Fiber is the Future

What’s the biggest nutrition bone to pick with tortilla chips?

They’re fried in fat, loaded with salt and have no fiber.

So what then, is the RW Garcia brand doing to turn this chip frown upside down?

Well, one taste of their 3 Seed Blue Corn Dipping Chips Dippers and you’ll know…

If you’ve gotta eat chips – then you’ve gotta try these. A 1 oz serving (10 chip strips) has 140 calories, 8 grams of mostly good fat, only 50 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber and 3 g protein.

Sure, they’re chips – which means they’re a sometimes food – but there’s nothing sneaky about the ingredient list:

• Corn
• Oil
• Flaxseed
• Sesame seeds
• Chia seeds
• Sea salt
• Water
• Lime

If you know a thing or two about snack foods, you might do a double-take when you see only 50 mg sodium per serving. That’s impressive, considering that in the US, a food with 140 mg sodium or less per serving can call itself “low-sodium”. This too, in a country where – according to the CDC – the average American eats 3,500 mg sodium per day.

On top of that, the product is proudly GMO-free. Another win, especially when 85% or more of the corn in the US is genetically modified.

I admire a company that puts out a wholesome, quality, GMO-free product with an impressive ingredient list, friendly fiber profile and just a hint of salt. Well done RW Garcia – keep up the good work!

Consumers are often surprised to learn that popcorn is a whole grain.

That’s right, if you take away the liquid butter and seas of salt – popcorn is on its own, a wholesome, healthy snack.

So then why put it in a chip?

Well, the folks at Popcorners saw the potential to capitalize on the “better-for-you” chip market by refashioning an old favorite – popcorn – into a trendy, newer snack pack – the chip. The result? Popcorners.

According to their packaging, Popcorners are, “the delicious new snack with the snap of a chip and the same wholesome goodness as popcorn”. The problem is – they’re really just a stripped down shadow of the former goodness that was popcorn.

You see, three cups (roughly 1 oz) of air-popped popcorn has 100 calories, 0 g fat, 0 mg sodium and almost 4 grams of fiber. Why then, does a 1 oz serving of Popcorners have 120 calories, 3.5 g fat, 280 mg sodium and “less than 1 gram” of dietary fiber?

Because, that is PRECISELY what happens when you process and package a formerly whole food: you add more fat and more salt to make it sell.

Now granted, Popcorners taste good – but so do lots of other whole grains when they’re smothered in salt and oil.

To top things off, whole kernel popcorn is a very low-cost whole grain option. But when it’s dressed up in fat and salt, despite the declining nutritional value, the cost per serving goes sky high too.

In summary, as the old adage goes – some things are better left alone. And it’s safe to say – as Popcorners proves – popcorn is, just one of those things.

Chip week rolls on! Today’s chip clip is on Regenie’s Falafel Thins, Bare Naked flavor.

According to the packaging, these chips contain a, “natural blend of corn, fava beans and chick peas”. The manufacturers to on to tout the product’s “fiber – protein – great taste”. Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad….

For 140 calories you get 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 140 mg sodium, 3 grams fiber and 4 grams protein. So yes, there is certainly fiber and protein in these chips – but the taste leaves more than a little to be desired, and it certainly isn’t great. Think stale potato starch texture with an off-putting scent of past-its-prime Indian food.

Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to like them – the unappealing aroma of these chips overwhelmed their respectable fiber and protein content. They were dry with a vaguely nauseating marjoram and cumin aftertaste.

Despite the valiant effort Regine’s, it appears the world is perhaps not yet ready for a ground fava bean and ground chick pea with added wheat gluten and oat fiber chip. Your nutrition profile is respectable, but the flavor and texture components need would benefit from that last magical wish from the genie in the bottle.

Chip week is under way! First up in the chip brigade is a review of Way Better Snacks’ Simply Beyond Black Bean Tortilla Chips.

These chips are gluten free, contain no GM ingredients and have a straightforward ingredient list consisting of corn, oil, sprouted black beans, sprouted flax seed, sprouted quinoa and sea salt.

What’s the deal with the sprouted grains?

Way Better Snacks says on the packaging that, “Sprouting our grains and seeds increases their nutrients and allows your body to better absorb them.” That’s a bit of a stretch – as sprouted grains have not scientifically been proven to be more healthful than whole grains. They are certainly a better bet than white flour-based, refined grain products though – that’s for sure.

The packaging goes on to say that, “Every serving has over 275 mg of healthy Omega 3 essential fatty acids to help keep your cells happy.” Problem is, it’s not the more preferable EPA+DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids that we know convey anti-inflammatory and heart health benefits.

Why should you eat these chips?

Well, as the manufacturers point out, “Oh, and our chips are yummy!” And that they are. The chips have a slightly nutty flavor and are not overly greasy. If there’s any reason to eat them – it’s because they taste good. And their nutrition profile isn’t half bad either:

• A one-chip serving (1 oz, about 11 chips) contains 130 calories, 6 grams of mostly good fat, 110 mg sodium, 3 g fiber and 2 g protein.

That’s a pretty good nutrition profile if you’re checking out chips.

So, stick to the fish for your omega-3s, don’t forget to eat some unprocessed whole grains and fruits and vegetables for your fiber – and if there’s room left, this dietitian certainly recommends the Way Better Black Bean Tortilla Chips as a sometimes food and a super tasty snack.

It’s chip week on the Fiber Blog! Each day this week I’ll be featuring a new, higher-fiber alternative to your old chip standbys.

To kick chip week off – check out my Healthy Chip Alternatives article in this month’s Health Magazine.

If you’re looking to boost your chip’s chances of being healthy – try out these 3 RD-approved chips featured in the Health Magazine article:

• Glenny’s Creamy Ranch Soy Chips – 70 calories, 4.5 g protein, 1.5 g fiber
• New York Naturals Sea Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips – 168 calories, 7 g protein, 4 g fiber
• Beanitos Black Bean Chips – 140 calories, 4 g protein, 5 g fiber

Snack foods are sometimes foods – so remember to eat in moderation. When searching for a better chip, look for a combination of fat, protein and fiber to keep you feeling satiated from your snackfood.

Check back all this week for reviews of some of the hottest new higher-fiber chips out there!