They're just potatoes, right?

不是只是馬鈴薯而已嗎？

Well, no.

並不是只有如此。

Surprisingly to some and unsurprisingly to many, the fries that come with most of your McDonald's meals might turn out to be the most shockingly unhealthy items you'll order from the fast food chain.

大部分的人應該對於這件事並不感到驚訝，麥當勞薯條可能會是整個套餐中最不健康的食物。

Here's why.

接下來要為大家解釋。

We all love french fries, but if you take a good look at the nutritional stats of McDonald's fries, you just might be horrified.

大家都愛吃薯條，但只要你仔細看麥當勞薯條的營養標籤，這會讓你嚇一跳。

A medium portion of fries includes 340 calories, 16 grams of fat, and 44 grams of carbs.

一份中薯就含有 340 大卡、16 克脂肪和 44 克的碳水化合物。

At first glance, that doesn't seem too bad — until you realize it's only a side dish, and is more than likely to be added to something else the restaurant produces.

乍看之下好像沒有這麼糟，但你會發現這只是道配菜，而且好像還不只有這樣而已。

As a comparison, a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and coffee will set you back just about the same amount.

與炒蛋、培根、吐司和咖啡的這樣一份早餐相比，其實所攝取的熱量差不多。

If you're cooking fries at home, you can probably expect a very small handful of things to go into them — potatoes, oil, and salt.

如果是在家裡做薯條，你只會往裡面放少量添加物，只會有馬鈴薯、油和鹽巴。

So it should come as quite a shock to find that McDonald's fries have 19 ingredients in total.

因此看到麥當勞裡總共有 19 種成分的話，包準你會嚇一跳。

Yes, you'll find the potatoes, oil and salt that will go into any fries, but you're also going to come across a lot of chemicals, fats and acids.

沒錯，每一家薯條中都會找到馬鈴薯、油和鹽巴等成分，但你可能會不小心發現裡面其實還有很多化學成分、脂肪和酸性物質。

Some of these ingredients are included for flavor, while some aid the cooking process.

這些成分可以用作調味，有的成分有助烹調。

Others help preserve the finished product, but the simple fact of the matter is that many are unnecessary — and most are incredibly unhealthy.

有的成分有助保存煮好的食物，但簡單來說有很多成分都是不必要，甚至是非常不健康。

One of the many ingredients that are thrust into each batch of McDonald's fries is natural beef flavor.

每包麥當勞薯條中添加了許多成分，其中一個是帶有天然牛肉風味。

This was introduced once the restaurant put an end to cooking their fries in actual beef fat.

自麥當勞停止使用牛肉脂肪烹調薯條後就引用了這種做法。

Beef flavoring itself — the exact ingredients of which aren't required to be disclosed by the companies who make it — doesn't technically qualify as an ingredient, according to the FDA.

沒有規定有關公司需公開這種調味的實際成分，不過根據美國食品藥品管理局，原則上來說是不合乎資格作為食用材料。

However, you can be sure that the flavoring contains a whole host of things, none of which are guaranteed to come from beef at all.

不過可以肯定的是調味料中含有大量其他成分，但卻沒有人能保證是萃取自牛肉。

"Where's the beef?"

「哪裡有牛肉？」

According to McDonald's themselves, dextrose, a form of sugar, is added to their fries because the way their potatoes are par-cooked removes any natural sugars.

根據麥當勞自己曾公開表示自家薯條有添加葡萄糖 (其中一種糖分)，因為半熟品薯條的製作過程當中會去除馬鈴薯中天然的糖分。

So the dextrose solution is sprayed onto the fries before cooking to give them the golden appearance they're known for.

因此在烹調前會在薯條噴上葡萄糖溶液，可以提供黃金般的色澤。

Dextrose sugar is actually commonly used in baking, and constitutes one of the ingredients of McDonald's fries which remains uniform around the world, even in the countries that use far fewer of the questionable ingredients that are utilized in the USA.

葡萄糖常用於烘烤，即使其他國家比美國使用更少不知名的成分，但仍然是其中一種全球麥當勞統一使用的成分。

TBHQ is a chemical preservative which is used to extend the storage life of many foods.

特丁基對苯二酚 (TBHQ) 是一種化學防腐劑，可以延長食物的保存期限。

Unsurprisingly, considering you'll find it in most processed foods, it's one of the many ingredients included in McDonald's fries.

這很常見於加工食物，也是麥當勞薯條眾多的成分之一。

While it may not be outwardly toxic for humans to consume, the health effects of TBHQ may be significant.

儘管人類食用這種防腐劑並沒有外在的毒性，但對健康可能帶來很大的影響。

It may lead to vision disturbances and other largely undesirable side effects.

