Chic chips: new packages, old flaws.Chips and other salty snacks are under renovation. Of course, you can still buy a bag of Lay's, Tostitos, Doritos, or dozens of other old standbys. But now you can also find dozens of new varieties--with whole grains, vegetables, soy, less or no salt, less or no fat, or 0 grams trans. And many are tucked into sleek designer packages worthy of a spot on your coffee table. The question is: are the snacks inside any better for you? Most aren't. With a few exceptions, their underlying flaw isn't salt or bad fat. It's the same problem that has dogged salty snacks since day one: they're calorie-dense, hard-to-resist foods with few redeeming nutrients. That's why we handed out no Best Bites and only a handful of Honorable Mentions to chips made from sweet potatoes sweet potato, trailing perennial plant (Ipomoea batatas) of the family Convolvulaceae (morning glory family), native to the New World tropics. Cultivated from ancient times by the Aztecs for its edible tubers, it was introduced into Europe in the 16th cent. . At least they supply some vitamin A vitamin A also called retinol Fat-soluble alcohol, most abundant in fatty fish and especially in fish-liver oils. It is not found in plants, but many vegetables and fruits contain beta-carotene (see and a bit more fiber to help offset their potential to expand your belt size. The bottom line: a 1-oz. serving of chips typically12 to 20-won't hurt you. But even if they come without salt or fat or with whole grains or sweet potato, you've got to watch the calories. Here's the latest in salty snacks. The pictures show some better picks. Information compiled by Kirsten Bokenkamp. WHOLE, NOT MULTI MULTI Multiple Multigrain Tostitos have "Four Wholesome Grains!" Sun Chips  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . have "Great Multigrain Taste!" And Nabisco Wheat Thins Wheat Thins are a popular baked snack cracker found in North America and distributed by Nabisco, a subsidiary of Kraft Foods Global Inc.. The product's slogan 'Great Taste...Big Crunch' was developed by Brian Eaton. Multi-Grain Toasted Chips are "made with Whole Grain--5 g per serving." Multigrain claims are multiplying, but they don't mean much. A one-ounce serving of Multigrain Tostitos (8 chips) has more sugar (1 gram) than any of its "Four Wholesome Grains"--whole oat oat member of the plant genus Avena in the family Poaceae. oats see avenasativa. oat grain seed of Avena sativa, and as 'oats' the favored grain for the feeding of horses. flour, whole buckwheat buckwheat, common name for certain members of the Polygonaceae, a family of herbs and shrubs found chiefly in north temperate areas and having a characteristic pungent juice containing oxalic acid. Species native to the United States are most common in the West. flour, toasted corn germ, and whole wheat flour Noun 1. whole wheat flour - flour made by grinding the entire wheat berry including the bran; (`whole meal flour' is British usage) graham flour, whole meal flour, graham wheat flour - flour prepared from wheat Britain, Great Britain, U.K. . So what if Sun Chips have other grains added? Wheat Thins Toasted Chips are mostly white flour. Their S grams of whole grain are only about a quarter of the grain in a one-ounce (12-chip) serving. And while Athenos Whole Wheat Pita Chips Pita chips are simply a baked bread made from pita bread, often seasoned. They are crunchier and thicker than most chips. They are available in many flavors. They are often used as a substitute for potato chips because they are less greasy and generally healthier. have more whole wheat than white flour, 100% whole wheat they ain't. News flash: Most Doritos, Tostitos, and other tortilla chips are made of whole-grain corn. Tostitos Natural Organic Blue or Yellow Corn Chips-with some vitamin E vitamin E or tocopherol Fat-soluble organic compound found principally in certain plant oils and leaves of green vegetables. