A Harvard professor said you should only eat six French fries in one sitting, and Twitter is calling BS

Whether they’re waffle-cut, curly, or shoestring, there’s no denying that fries are delicious. It’s also no secret that French fries aren’t exactly good for us. But sometimes you just got to treat yourself to a mountain of starchy, salty goodness, and that’s 100% okay. However, one Harvard professor recently suggested that the ideal serving size for fries is…six. Six fries.

In a November 29th article for The New York Times, Eric Rimm, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, referred to potatoes as “starch bombs” and noted that the way we fry and serve them with fatty toppings is particularly unhealthy (which is probably why they taste so darn good). Then, he shared his thoughts on portion.

"There aren’t a lot of people who are sending back three-quarters of an order of French fries," Rimm told the Times. "I think it would be nice if your meal came with a side salad and six French fries."

And Twitter is up in arms.

Just saw something that said you’re only supposed to eat SIX french fries in one sitting. I’ve never felt so attacked.

— allison (@alleyeson__) December 3, 2018

I don't eat fries every week.
Or even every month.
But dang it, when I DO eat fries, I want heaps of fried goodness with ketchup.
SIX FRIES?
Harumph, I say.

— Dr. Joanne Freeman (@jbf1755) December 4, 2018

Harvard: A serving size of French fries is six potato sticks

Me: pic.twitter.com/dFxiBImPrQ

— Jana (@jokacolaclassic) December 4, 2018

What kind of monster wrote this: "I think it would be nice if your meal came with a side salad and six French fries." https://t.co/N3JH17AK14

— alex (@faintingincoils) December 4, 2018

Also you should eat M&Ms one at a time, no more than 10 per hour. https://t.co/D1frGj4z0s

— Erkhyan Rafosa (@Erkhyan) December 4, 2018

Some even tweeted that having no fries was better than having just six.

I hate this kind of advice. If you want to say "French fries are bad for you, you shouldn't eat them," okay, fine. But six? NO ONE will eat six French fries and be like "thank you, I'm good!" It's a bullshit expectation.

— Jesse Farrell (@JFSculpts) December 4, 2018

Fact: Only psychopaths can limit themselves to six French fries. https://t.co/hZNw1rNgej

— Doug Samuels (@CoachSamz) December 4, 2018

The Venn diagram of people who can eat just six French fries and serial killers would be represented as a single circle. I hope the FBI are looking into this "Harvard professor". https://t.co/KrBWfTroJ6

— Love, Lola (@LoveLolaHeart) December 4, 2018

In all fairness, Rimm isn’t the only one to point out that we should cut down on fried potatoes. A 2017 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating these fries two times or more per week increased participants’ risk of death. In the same Times piece,Elaine Magee, an author and dietitian for the Albertsons Companies grocery store chain, advocated for eating “mindfully.” She told the Times that savoring food could help you eat less.

"If you eat French fries that way, you will probably be satisfied with 10," she said.

What are your thoughts on this whole six-fry limit? TBH, we’re not sold.