A whole grain, veggie, or bean should be listed as the first ingredient. Find out what’s really in that chip by reading the ingredients label. Check the ingredient list: Don’t rely on potentially misleading front-of-package claims and pictures.The healthiest chip choices contain real, whole ingredients, are made with plant oils (healthy choices include sunflower, safflower, peanut, avocado, soybean, and canola, among others), and don’t have a lot of highly processed ingredients, salt, sugar, or other additives. If you’re going to munch on chips occasionally, make sure to make the healthiest choices with these tips: We’ve provided you with two simple recipes to get you started! Better yet, make chips at home so you can choose your own ingredients. See the Take Charge! box for our tips on making the healthiest choices. But if you’re looking for a healthier chip, ignore the front-of-package marketing, and flip right to the back. When snacking between meals, it is best to reach for healthy choices like nuts, fruits, veggies, and unsweetened or reduced sugar yogurt. Baked and low-fat chips have less of these heart-healthy fats (and therefore proportionally more refined grains and salt). We now know that eating plenty of unsaturated fats from plant oils (like those used to make most chips) actually supports heart health. Low Fat/Baked: In the 1990s we were told to reduce our fat intake, but low-fat foods have not improved our health or waistlines.(See the November issue of Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter for more details on added fibers.) Keep in mind that the benefits of fiber can be offset by too much refined starch and sugars. Different fibers have different health-promoting qualities. Fiber: Fiber can be natural (from ingredients like whole grains, vegetables, or beans) or added to refined products by manufacturers.Compare Nutrition Facts labels to find the brands with the lowest sodium-and also the highest potassium, which helps protect against high blood pressure. Sea Salt: Sea salt is still salt-and doesn’t contain iodine (a protective nutrient added to regular salt).A quick scan of the ingredients will call this out. Watch out for potato-flour based chips colored with vegetable powder or extract. Vegetable: Some “veggie chips” are made with few real vegetables.It’s common for products to be made with multiple refined grains. Multigrain: Multigrain does not mean whole grain.Refined grains, added sugars, and salt are all natural-but unhealthy-ingredients. All Natural: This term has no legal definition and no relation to the healthfulness of a product.Here are some tricky terms to look out for: Front-of-package claims and pictures are not always reliable, so be sure to look at the ingredients list and the Nutrition Facts label. Chip packages are crowded with big, bold claims to convince you they are healthy choices to take home. We’ve got some smart strategies to help you choose more healthful yet satisfying chips.ĭon’t be misled. The snack aisle is packed with a confusing array of chip options. None are the healthiest snack choice, but some are better than others. There are a wide variety of chips on the market.
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