The crusty wave is sweeping across France. These bowl dishes – a mix of rice, fried chicken and creamy sauces – have become the new darlings of fast food restaurants and dark kitchens. To the point that each opening of a Tasty Crousty restaurant attracts impressive crowds, proof of a very real craze, particularly among young people.
But are these alternatives without fries, which rely on rice for a more “healthy” look than kebabs dripping with sauce or XXL burgers, a little less caloric (and therefore can we eat more often)? Not really, according to nutritionist Orlane Fagnoni.
Rice: a false friend in a dish with more calories than it seems
At first glance, replacing fries with rice might seem like a better nutritional choice. “On paper, rice is actually less fatty than fries.recognizes Orlane Fagnoni. But the illusion does not last.
In a crusty, “the interest in rice is immediately canceled out by everything around it”. Rice provides simple and digestible carbohydrates, but it in no way compensates for the caloric richness of the rest of the dish. In other words, the base feels lighter… but everything around it pulls the dish up.
The Real Problem: Highly Processed Fried Chicken
The nutritionist points out the key element of crousty: chicken. “The chicken used is almost always breaded and fried. This considerably increases the quantity of fat and therefore calories.”
Frying at high temperatures degrades nutrients, melts fiber and greatly reduces the satiating power of the dish. Result: chicken cooked this way has less valuable protein, more empty calories, and can “double in calories once fried”.
Sauces: the “invisible calories” that make the counter explode
If fried chicken is problematic, sauces are even more problematic. “These are the real invisible calories”explains Orlane Fagnoni.
Because the creamy side is not unrelated to the success of the crousty. These dishes are full of creamy, sweet and sour sauces, cheddar, revisited mayo… An element in which fats, sugars, salt, additives, liquid calories… which do not stall.
The observation is clear: “You’re not full, it’s a dish that barely lasts an hour.”
Almost no vegetables: a bowl very far from a poké bowl
On the bad side, the expert also points out the absence of vegetables. “Croustys contain almost zero vegetables, little fiber, few micronutrients”recalls Fagnoni.
Far from a balanced poké bowl, the crusty:
- Lack of fiber;
- Lack of vitamins;
- Lack of nutritional variety.
And the few nutrients present are anyway
“degraded by frying or drowned in highly industrialized sauces”.
An overall comforting dish… but to be eaten like fast food
Is crousty healthier than burger and fries? The answer is no. “It’s a comfort food that tries to have a somewhat healthy image thanks to rice, but we remain on a fast-food product” restores the nutritionist.
This, however, tempers things: a crousty is not “forbidden”. It simply has its place “with occasional frequency, like any fast food”. A gourmet, comforting pleasure, which gives a little more choice at the counter. But to savor… with the same moderation.