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in body tissues and may prolong life by slowing oxidative destruction of membranes. and just 80 or 100 mg of sodium are two of your best bets. But whole grain or not, calorie-dense chips are no health food. HOLY TERRA "1/2 Serving of Real Vegetables in Every Ounce," says the Flat Earth Garlic & Herb Field Baked Veggie Crisps bag. Frito-Lay is pulling a fast one. Its crisps are mostly rice flour Rice flour is a finely ground powder of rice. The husk of rice or paddy is removed and raw rice is obtained. The raw rice is then ground to form rice powder, also known as rice flour. The rice flour is used in making neer dosa, golibaje (Mangalore bajji), and rotti. and potato flakes (that's the "real vegetable"), with a smidgen of pumpkin, onion, and tomato paste. If Flat Earth's potato flakes are half a serving of veggies Veggies of Nottingham, also known as Veggies Catering Campaign, is a campaigning group based in Nottingham, England, promoting ethicalbum alternatives to mainstream fast food. , an ounce of regular potato chips must be a whole serving. Who needs salad? Likewise, Robert's American Gourmet sells Veggie Booty BOOTY, war. The capture of personal property by a public enemy on land, in contradistinction to prize, which is a capture of such property by such an enemy, on the sea. 2. that boasts about its "blend of Spinach, Kale kale, borecole (bôr`kōl), and collards, common names for nonheading, hardy types of cabbage (var. , Cabbage, Carrots and Broccoli broccoli (brŏk`əlē) [Ital.,=sprouts], variety of cabbage grown for the edible immature flower panicles. It is the same variety (Brassica oleracea botrytis) as the cauliflower and is similarly cultivated. ." But the Booty is mostly cornmeal corn·meal also corn meal n. Meal made from corn, used in a wide variety of foods. Also called Indian meal. Noun 1. and rice. (Robert adds vitamins A and C to make it look more veggie-rich.) Pringles new Select Cinnamon Sweet Potato Crisps--geared to an upscale market judging by the tasteful taste·ful adj. 1. Having, showing, or being in keeping with good taste. 2. Pleasing in flavor; tasty. taste new packaging--are better. At least their first ingredient is sweet potato flakes (followed by oil, cornmeal, potato flakes, oat flour, and rice flour). Each serving has enough sweet potato to give it 40 percent of a day's worth of vitamin A. But why bother with all those flours and flakes when you can get fried sweet potato slices like Terra's Sweet Potato Chips? Terra sells some dozen kinds of root vegetable chips, like Parsnip Parsnip, river, Canada Parsnip, river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, rising in central British Columbia, Canada, and flowing northwest to join the Finlay River at Williston Lake and form the Peace River. , Sweets & Beets, and the Original mix of sweet potato, parsnip, batata ba·ta·ta n. A type of sweet potato having somewhat dry, bland, yellowish to white flesh, used as a staple food in many tropical countries. Also called boniato, camote. , taro taro: see arum. taro Herbaceous plant (Colocasia esculenta) of the arum family, probably native to Southeast Asia and taken to the Pacific islands. , and yuca. A one-ounce serving of the Sweet Potato Chips delivers 50 percent of a day's vitamin A. And all the Terras deliver honest-to-goodness vegetables, not spinach-powdered potato-flour chips or pressed flakes. FAT FREE-FOR-ALL Ruffles For the plural of ruffle, see . Ruffles is the name of a brand of ruffled potato chips produced by Frito-Lay. Its current official product slogan is "R-R-R-Ruffles Have Ridges!".There is a lot of different kinds of chips. Light chips have "1/2 the calories of regular potato chips." But saving 70 or 80 calories per serving isn't reason enough to buy them. All of Frito-Lay's Lights (Ruffles, Lays, Doritos, and Tostitos) are made with Olean (olestra olestra Sucrose polyester, Olean® A proprietary synthetic–no-calorie fat, approved by the FDA–for use in savory snack