Food & Recipes

Worst Foods in Your Fridge

10. Frozen French Fries

Potato side dishes such as hash browns, French fries, or tater tots are popular for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Many American freezers have a bag of frozen potato products ready to bake with a moment's notice.

Just one small serving (3 ounces) of some popular potato products -- such as criss-cut French fries, tater tots, or curly fries -- contain 8 to11 grams of total fat, around 3 grams of saturated fat, 390 to 540 milligrams of sodium, and about 160 to 190 calories. And many potato lovers eat double this amount in one sitting.

Your best bet is to eat unprocessed potatoes, such as baked potatoes or roasted red potatoes, because they give you all the nutrients of potatoes without added fat, saturated fat, or sodium. Some frozen hash browns contain no added fat, so look for zero-fat grams on the label. If you need frozen French fries, the steak fries are often the lowest-fat option, but check the label to be sure.

Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, is the author of numerous books on nutrition and health. The opinions and conclusions expressed here are her own.