they never be banned and may they always come in insanely large, cheap portions suitable for splitting with big groups.)

Honestly, if you can tell when you're full and can stop eating at or before that point, just order whatever the hell kind of fries you want. A deep-fried potato dredged in salt is never going to be healthy for you, so the best you can do is control your own portion.

But yes, Arby's is disgusting, and always has a surprising number of calories. Back when I was losing weight for my wedding (and checking the calorie count of everything that passed my lips), I was shocked to discover that one of their Market Fresh sandwiches had more calories than a Big Mac and was twice as expensive. Sometimes, you're just better off going to McD's.; 3/1/10, 2:31 PM
Mark O said...: The energy used in odering and lifting the fries to one's mouth is equal to the love you make or something like that.; 3/1/10, 2:49 PM
Shanna said...: Worst Fries in America
Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries w/Jalapeno Ranch
1,920 calories
147 g fat (63 g saturated)
3,580 mg sodium

I know, but they are fries covered in cheese and bacon...with ranch dressing (which is basically sour cream and mayo, right?) So...not terribly surprised.; 3/1/10, 2:51 PM
ricpic said...: You're allowed the fries if you immediately go out and cross country ski.; 3/1/10, 2:52 PM
Michael said...: Eat the fries now, comrades, for soon they will be gone.; 3/1/10, 3:07 PM
MadisonMan said...: I just read a review of that new place where Angelic Brewery used to be -- was it called Angelic? Anyway, the place on Gorham, or Johnson in the big brick building just down from State (I always gets Gorham and Johnson confused).

The main claim to fame seemed to be the large mass of excellent-tasting fries.; 3/1/10, 3:12 PM
Unknown said...: Hey, what about poutine? Those are some nice insulating calories for ya.

MM - the key to remembering Gorham or Johnson is remembering the traffic flow.; 3/1/10, 3:19 PM
Unknown said...: The best cheese fries are at Nathan's. Yeah, caloric Hell, but this is what the Greatest Generation ate when it won WWII.

WV "gasms" Something nice, as, "We can have cheese fries or gasms"; 3/1/10, 3:20 PM
BJM said...: I seldom order/eat restaurant french fries since being turned on to oven-roasted sweet potato "fries".

Yum...Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins B6, C and beta-carotene...and about 200 calories for a generous serving.; 3/1/10, 3:35 PM
traditionalguy said...: I confess to an addiction: it is Salt and Vinegar potato chips. The small bag is much more expensive per chip than the large bag, but whatever size I buy will be consumed at one sitting. Help! Help! I am chip addicted, Relax, it's not you, Chip Ahoy. The 12step program sponsored by Lays does not work.; 3/1/10, 3:47 PM
Tibore said...: "t-man said...
Why are fries considered "empty calories"?"

Well, if consumed by themselves, most of what you get out of them is the starch, plus whatever fat was not drained off. There's some amount of Vitamin C, calcium, iron, etc. (Source), but it's miniscule. Fries are mostly starch. And given the sedentary nature of many people - and this extends beyond Americans, BTW - those calories can simply get converted into body fat rather than get worked off.

But to me, that's a little hyperventilating. The body needs carbohydrates, and starches are simply one type of them. Do them right, in balance with what the body needs, and they're not bad. Do them immoderately, and don't exercise, and next thing you know you're being kicked off a flight for being to fat for the airplane.

And honestly: There are worse foods out there. Starches are something to moderate in the diet because they turn to glucose quickly and easily (which is why potatoes have a medium to high glycemic index rating), and fried starches give you the kick of both carbs and fats, which are a double-whammy as far as calorie density goes. But really, dieticians everywhere say don't openly deny or deprive, just be moderate and exercise what you eat off. I love french fries, but as a diabetic, I realize that I gotta work 'em off when I eat them. And I have to avoid excess consumption of them. But moderate servings are enough, and you don't get sick of them.

Empty calories, in my opinion, is too judgemental a way to view french fries. They're fine to have, as long as one doesn't go overboard.; 3/1/10, 3:51 PM
garage mahal said...: I just read a review of that new place where Angelic Brewery used to be -- was it called Angelic?

Good house brew, nice atmosphere, and blah food. What was the review on the new menu/owners?

My new fave dinner place is Sardine, tucked in behind Machinery Row. Had the seared skatewing last Saturday, and was out of this world good. A bit pricey but well worth it.; 3/1/10, 3:57 PM
ricpic said...: What about potassium? That was my mom's ploy whenever I turned away from the big mound of mashed potatoes on my plate. That I'd keel over without the potassium. That plus the starving children in China.; 3/1/10, 4:00 PM
MadisonMan said...: I haven't been to Sardine in a long time -- since about a month after it opened -- mostly because it is kinda pricey. If I want Phil's food, I'll go to Marigold. Delicious.; 3/1/10, 4:06 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Sea Urchin: I don't know anybody who goes to Five Guys and orders large fries just for themselves.

