Is Kentucky Fried Chicken a Healthy Place to Eat?

In his book Big Secrets, William Poundstone claimed KFC's formula for batter containing "11 secret herbs and spices" is nothing more than salt, black pepper, flour, and monosodium glutamate. Mon dieux! The good Colonel Sanders turned millions of people into MSG junkies? We're not buying it-fat junkies, maybe. MSG or not, the dangers of fried food have been well-known for decades, as Satchel Paige said in his biography in 1953, "Avoid fried meats, which angry up the blood." Well the Colonel is long gone, but his fingerlickin' fried chicken is still with us, working its magic on a new generation of arteries. KFC may be the most unreconstructed of all the big fast food purveyors, but at least it's consistent. And if you hunt around you can even find some menu items that won't raise your blood pressure. If taste is no object Mashed potatoes and gravy are a good choice in most fast food places that offer them. They are relatively high in nutrients and low in calories and fat-even with ...  more