這可能會導致視力受損或是其他無法想像的影響。

Fortunately for fry-lovers, most of the side effects tend to come with doses much higher than you'll find in your favorite starchy side.

幸運地，對薯條愛好者來說，要大量食用薯條才有可能造成這些影響。

The FDA strongly regulates the amounts of TBHQ that can be added to foods, meaning those tasty fries are well within safe limits.

再者，美國食品藥品管理局嚴格監管添加至食品中的防腐劑量，就是說美味的薯條絕對合乎資格。

Citric acid is probably one of the more unassuming ingredients in McDonald's fries, considering you've likely come across it in more than a few types of fruit.

檸檬酸也是其中一種令人意不想到的成分，以為只有在某幾種水果中可以找到的成分。

Well, it's not quite citric acid itself that's added to fries — rather, it's a citric-based antioxidant that's used to boost the shelf life of various fried foods.

其實也不是把檸檬酸直接添加至薯條中，而是添加含檸檬的抗氧化成分以拉長保存期限。

Then you've got your hydrolyzed wheat and milk, the former of which is used in hair products and the latter of which is used in baby formula.

薯條裡面成分還有水解小麥和水解牛奶，前者常用於美髮產品，後者卻常見於嬰兒配方奶粉。

These are used in tandem with the beef flavoring to give fries their taste, and, unsurprisingly, make McDonald's fries unsuitable for anyone intolerant to wheat or dairy.

這兩種同時與牛肉調味添加物使用可以增加風味，麥當勞的薯條不意地不適合麥麩蛋白質過敏和乳糖不耐症食用。

The cooking process for McDonald's fries goes something like this.

以下是麥當勞薯條的烹調方式。

First, the non-GMO potatoes are peeled and cut into their distinctive stick-like shape.

首先，會把非基因改造 (non-GMO) 馬鈴薯削皮並切成條狀。

The natural sugars are removed in a process known as blanching, before being doused in chemicals to get their color.

在灑上那些化學物質以添加色調前，會經過燙煮的過程以去除馬鈴薯中天然的糖分。

Then they're partially fried in oil and the beef flavor and hydrolyzed wheat and milk is added.

再把它炸成半熟品後，會加上牛肉調味、水解小麥和水解牛奶。

After this, the fries are frozen and shipped to the restaurants, where they're fried in more oils — and this is where the TBHQ is added, too.

隨後會把薯條冷凍並運送至餐廳，再使用大量的油回鍋加熱，防腐劑也是這時候加上去。

After they're cooked, salt is added and the fries are served up to the customer.

炸好後會灑上鹽巴，薯條就準備好送到客人的手上。

One of the least healthy aspects of these fries lies in the hydrogenated soybean oil in which they're fried.

其中一個最不健康的原因是使用氫化大豆油來炸薯條。

This oil facilitates the inclusion of trans fats into the cooking process.

這種油會在烹調過程中加入反式脂肪。

Trans fats, of course, are exactly as bad as their reputation suggests, and a diet high in trans fats can lead to cholesterol problems, heart disease, and strokes.

反式脂肪的對健康的危害相信大家也知道，高反式脂肪含量的飲食會導致膽固醇過高、引發心臟疾病以及中風。

"And that is why when you first eat fast food you feel great and 30 minutes later, you feel terrible."

「這就是為什麼當你吃完一道快餐後會覺得滿足，但三十分鐘後卻反悔了。」

McDonald's came under scrutiny when it was revealed that the fatty content of their fries was far greater than previously thought.

麥當勞薯條中的脂肪含量被發現遠高於以前時，便受到了嚴格的審查。

Today, hydrogenated oils are still used in the fries, so these trans fats aren't going anywhere, and as long as they're included in the recipe, you can be sure that you're not doing yourself any favors by eating them.

現在仍然使用氫化油烹調薯條，所以反式脂肪還是存在，只要還在使用就可能不會想要食用。

Moderation is key, here.

適量食用才是重點。

Ordering some fries with your meal isn't going to kill you.

偶爾點一下薯條並不會怎麼樣。

The chemical ingredients are all FDA approved, and even the worst things about them — the trans fats — aren't outright dangerous.

所有添加的化學物質皆經過美國食品藥品管理局核準使用，即使是影響最大的反式脂肪，不會立即對健康造成危害。

Piling on the fries — or any other McDonald's food for that matter — in considerable excess is, of course, far more likely to kill you.

吃其他麥當勞的食物再搭配一堆薯條，無可置疑絕對會對你造成的傷害極大。

So, consume with care.

不要過量食用。

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可以點擊這裡收看最新影片！

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我們頻道之後會陸續製作更多你們喜歡的題材的影片。

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別忘了訂閱我們的頻道以及打開小鈴鐺，這樣才不會錯過我們的影片喔！