Technically speaking, French fries count as a vegetable. But really, they serve more as a delivery system for grease and sodium. The same savory characteristics that make fries so irresistible can also contribute to problems like heart disease and high blood pressure. Don't despair, though. With a few simple changes, you can indulge-without paying the price with your health.

Recipes
Deep-Fried Sweet Potatoes
Baked Sweet-Potato Fries

Change the Oil
Compared with other common cooking oils, neutral-tasting canola oil provides a terrific fatty acid profile: low in saturated fat, high in monounsaturated fat, and a generous amount of omega-3s. Canola's 425-degree smoke point can easily withstand the typical frying temperature of 375 degrees.

Switch the Spuds
Replace the russets with sweet potatoes and get 52 percent more vitamin C, plus more than a day's worth of vitamin A. You'll bump up the fiber, too.

Lower the Fat
French fries usually get fried twice, once at a lower temperature and again at a higher temperature, to ensure fully cooked and tender interiors. Replacing the initial fry with a short spell in the microwave cuts down on the amount of oil they absorb. In the case of oven fries, which don't need much fat (just a spray to keep them from sticking), microwaving saves them from getting overly brown by the time they're cooked.

Spice It Up
Amplify the flavor while toning down the salt with herbs and spices -- and gain some antioxidants in the transaction. By weight, many herbs and spices offer high levels of these disease-fighting compounds. One of the most potent, oregano, nicely complements the taste of sweet potatoes.

Before and After
Nutrient
Calories
Before*: 496
After (fried): 309
After (baked): 167

Total Fat
Before*: 26 g
After (fried): 13 g
After (baked): 1 g

Saturated Fat
Before*: 7 g
After (fried): 1g
After (baked): 0 g

Vitamin A
Before*: 0 IU
After (fried): 30,339 IU
After (baked): 30,335 IU

Fiber
Before*: 4 g
After (fried): 5 g
After (baked): 5 g

Sodium
Before*: 682 mg
After (fried): 213 mg
After (baked): 239 mg

*Burger King, large fries, salted