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This One Favorite Food Might Make You Anxious And Depressed!

Author Lauren Beckham Falcone

This One Favorite Food Might Make You Anxious And Depressed!

Oh, French fries, how could you do this to us?

Apparently the ultimate comfort food, with their crispy exterior and fluffy interior, is anything but!

A Chinese study found that frequent eating fried foods, especially fried potatoes, was linked with a 12% higher risk of anxiety and 7% higher risk of depression than in people who didn’t eat fried foods.

And it’s worse among young men and younger consumers.

WAIT, WHAT? Food makes you depressed?

Of course, fried foods are known risk factors for obesity, high blood pressure and other bad stuff.

But French fries are also THE MOST DELICIOUS THINGS ON EARTH.

They’re like a warm hug in food form, and who doesn’t love a good hug?

Sure, we know that we’re indulging in something that isn’t good for us, but we’re doing it anyway, like a rebellious teenager sneaking out at night.

According to the study, we need to stop that nonsense NOW.

These results “open an avenue in the significance of reducing fried food consumption for mental health,” according to the paper published Monday in the journal PNAS.

Ugh. There’s nothing like the sheer joy of dipping fries into ketchup, mayo, or any other sauce of your choosing. It’s like a little game of “dunk and bite” that can make us feel like we’re kids again, playing with our food and not caring about anything else.

How could French Fries be depressing?

“Experts who study nutrition said the results are preliminary, and it’s not necessarily clear whether the fried foods were driving mental health issues, or people experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety turned to fried foods,” the study reported.

Depression is a real problem worldwide. The World Health Organization also estimates that more than 5% of adults suffer from depression, globally, as noted in the paper.

But give up fries?

Whether it’s their crispy texture, comforting nature, or just the simple pleasure of eating them, one thing is for sure – French fries are a food that makes us happy in the moment.

Just maybe not in the long term.

 

Lauren Beckham Falcone is the co-host of Bob & LBF in the Morning. Formerly an award-winning reporter and columnist for the Boston Herald, she credits her current success as a pop culture commentator to watching too much TV as a kid and scouring the internet too much as an adult. LBF is a regular contributor to NECN and is an honorary board member at the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress. Lauren lives in Canton with her husband Dave and her daughter Lucy. Lauren writes about trending topics, New England destinations, and seasonal DIY.

20 of Massachusetts' Most Popular Fast Food Restaurants Ranked

Fast food in Massachusetts is plentiful, just as it is across the United States. But what fast food chains are the most popular in Mass?

 

Gambling.com asked the question recently, and they came up with this list: The Most Popular Fast Food Rankings in the Bay State. You can visit Gambling.com’s Massachusett’s page here. And we’ll dive into the list below, which certainly had some chains you’d expect (the No. 1 will come as no surprise), but also had a few unexpected entries.

 

First though, a little bit of my own pontificating. I’m of the mind that, when you ask someone what their favorite fast food joint is, more often than not they’ll answer with the chain the grew up closest to. Case in point: when I was growing up in Greenwood, we had McDonald’s right on Main St. It was our summer oasis between games of stickball at Greenwood school. From early on, I had a taste for Mickey Dee’s. And to this day, I’ll still find myself craving the 2 Cheeseburgers Meal. It used to be $2.99 for 2 cheeseburgers, fries, and a coke!

 

20 of Massachusetts’ Most Popular Fast Food Restaurants Ranked

Personal theories aside, how was the research gathered for this one? How were the numbers crunched? Here’s how:

The research team at Gambling.com analyzed Google Trends statistics to discover what MA’s favorite Fast Food Chains and Takeout Cuisines were over the past 7 days. Four different fast food related phrases were analyzed on Google Trends to measure the popularity of each Fast Food Chain. Separately, three phrases were used to measure the different Takeout Cuisines. The totals for all phrases were then added together for each chain/takeout type. Finally the Fast Food Chains and Takeout Cuisines were ranked by popularity.

 

Makes sense to me! So let’s see how the Top 20 shook out.

  • 1) Dunkin'

    Then: “Time to make the donuts…”

    Now: “America runs on Dunkin’!”

  • 2) Domino's

    Then: The Noid

    Now: The Pizza Tracker

  • 3) Panera Bread

    “Pan” means bread, so technically it’s Bread-era Bread.

  • 4) Chipotle

    It’s pronounced “chuh-POWT-lay.” Like the pepper.

  • 5) Taco Bell

    Then: “Yo quiero Taco Bell”

    Also Then: Forthmeal. Remember when they tried to make that a thing?

  • 6) McDonald's

    Two cheeseburgers meal for $2.99 back in the day. A deal you’ll never beat.

  • 7) Subway

    Amazing to see this placed so high in a state where there’s a local sandwich shop on every corner.

  • 8) Burger King

    Then: “Have it your way!”

    Now: Creepy-ass Burger King showing up unannounced, creepin’.

  • 9) Chick-Fil-A

    “Grew a mustache and a mullet, got a job at Chic-Fil-A…” – Ben Folds, “Army”

  • 10) KFC

    Then: “Finger Lickin’ Good!”

    Also Then: Norm MacDonald as the Colonel. RIP.

  • 11) Popeyes

    Remember the Popeyes that used to be by Fenway Park?

  • 12) Wendy's

    Then: Chocolate Frosty

    Now: Vanilla Frosty

  • 13T) Pizza Hut

    The $5 all-you-can-eat pizza buffet was a gamechanger back in the day.

  • 13T) Dairy Queen

    Bless up to all the Dairy Queens in MA that have to close their doors in the winter.

  • 13T) Five Guys

    Are they more famous for the burgers or for the giant bags of peanuts?

  • 16T) Panda Express

    To all you college kids who hit your local mall for a faceful of free Panda Express samples to save a little dough: we see you.

  • 16T) Little Caesars

    Then: “Pizza Pizza”

    Now: $5 Hot-N-Ready

  • 18T) Papa Johns

    Then: Dunking your crust in the garlic butter sauce.

    Now: Dunking your entire slice in the garlic butter sauce.

  • 18T) Wingstop

    It is “Wing Stop” or “Wings Top?” Asking for a friend.

  • 20) Sonic Drive-In

    When Sonic finally migrated to MA about 20 years ago, it was a revelation.

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