After many years of false promises and deception, McDonald's has finally begun the switch away from trans fatty cooking oil. Chains such as Wendy's and Taco Bell beat McDonald's to the punch last year.

McDonald's rollout of the newer oil will eventually hit all of their locations, and is a very small but good step in the right direction. Nevertheless, this newer blend of canola, soybean and corn oils probably isn't much healthier for you and certainly doesn't change the fact that French fries are still among the worst foods anyone can possibly eat.

Potatoes are bad enough when consumed in their natural state, as their simple sugars are rapidly converted to glucose that raises insulin levels and can devastate your health. But when they are fried, they also contain the potent cancer-causing substance acrylamide.

Foods that are fried in vegetable oils like canola, soybean, safflower, corn, and other seed and nut oils are particularly problematic. These polyunsaturated fats easily become rancid when exposed to oxygen and produce large amounts of damaging free radicals in the body.

They are also very susceptible to heat-induced damage from cooking. What is not commonly known is that these oils can actually cause aging, clotting, inflammation, cancer and weight gain.

I would encourage you to read the article "Secrets of the Edible Oil Industry" for further information.

I am fond of telling patients that one French fry is worse for your health than one cigarette, so you may want to consider this snippet before you order your next 'Biggie' order. In my book there simply isn't ever any excuse for eating French fries or potato chips.

It's a virtual certainty -- if your diet is largely made up of fast food fare you're accelerating the aging process and compromising your overall health. One of the first steps you can take toward optimizing your health safely and effectively: Make the commitment to prepare your own meals at home.

On Vital Votes, reader Sean from Fresno, California adds:

"In processing of Canola oil they have to use a deodorizer due to the oil going rancid and causing an unpleasant smell!  In this deodorizing process Omega-3's are destroyed and trans-fats are created! So technically before the oil is processed, it has no trans-fats, but there is an abundance afterwards and even more when it goes above 320 degrees! 

"They are tricking us into believing there are no trans-fats, maybe they should measure the food after it has been cooked and ready to eat!

"The alternative oils no better because they are loaded with Omega-6's.  Safflower has over 80%, Corn, Sunflower and Cotton seed have over 50% and soy contains less than 50% Omega-6, plus they destroy the little Omega-3 when they use the high heat!

"Palm and Coconut oils were used in the 70's, but the Sunflower and Corn oil companies scared you into thinking they were bad due to saturated fat.  In reality the oils don't contribute to heart disease even though they are high in saturated fat, partly due to very little of the oil is absorbed into the potato in comparison to other oils. 

"A must read is 'Nourishing Traditions'!"

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