Baguettes are not really healthier than chips. The same can be said for sushi (well sushi got some other stuff that's good for you, but let's just think weight loss). They're mostly just carbs.
If Americans had sushi and baguettes they wouldn't be slim like the French and Japanese, they'd eat sushi till they are 110% full (the Japanese aim to not stuff themselves at meals) and then carry around a bag of baguettes for in-between grazing (the French prefer set meals).
They'd also blame everything on their delicious national cuisine, rather than on themselves.
You have to skip over a lot of chemistry to say baguettes are the same as chips. I’m not convinced food is all about macronutrients. I think frying things in hot oil has been shown to generate some potentially harmful substances though Im sure the jury is still out on how much you’d have to eat to be dangerous.
Here's an interesting take I heard recently- in addition to the move to white flour, some also suspect the move away from slow, natural leavening (sourdough) to fast, industrial leavening (instant yeast) has contributed to making bread less healthy. In support of that claim, notice the low glycemic index of sourdough bread.
If Americans had sushi and baguettes they wouldn't be slim like the French and Japanese, they'd eat sushi till they are 110% full (the Japanese aim to not stuff themselves at meals) and then carry around a bag of baguettes for in-between grazing (the French prefer set meals).
They'd also blame everything on their delicious national cuisine, rather than on themselves.