Veggie Chips vs Potato Chips, What’s Healthier?
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veggie chips vs potato chips
Ready for a topic I get heated over? …marketing. Especially food marketing.
My entire career was built in marketing, and this is one of the big reasons I wanted to go into nutrition.
Terra Chips are everywhere and they have this reputation of being a “healthy” alternative to potato chips with a hefty cost (usually just under $5/bag).
We so often grab items based on the marketing portrayed to us and move on without even checking the label, because we are told that these are supposed to be healthy, right?
let's compare the labels
terra chips
You get a variety of root veggies inside this package, but their marketing makes you think it’s better than it really is.
They have a photo of a beet on the back of the package, which makes you think “Great, I’m eating beets!” ….
Check the ingredients and look a little close… and no! They actually dye some of the other root vegetables with beet powder so you think you’re eating actual beets. Tricky tricky!
terra compared to potato
Terra Chips are slightly different in nutritional value than potato chips, but really not much.
– 1g less fat than potato chips
– 1g less carbohydrate than potato chips
– 2g more fiber than potato chips
– 1g less protein than potato chips
– 10 less calories than potato chips
– 25mg less sodium than potato chips
– 20mg less potassium than potato chips
so what's the verdict?
Most of those differences are too little to notice when it comes to the nutrient quantity and quality.
Yes, both of these products are low in saturated fat but because of how processed they are, there isn’t much left to them except for oil and salt.
If I’m being real here, if you’re eating either of these on occasion, go for it. Just don’t eat the whole bag. Try to stick to the serving size.
My rule is, don’t buy junk for eating at home, because we all know that at home the 1oz serving size means diddly squat. Feel free to eat a small serving at a potluck in addition to packing your plate with other healthy options like a veggie burger or veggie sticks.
in summary...
The nutritional value in both veggie chips and potato chips are is minimal.
You’re not getting much from the product as far as energy and nutrients go. Both of these products are a boat for oil and salt.
Plus, if you’re consuming animal protein you’ll want to limit your fats from other sources (like this). Instead opt for adding heart healthy fats into your diet, with foods like nuts, seeds, and avocados.
If you’re looking for a snacking chip, try out Siete brand. They have all the flavors your looking for and actually contain some nutritional value. I love that this brand uses Nutritional Yeast (a great source of B12) as their cheese flavoring.