I agree, if you are by yourself and even try ordering the large with your meal, they'll warn you against it. It's stupid to be on the list. And McDonald's won probably only because it offers the smallest serving of fries. Here's a hint: you don't have to eat everything you order right away, you can save extra for later.; 3/1/10, 4:14 PM
bearing said...: Re: McDonald's, healthy food, and lefties -- it always struck me that McDonald's is the single easiest way to obtain a fairly fresh salad in many urban areas.

When I was losing weight a couple of years ago, McDonald's was *the* place I could go and know I could have a portion-controlled, fairly balanced and reasonably healthful meal. My standard order was two side salads with minimal dressing, and one of those grilled chicken wraps or half a grilled chicken sandwich if someone would split it with me. I don't know why McD's is the symbol of unhealthy food. It's not like there aren't other choices besides fries.; 3/1/10, 4:14 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Evos' fries should on this list. They make air fries with no fat at all. Beat that McDonald's!; 3/1/10, 4:18 PM
garage mahal said...: Marigold is awesome. Wish I had time in the morning or at lunch to get over there.; 3/1/10, 4:20 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Fast Food Slogan:

We help make sure "Biggest Loser" has plenty of candidates.; 3/1/10, 4:51 PM
KCFleming said...: Not to worry.

When ObamaCare is in place, you'll be able to eat these and have all the doobies you wanna smoke, once you agree to hospice care.

You can start at any age, but no ER visits, preventive care, or surgeries allowed. Ever.

Enjoy!; 3/1/10, 5:03 PM
knox said...: If you're going to eat fries, don't count calories or worry about fat--tt's absurd. Just don't eat them very often and then when you do, you can go all out without the guilt

When it comes down to it, really good fries are few and far between anyway. Most of the time they're truly not worth the fat, carbs, calories and salt.; 3/1/10, 5:03 PM
knox said...: Harder to resist: Dairy Queen; 3/1/10, 5:04 PM
KCFleming said...: In Cuba, Michael Moore's health paradise, they cured the obesity problem by way of economic collapse and widespread starvation. Plus, since no one could afford a car, much less the gas to run it, they exercised more.

Win win!
Silver lining!

Lack of cars, food made post-revolution Cubans healthy

P.S. The few cases of blindness due to lack of vitamins is a small price to pay!; 3/1/10, 5:15 PM
KCFleming said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/1/10, 5:24 PM
KCFleming said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/1/10, 5:24 PM
David said...: Best Fast Food Fries in America
McDonald’s Small French Fries
230 calories
11 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
160 mg sodium

Mickey D wins again. Health food! (Plus they taste great.); 3/1/10, 5:30 PM
knox said...: McDonalds fries are the best fast food fries, hands down. They also have decent salads.; 3/1/10, 5:38 PM
Palladian said...: "McDonalds fries are the best fast food fries, hands down. They also have decent salads."

Not anymore. The same dogmatic, joyless scolds who will eventually legislate away our freedom to enjoy ourselves in any way forced McDonald's to remove the ingredient that once made their fries taste so good: beef tallow. That omission destroyed the taste of the fries. In the case of the fries, the dogmatic, joyless scolds were vegetarians and Muslims, but dogmatic, joyless scolds are all the same, be they socialists, Muslims, animal rights activists or 700 Club members. To paraphrase H.L. Mencken, they find it unbearable that someone, somewhere may be enjoying himself.

Whether one chooses to eat, drink or love in moderation or not is none of society's business.; 3/1/10, 5:54 PM
DaLawGiver said...: Nahhh, I still think McD has the best fries.

knox said,

Harder to resist: Dairy Queen

When I taught fourth grade "Dairy Queen Butt" was a common epithet. Back then we could reward 100s on spelling tests with a piece of hard candy. Now the kids get carrot sticks for snacks and they still get fat.; 3/1/10, 6:37 PM
knox said...: True, the fries aren't as good as they were when I was a kid: I remember when they switched to veg. oil. But they're still the best fast food fries. The rest are just inedible (for me).; 3/1/10, 6:43 PM
Seppo said...: I love Five Guys fries, and since they generally make them to order I can get them a little darker than usual and with no salt. Since I get a lot of exercise daily, they are an occasional indulgence. Yep, the large size, and generally I only need a light breakfast and some fresh fruit the next day. Occasional indulgence, indeed.

McDonalds usually refuse to serve no-salt fries, and they always, always heavily oversalt them, making them inedible unless you feel like wiping salt off each individual fry.

