Interest in consuming potatoes in various forms and foods is abundantly seen among all age groups. Tater Tots are a type of food made from potatoes that are fried in oil to make the inside soft and the outside crispy. In the following, you will learn more about tarts, their ingredients, and the harm of their regular consumption.
Tater Tots at a Glance
Tater Tots is made from a combination of potatoes, flour, and oil and is not considered a useful food due to the presence of calories, sodium, fat, and carbohydrates and contains small amounts of fiber and protein. This food product is free of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
Tater Tots Nutrition
1. Gluten:
Some tater tots are made from a combination of potato and corn and are gluten-free, and people with certain diseases who are sensitive to gluten can enjoy them. If a pregnant woman is allergic to this food product, she should stop using it immediately.
2. Cholesterol:
Cholesterol plays a role in vitamin D production and hormone regulation. But consuming large amounts of cholesterol will result in complications including heart disease and stroke, so if you are healthy, you can use tater tots in moderation, otherwise, if you have related diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes, avoid eating tater tots.
3. Sodium:
Sodium is an element harmful to health, especially in people with high blood pressure, which is abundantly found in tarts, and the amount of consumption of this element must be controlled daily in the mentioned people.
4. Protein:
Tarts can be used to get the amount of protein the body needs, and this amount is determined based on age, weight, and physical activity.
is Tater Tots OK while Pregnant?
As mentioned above, tater tots are made from potatoes and fried in plenty of oil. So, it is a food rich in carbohydrates, fat, and calories, which despite its popularity is not good for health, and if you have a strong desire to eat it, it should be consumed very little because continuous eating will lead to serious health problems.
Risks of consuming too many tater tots during pregnancy
1. Contains high amounts of carbohydrates:
After rice, potatoes have the highest amount of carbohydrates. Consuming food sources containing carbohydrates is necessary to provide the carbohydrates needed by the body, but if it is out of balance, it leads to the production of fat and its accumulation in the body.
2. Increase blood cholesterol level:
If you do not have a balance in the consumption of foods that are fried in oil, the amount of cholesterol in your blood increases and deposits in the arteries, which causes blockage of the arteries, atheroma, thromboembolism, and sometimes heart attack. In addition, the consumption of fried foods leads to heartburn, acidity, stomach inflammation, and finally intestinal perforation.
Tater Tots food can be eaten every once in a while if it is consumed in moderation and its calories are burned by exercising. Of course, consuming foods with fewer calories and more protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients is more beneficial than drinking a lot of water.
Are frozen tater tots higher in calories?
In recent years, due to lack of time and problems, people have less time to prepare healthy homemade food, so many people buy frozen food and feed from stores and consume it frozen or after cooking and frying when needed. Tater Tots are one of the products that are available frozen and contain much fewer calories. This product has different brands, each offering different flavors and nutritional value.
But consuming frozen foods and products is not always safe because potatoes are grown in the ground, so sometimes they contain soil spores. These spores develop at the right temperature and sufficient humidity and turn into pathogens, which will cause the production of dangerous toxins. Bacillus and Clostridium are toxins that lead to botulism and intestinal disorders.
According to some statements, fried potatoes are more useful than fried potatoes because fried potatoes contain more fat, calories, and sodium than fried potatoes.
Are baked tater tots healthy?
When it comes to how to consume food products, baking is always a better solution than frying, because this way the food will have very low fat and calories. Tarts also follow this rule, and baked tarts are healthier because of their low calories. Sometimes Tater Tots are filled with cheese, which will bring more energy to the body than a plain potato tart. Using cauliflower instead of potatoes has many fans because, firstly, it has little carbohydrates compared to potatoes, and secondly, cauliflower is extremely low in calories.
Conclusion
Although tater tots are popular and sometimes used as a snack and side dish, they are not a healthy food at all and are full of fat, carbohydrates and sodium. If this product is cooked and then consumed instead of frying, its calories can be controlled to a large extent. If you want, you can consume it in moderation and exercise alongside it.
