Better-for-you fried treats

When a long day of running errands starts to wear us down, sometimes we can’t resist stopping at the drive-through for a hot and salty pick-me-up. But we

had to think twice about our favorite deep-fried indulgence when we learned that many of our go-to’s are cooked in soybean oil. The problem: Researchers at the University of California at Riverside found that inflammatory fatty acids in this oil raise the risk of type 2 diabetes and increase weight gain by 25 percent. We can’t have that, so we went search of fried treats cooked in healthier oils and found some delicious options. Here’s to smarter munching!

If you like hash browns…

On mornings when nothing seems to be going our way, we hit the reset button with a box of hash browns. We weren’t too keen on the soybean oil blend that our old chain uses, though, so we made the switch to Chick-fil-A’s hash browns. They’re fried in 100 percent peanut oil, which delivers phytosterols shown to slash cholesterol levels by up to 15 percent. Score!

If you like french fries…

Hot french fries and tangy ketchup are a match made in fast-food heaven. What’s not so heavenly: the soybean oil and laundry list of preservatives that our old pick contains. Enter Five Guys french fries. Made from just potatoes, salt and peanut oil, these delights deliver the salty crunch we crave, plus a dose of moodboosting omega-9 fatty acids.

If you like cheesy bites…

Biting into a melty, stringy fried cheese stick makes us feel like a kid again in the best way. But we lost that carefree feeling when we heard that our go-to bites are cooked in fat-packing soybean oil. Now we’re savoring Olive Garden’s mozzarella sticks. Since the chain uses canola oil, we get a dose of heart-healthy omega-3s with every bite. Pass the marina sauce please!