I want them unsalted, I can always add a little salt if they need it, it's much harder to remove excess after the restaurant has drowned them.; 3/1/10, 7:18 PM
kjbe said...: And I'll admit, I've been to Dairy Queen twice in the last week. Sometimes a girl just needs her Heath Bar Blizzard - then, eventually, a trip to the gym.; 3/1/10, 7:25 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/1/10, 7:40 PM
Methadras said...: That just made me hungry.; 3/1/10, 7:46 PM
Sorin said...: The best pomme frites are fried in lard at home. Lard is easy to find out here in the West.

Lard is a must for flakey pie dough. Goose fat makes awesome cottage fries.

Coconut oil is a must for "old fashioned" popcorn. Just like Francescas Grandma used to make.

Eat what you want but get off your ass to burn it off. If you want the best, eat light and eat well.; 3/1/10, 8:44 PM
knox said...: I dunno, I heard recently that people trying to lose weight do better when they don't exercise: exercise makes you hungrier.

If you want to lose weight, three words: LOW CARB DIET. You don't even have to go extreme and eliminate them all; but the more you do, the faster you lose.; 3/1/10, 9:46 PM
LoafingOaf said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/1/10, 9:55 PM
LoafingOaf said...: The last time I had McDonald's fries, there was so much salt poured on it was literally painful to eat them. I'm not sure if this is how they're supposed to be, or if some teenaged employee didn't follow the instructions. The fries also didn't seem fresh. They tasted as if they'd been sitting in a warmer for 5 hours.

I guess you have to luck out and get a fresh batch - and be at a McDonalds where they don't pour on too much salt - for the fries to actually be the way McDonalds intends. My recollection is that it's about 50/50 that you'll get the proper McDonalds fries. (I don't eat McDonalds anymore, as all of their food is garbage. But, hey, a lot of people love stuffing garbage down their throats, more power to 'em.); 3/1/10, 10:00 PM
LoafingOaf said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/1/10, 10:22 PM
LoafingOaf said...: Anyway, Palladian rants:

The same dogmatic, joyless scolds who will eventually legislate away our freedom to enjoy ourselves in any way forced McDonald's to remove the ingredient that once made their fries taste so good: beef tallow.

Actually, McDonalds removed beef tallow in 1990 because they decided they'd get more customers by marketing their fries as being made form 100% vegetable oil.

But what they also did was decide to LIE to their customers. Amongst the ingredients listed for their fries was "natural flavors". What they intentionally tried to hide from their customers was that this was beef extract.

As a result, Hindus (who cannot eat beef due to their relgious beliefs) filed a lawsuit, because they had been deceived.

Palladian omitted almost all of the facts. What happened was that McD's tried to win more customers by going on about using 100% vegetable oil, while intentionally concealing from their customers that the "natural flavors" included beef extract. (Beef tallow was removed from the recipe 20 years ago....)

Those joining the lawsuit said that McDonalds employees told them the fries were vegetarian. They were understandly upset, as McD's was going on about 100% vegetable oil while the fries contained beef extract and that was intentionally not listed amongst the ingredients.

Why wasn't it listed amongst the ingredients? Because McDonalds is run by liars, that's why.

No one is stopping Palladian, or anyone else, from going to McDonalds to eat that garbage. The idea that vegetarians are able to bring McDonalds to their knees is absurd - just look at their menu.

What McDonalds did was LIE. Is Palladian a big advocate of corporations lying to their customers? Is one a "scold" to ask that a company like McDonalds tell the truth?

I don't try and stop McDonalds from serving whatever they want to serve. Eat all the Big Macs you want, Palladian. But they should not intentionally deceive customers about what they are serving.

And that is why McDonalds was forced to apologize and pay a multi-million dollar settlement in a lawsuit to Hindus and others who felt lied to about their food.; 3/1/10, 10:26 PM
LoafingOaf said...: No one is stopping anyone from going to McDonalds to eat their crap. There's an eyesore of a McD's franchise about every 6 miles the whole world over. But leave it to Palladian to tell us that McDonalds are huge victims of the massively powerful vegetarians of the world.

I was actually stopped from buying beer last Sunday. Oops, I was in one of the towns where the religious freaks wanna tell me I'm not allowed to buy beer on their day of church-going.

Now THAT is insane! And a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Not one person has ever stopped Palladian or anyone else from buying whatever the want at a fast food joint. But I was told I was not allowed to buy beer last Sunday. Because religuous-freako right-wing Republicans do not respect MY rights.

They do go to bat for the right of McDonalds to LIE to their customers about the ingredients of their foods, however. Yes, look whose side Palladian is on.; 3/1/10, 10:28 PM
Palladian said...: Sarah Palin's Pussy strikes again and foils OafingLoaf's plan to get completely stewed on a Sunday morning! Curses! Will that Right-Wing Pussy never leave our inebriated hero in peace?!; 3/2/10, 12:14 AM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/2/10, 1:31 AM
Meade said...: Now that's what I call fusion cuisine. Thank you, Theo, for the rest of the story!; 3/2/10, 8:13 AM