foods–eg, tortilla chips, potato chips, and crackers; Side effects GI discomfort including cramps, diarrhea; it ), a fake fat that passes right through your digestive system, taking fat-soluble vitamins Fat-soluble vitamins Fat-soluble vitamins can be dissolved in oil or in melted fat. Mentioned in: sub> Deficiency with it. (That's why Frito-Lay adds vitamins A, D, E, and K to its Light chips.) Worse, olestra-laden chips can cause severe cramps, bloating bloating Vox populi A lay term for post-prandial abdominal fullness or swelling , and a kind of "leakage" that we're not about to explain in greater detail. Why run the risk when most chip makers now offer reduced-fat or baked chips? True, you won't save half the calories, like you do with the lights. Instead of the usual 160 calories per ounce, reduced fats and bakeds clock in at around 120 to 140. But at least you won't need to make sure you're within sprinting distance of a bathroom. If you want baked chips, try Kettle Bakes (actual slices of potato) or Baked Lay's or Ruffles (Pringles-like "crisps" made of dried potatoes pressed into a chip shape). Just don't assume that baked chips are the equivalent of baby carrots In North America the term baby carrot is commonly applied to either miniature carrots harvested before their roots develop or adult carrots chopped into smaller pieces. Taking fully grown carrots and chopping them into smaller pieces was the idea of California farmer Mike Yurosek. and clementines CLEMENTINES, eccl. law. The name usually given to the collection of decretals or constitutions of Pope Clement V., which was made by order of John XXII. his successor, who published it in 1317. The death of Clement V. . White potatoes aren't the healthiest vegetable, no matter how you slice them. SALT SURPRISES There's no shortage of Lightly Salted and Unsalted chips in the snack aisle. And any drop in salt is welcome, what with our national high blood pressure epidemic. But the not-so-dirty little secret about potato chips is that they taste saltier than they are. If you stick with regular chips, you can get away with about 200 milligrams of sodium. Just be careful if you're a fan of flavors like Salt 'n Vinegar, Sea Salt, or Barbecue, which can hit 300+ mg. Of course, we're talking one ounce--just 15 regular-size chips or so. As the number of handfuls rises, so does the mercury in the blood pressure meter. If you can't seem to stop at an ounce, there's no harm in switching to lightly salted chips, which hover around 100 mg of sodium. You probably won't taste the difference. In contrast, most taste buds taste buds taste npl → Geschmacksknospen pl will be a bit disappointed with unsalted chips. But if you're counting every milligram milligram /mil·li·gram/ (mg) (mil´i-gram) one thousandth (10-3) of a gram. mil·li·gram n. Abbr. mg A metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth (10-3) of a gram. of sodium, try Terra Unsalted Lemon Pepper Lemon pepper (also called lemon pepper seasoning) is a seasoning made from granulated lemon zest and cracked black peppercorns. The lemon zest is mashed with the pepper to allow the citrus oil to infuse into the pepper. or Michael Season's Unsalted Reduced Fat. If not, look for the lowest-sodium regular or lightly salted chips you can find and save your serious salt-cutting efforts for pretzels. SOY WHAT'S NEW? Soy is gaining traction in the snack aisle. And even though the evidence that soy prevents heart disease or cancer is shrinking (see Oct. 2006, cover story), soy still adds protein to salty snacks, which are otherwise a nutritional wasteland. That makes snacks like Quaker Soy Crisps worth a look. A one-ounce, 120calorie serving (18 crisps) has 6 to 7 grams of protein. But like most soy snacks, they're high in sodium (270 mg for the White Cheddar; 400 mg for the Barbeque). Genisoy Soy Crisps are in the same ballpark, while Michael Season's Original Soy Protein Soy protein is generally regarded as the storage protein held in