Based on the title, you can probably tell that I really love Pringles. You may as well! But, after our short introduction to carbohydrates in class today and talk about Pringles, you may have changed your mind about it since.
Pringles are made from Olestra, which is a sucrose polymer that is a fat-based substance. While natural fats have three fatty acids attached to glycerol, olestra has six to eight fatty acids attached to a sucrose molecule. Since it won’t fit the enzymes in the body that break down fats, sucrose polyester passes through the body undigested. Therefore, it is a nonnutritive fat, meaning it produces no calories. Because it can’t be digested, consuming large quantities of these products causes intestinal discomfort These fats are found in Ruffles as well.
Next time you pick up a can of Pringles or bag of Ruffles, you might want to reconsider your choices! At least, don’t eat them all at once! 🙂
This is so interesting! We had a mini-research report project on this in middle school, but didn’t go into the science behind it. I think we learned that only the “light” and “fat-free” Pringles have Olestra, not the regular ones. Someone brought a container (column?) of fat-free Pringles in after the presentations and no one would touch them haha – the truth really scared everyone off for good.
Haha! Thanks for the advice. Class has made me so paranoid of everything I eat, which is a good thing since now I think twice about eating junk food. Perhaps everyone should take a biochemistry course to adhere to a healthier diet?