Fish and chip shops are a British institution. There’s no denying we love ordering food from the chippy, whether the classic meal of cod and chips or some other variation such as haddock, pie, saveloy, sausage or even a veggie burger.
In fact a YouGov survey from this year revealed that fish and chips is still the most popular dish in the UK, with 86 percent of people saying they are fans.
While the food may satisfy our tastebuds, none of us are under the impression that it is good for our health.
But one expert revealed there is a certain item on the menu at traditional chippies that is far worse for us than any others.
Speaking exclusively with Express.co.uk, Doctor Deborah Lee – from the Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, warned people against ordering a fish and chip shop staple for health reasons.
She explained: “The unhealthiest thing you can eat in a fish and chip shop is not the fish and chips.
“After all, a 100 gram portion of cod contains 18g of protein and less than 0.1 percent of saturated fat.”
Instead she urged people to steer clear of battered sausages.
“Compare this to a sausage which contains 15g of protein but a whopping 27.8g of saturated fat,” Dr Lee said.
“Now coat it in batter and deep fry it and what have you got – it’s a battered sausage health bomb.
“Many people opt for two battered sausages – and two battered sausages and chips total 1,249 calories.”
Aside from the calorie content she warned that battered sausages are unhealthy because:
- They are high in saturated fat and salt
- They are processed
- Red meat can increase the risk of bowel cancer
- They are fried in oil.
Saturated fat and salt
Eating too much saturated fat in the diet raises cholesterol levels and increases the risk of atherosclerosis, she warned.
Dr Lee said: “Atherosclerosis is the main cause of heart disease – heart attacks, heart failure, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.
“Having too much salt in the diet is a major cause of high blood pressure, which further increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.”
Processed food
Sausages are a type of processed food – and contain preservatives such as nitrates, nitrites and phosphates along with modified starch.
“Nitrates when subjected to high heat – such as frying in oil – turn into nitrosamines which are potent carcinogens that increase the risk of lung, brain, oesophageal and stomach cancer,” she said.
Red meat
Dr Lee said: “Eating too much red meat increases the risk of bowel cancer.
“A 2015 meta-analysis concluded that eating red meat once a week increased the risk of bowel cancer by 40 percent, and each extra 50g of processed meat after this further increased the risk by 20 percent.”
Oil
Fried foods contain high levels of dangerous trans fats, she warned.
Dr Lee continued: “Trans fats also clog arteries and are a major contributor to heart disease and stroke.
“They increase levels of systemic inflammation and insulin resistance and increase the risk of type-2 diabetes. The NHS recommends we should have no more than 5g of trans fats per day.”
She added: “The batter is high calorie and nutritionally depleted – it’s almost exclusively carbs with a very high salt content and almost zero nutritional content.
“Eating food coated in batter simply adds calories with no additional nutritive value. Furthermore, the batter is fried with all the provisos above.”