One of my favorite snack foods to discuss with clients are chips! Of course not all chips are healthy, and in fact most of them aren’t healthy at all. A couple months ago I found this article on CookingLight.com, which listed the top ten most healthy chips.
Source: iStockPhoto
I don’t always agree with these articles, but this one was written by an RD (making it much more credible, in my opinion) and I agreed with each and every one! Here are some of the chips that were listed;
- Popchips; Salt & Pepper
- Terra Chips; Plain Sweet Potato ** I would argue that all Terra Chips are a healthier alternative to regular potato chips. I tell clients about these quite often **
- Food Should Taste Good; Blue Corn Tortilla Chips ** I’m also a fan of their sweet potato flavor, and olive flavor…..YUM! **
- Kettle Brand; Baked Potato Chips with Sea Salt
- Sunchips; Original
- Miguel’s Organic Gluten Free Dippers(this was not on the list, I added it!)
Many times when I’m trying to explain to people that a certain chip is actually healthier than others, they look at me in disbelief because the fat content is typically still really high. So, what do I consider a “healthier” chip?
- Low sodium (under 140 mg per serving)
- Under 1 gram of saturated fat, and of course ZERO trans fat
- 2 or more grams of fiber
- Good source (10% of DV, or more) of some type of vitamin or mineral; such as vitamin A in the Terra chips
When people tell me they eat pretzels for a “healthy snack” (ahem…DAD!), I try to nicely explain to them that there is zero health benefit from pretzels (and no, I could care less if they are baked and not fried);
What about whole wheat pretzels? Much better, in my opinion, because at least you are getting a good source of natural vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
QUESTION: What’s your favorite chip? Healthy…or not, I guess I don’t care for this question. My favorite chips are Doritos! The chips I eat most often would be Terra sweet potato chips, and also the veggie chips I buy in bulk at the store.