discrete particles called protein bodies which are estimated to contain at least 60–70% of the total soybean protein. Chips deliver 12 grams of protein and 220 mg of sodium. PRETZEL PICKS If you're worried about sodium in salty snacks, worry about pretzels. Rold Gold Rold Gold is the name of a brand of pretzels, now owned by Frito-Lay. The original company started in 1917. Frito Lay purchased Rold Gold in 1999. While on-bag advertising states that Rold Gold is "America's No. Classic Style Thins, for example, have 560 milligrams of sodium per ounce (about 9 pretzels). The company's Hard Sourdoughs have 500 mg each. What's more, while most pretzels are largely fat-free, they're nothing more than refined flour. Some brands tout their whole grains, but don't offer much. Snyder's Multigrain Pretzel Twists may have "8 g whole grains per Serving." But a serving is 30 grams, so whole grains make up only about 25 percent of each pretzel. The rest is white flour. Our advice: forget multigrain. Shop around for the lowest-sodium pretzel that tastes good to you. If unsalted pretzels don't seem worth eating, try something like Snyder's Olde Tyme Pretzels, which have a low-for-pretzels 120 mg of sodium in a one-ounce serving. Or scrape off the easy-to-get-to surface salt crystals on Newman's Own Organics delightfully crunchy crunchy - floppy disk 5 Grams of Protein Pretzels. They're mostly white flour, but contain enough yellow pea flour Noun 1. pea flour - meal made from dried peas meal - coarsely ground foodstuff; especially seeds of various cereal grasses or pulse and gluten gluten, mixture of proteins present in the cereal grains. The long molecules of gluten, insoluble in water, are strong and flexible and form many cross linkages. to give every ounce (22 pretzels) 5 grams of protein (plus 4 grams of fiber). Scraping could bring Paul's sodium down to Honorable Mention territory. Unfortunately, you can't scrape off the saturated fat saturated fat, any solid fat that is an ester of glycerol and a saturated fatty acid. The molecules of a saturated fat have only single bonds between carbon atoms; if double bonds are present in the fatty acid portion of the molecule, the fat is said to be from the few brands that have some. An ounce of most Snyder's Pretzel Pieces or Sandwiches, for example, delivers 3 to 4 grams of sat fat, thanks largely to the cheese fillings and/or the palm oil in their flavor coatings. CHIP SHOT Honorable Mention chips (check) have sweet potato as the first ingredient. They also contain no more than 1 gram of saturated fat (none have trans fat trans fat n. 1. A trans fatty acid. 2. Trans fatty acids considered as a group. trans fat A fat containing trans fatty acids. ) and 150 mg of sodium in a one-ounce serving. (No white potato, tortilla, or corn chips or pretzels had enough nutrients for an Honorable Mention.) Check the package's Nutrition Facts label The nutrition facts label (also known as the nutrition information panel, and various other slight variations) is a label required on most pre-packaged foods in North America, United Kingdom and other countries. to see how much is in one ounce. If it doesn't say, assume roughly 15 potato chips, 12 tortilla chips, 1 large hard pretzel, or 20 mini pretzels. Snacks are ranked from least to most bad fat, then least to most sodium and most to least fiber.
CHIP SHOT
Honorable Mention chips ([check]) have sweet potato as the
first ingredient. They also contain no more than 1 gram of saturated
fat (none have trans fat) and 150 mg of sodium in a one-ounce
serving. (No white potato, tortilla, or corn chips or pretzels had
enough nutrients for an Honorable Mention.) Check the pack
age's Nutrition Facts label to see how much is in one ounce.
If it doesn't say, assume roughly 15 potato chips, 12 tortilla
chips, 1 large hard pretzel, or 20 mini pretzels. Snacks are ranked
from least to most bad fat, then least to most sodium and most
to least fiber.
POTATO & VEGETABLE CHIPS
Saturated
