Do you like chips? Rest assured, you are not alone. But between those with Guérande salt, balsamic vinegar or vegetable version, difficult to find your way around. If snacking a few crisp petals is not a crime, you still have to know how to locate the right packages, those who do not completely sabothed our food balance.
Because no, not all chips are as bad as you think. Some brands play transparency, bet on simple, even craft ingredients. Others, on the other hand, multiply additives, smoked aromas (soon prohibited) or palm oil. To see more clearly, two nutrition professionals sort.
Chips to favor: simple, local and without additives
First essential criterion: the list of ingredients. The less long it is, the better. “”To choose the right chips, you must check that there is no additives or preservatives in the recipe“, insists the Dr. Claire Merrifield, a general practitioner installed in Great Britain. Some brands are doing well.
“”Savory crisps such as Tyrrells and Brets only contain potatoes, vegetable oil and salt. Tyrrells chips, for example, are cooked by hand in small quantities from locally grown potatoes. They use natural ingredients and avoid artificial additives. This is the ones I choose“Explains the” expert.
The secret? No superfluous transformations, no health promises in trompe-l’oeil, just a readable and short recipe. Artisanal cooking also makes it possible to avoid excess saturated fats, often pointed out.
How to read a label without being fooled
No need for Bac +5 in nutrition to decipher a packet of chips. According to dietician-nutritionist Alexandra Murcier, three reflexes are enough to make a better choice:
- Check the salt content (ideally below 1.3 g per 100 g);
- Limit saturated fatty acids;
- Avoid palm oil and hydrogenated fat.
“”Our salt consumption in France is already too high. You really have to pay attention to the contribution of chips on this point, as well as the quality of the fat“, warns the specialist. She also recalls that the chips are not all equal: some industrial brands slide sugar, taste enhancers, even dyes to improve appearance.
And contrary to popular belief, “light” or fat crushed chips are not always panacea. They can compensate by other less visible, but just as problematic additives.
Vegetable chips, not so virtuous that they seem
The name sounds well, the visual attracts the eye, and yet: vegetable chips are far from a health choice. Despite their image “healthy”, they lose all nutritional interest when cooking at high temperature.
“”Cooking makes them lose fibers, vitamins, minerals and water. It also concentrates natural sugars, which mechanically increases the calorie content“, details the article from Top health. Result: colored, crisp chips … and sometimes more caloric than the potato -based classics.
The nutritionists interviewed agree: it is better to stay on traditional crisps well made than to be fooled by a “green” deceptive marketing.