Last Updated:February 22, 2026, 12:17 IST

Celebrity trainer Siddhartha Singh explains why French fries act like oil sponges, spike blood sugar and derail fat loss goals. Here’s what happens inside your body.

Hyper-palatable and calorie-dense, fries may trigger cravings and crashes.

Few foods are as universally comforting as a paper cone of hot, salted fries. They’re nostalgic, satisfying and dangerously easy to demolish in one sitting. One minute you’re reaching for ‘just a few,’ the next you’re staring at an empty bowl. But according to celebrity trainer Siddhartha Singh, that mindless munching isn’t a lack of willpower, but it’s food science working against you.

Known for sculpting actors like Tamannaah Bhatia through high-intensity routines, Singh recently called out French fries as, in his words, “the single worst food you can eat” if you’re serious about fitness. His verdict? Fries aren’t just indulgent. They’re metabolically disruptive.

The ‘Oil Sponge’ Effect

At the heart of Singh’s warning is something most of us overlook: how fries are cooked.

Potatoes, he explained, behave like sponges when submerged in hot oil, soaking up far more fat than you’d expect. What looks like a light, crispy snack quickly becomes a calorie-dense bomb with minimal nutritional payoff. A small serving can quietly pack hundreds of calories – not from the potato itself, but from the oil it traps. The result is what nutritionists often call ‘empty energy’: high fuel, low satiety.

Engineered To Make You Overeat

But the real issue isn’t just calories. It’s chemistry. Singh describes fries as hyper-palatable – foods designed with the perfect trifecta of fat, salt and carbs to override natural fullness signals. “Hyper-palatable means if you have one, you will have to eat 50,” he said. That addictive crunch-salt-fat combination lights up the brain’s reward system, making portion control feel nearly impossible. It’s less snack, more slippery slope.

The Blood Sugar Roller Coaster

What happens next is where the metabolic fallout begins. The high-carb, high-fat combo spikes blood sugar almost instantly. Insulin surges to compensate. Then comes the crash – leaving you sluggish and hungry again within minutes. You’ve technically eaten enough calories for a meal, yet your body still asks for more. It’s a cycle that can stall fat loss, spike cravings and make consistent eating habits harder to maintain.

So, Should You Quit Completely?

While many experts promote moderation, Singh takes a stricter stance: “Stop having French fries. Eradicate them from your life.” For those chasing visible fitness results or battling stubborn plateaus, his logic is simple – some foods create more obstacles than enjoyment.