+ Trans Sodium Fiber
Calories Fat (g) (mg) (g)
Kettle Bakes (1) 120 0 150 2
Pringles Fat Free (1 *) 70 0 170 1
Lay's Light (1 *) or 70 0 220 1
Ruffles Light (1 *)
Terra Unsalted (1) 150 0.5 0 1
Michael Season's 140 0.5 10 1
Reduced Fat,
Unsalted
[check] Terra Sweets 150 0.5 10 1
& Beets
Terra Taro or Parsnip (2) 150 0.5 70 4
Michael Season's Reduced 140 0.5 170 1
Fat--except
Unsalted (1)
Lay's Baked (1) or 120 0.5 210 2
Ruffles Baked (1)
Kettle Unsalted 150 1 0 2
[check] Terra Sweet 160 1 10 3
Potato
Lay's Lightly Salted 150 1 90 1
[check] Terra-- 150 1 100 3
Mediterranean
or Original (2)
[check] Terra Spiced 160 1 150 2
Sweet Potato
Kettle--except Bakes 150 1 160 2
and Unsalted (1)
Ruffles--Reduced 140 1 170 1
Fat or Natural
Reduced Fat (2)
Lay's Stax (1) 150 1 190 1
Lay's--except 150 1 230 1
Baked, Lightly
Salted, Light,
or Stax (1)
Pringles Select 150 1.5 20 1
Cinnamon
Sweet Potato
Pringles Select-- 140 1.5 190 1
except Cinnamon
Sweet Potato (1)
Ruffles--except Light, 160 1.5 190 1
Baked, or Reduced
Fat (1)
Pringles Reduced Fat (1) 140 2.5 140 0
Cosi Kettle-Cooked 150 2.5 170 1
Pringles--except Fat 150 3 190 1
Free, Reduced Fat, or
Select (1)
TORTILLA & CORN CHIPS
Guiltless Gourmet 110 0 30 2
Baked, Unsalted
Tostitos Light * 90 0 110 1
Guiltless Gourmet 110 0 180 2
Baked except
Unsalted (1)
Garden of Eatin' 140 0.5 10 2
Unsalted Blue
Tostitos Natural (1) 140 0.5 80 1
Garden of Eatin' 140 0.5 100 2
--except Unsalted
Blue (1)
Tostitos Baked 120 0.5 150 2
Doritos--Light * 110 0.5 210 2
or Baked (2)
Tostitos--except 140 1 110 1
Natural, Baked,
or Light (1)
Doritos--except 140 1 200 1
Light or Baked (1)
Fritos (1) 160 1.5 200 1
PITA CHIPS
Athenos (1) 120 0 280 1
Nabisco Toasted 120 0 320 1
Chips,
Pita Thins (1)
Stacy's--Bagel (1) 130 0.5 270 2
or Pita (1)
New York Style Bagel 120 2.5 180 2
Crisps, Whole Wheat
New York Style Pita 120 2.5 350 3
Chips, Whole Wheat
PRETZELS
Snyder's Unsalted 110 0 90 1
Hard Sourdough
or Mini (2)
Snyder's Honey 130 0 100 1
Mustard & Onion
Nibblers
Newman's Own 110 0 110 1
Organics Unsalted
Rounds
Snyder's Olde Tyme 120 0 120 1
Snyder's MultiGrain-- 120 0 170 3
Olde Tyme or
Lightly Salted (2)
Snyder's 12 Multi 130 0 180 3
Grain Sticks
Newman's Own Organics 120 0 230 4
5 Grams of Protein
Snyder's--Hard 110 0 250 1
Sourdough or Mini (2)
Snyder's Organic (1) 120 0 250 1
Newman's Own Organics-- 110 0 320 1
except Unsalted
Rounds or 5 Grams
of Protein (1)
Raid Gold--except Mini 110 0 480 1
Sticks (1)
Reid Gold Mini Sticks (1) 140 1 180 1
Snyder's MultiGrain 140 1.5 150 2
Honey Mustard & Onion
Snyder's--Pieces (1) 140 3 230 1
or Sandwiches (1)
SOY SNACKS
Michael Season's Soy 110 0 220 4
Protein Chips, Original
Glenny's Organic 110 0 280 3
Soy Crisps (1)
Stacy's Soy Crisps (1) 130 0.5 250 3
Robert's American 110 0.5 270 2
Gourmet Soy
Crisps (1)
Genisoy (1) 120 0.5 280 2
Quaker Soy Crisps (1) 120 0.5 340 2
EatSmart Soy Crisps (1) 160 1 330 5
PUFFS, STIX, MIXES, ETC.
Robert's American 140 0 130 0
Gourmet Veggie Booty
EatSmart Baked Sweet 110 0 310 1
Potato Crisps
EatSmart CheddAirs 130 0.5 140 1
Good Health 140 0.5 260 1
Veggie--Stix or
Chips (2)
EatSmart Veggie 140 0.5 370 2
Crisps (1)
[check] Terra 150 1 110 3
Stix Original
Sun Chips (1) 140 1 140 2
Flat Earth Baked 130 1 200 2
Veggie Crisps (1)
Snyder's MultiGrain 130 1 240 2
Cheese Puffs (1)
Munchies Snack Mix (1) 140 1 240 1
Cheetos Baked (1) 130 1 240 0
Nabisco Toasted Chips-- 130 1 300 1
Wheat Thins (1) or
Ritz (1)
Cheetos--except Baked (1) 160 2 270 1
French's Potato Sticks 180 4.5 190 1
Bugles (1) 160 7.5 320 0
[check] Honorable Mention.
(1) Average of all varieties.
(2) Average of products listed.
* Contains the fake fat Olean (olestra).
Daily Limits (for a 2,000-calorie diet): Saturatea+Trans Fat: 20 grams.
Sodium: 1,500 milligrams. Fiber: at least 25 grams.
Source: company information.
The use of information from this article for commercial purposes is
strictly prohibited without written permission from CSPI
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