Baked Potato Chips: Are They Healthy?

Is choosing baked potato chips over fried better for your health?
baked potato chips

146810094

Baked Potato Chips

Photo by: Cathy Britcliffe

Cathy Britcliffe

A health halo has been placed on baked chips while fried chips have been getting a bad rap. But are you really making a healthy choice when you toss a bag of baked chips into your shopping cart? Let’s take a closer look.

Yes?

One ounce (about 15 chips) of baked potato chips has 14% fewer calories (153 vs. 131), 50% less fat (10 grams vs. 5 grams) and 67% less saturated fat (3 grams vs. 1 gram) than traditional potato chips. If you’re looking at the calories and fat alone, then you would assume it was the healthier choice.

No?

There are other factors to consider when you look at the healthfulness of a particular food. Baked potato chips are actually much lower in vitamin C—they contain about 4 percent of your recommended daily dose per ounce as opposed to traditional potato chips with 10 percent.

Baked chips are also higher in sodium providing 257 milligrams per ounce (11 percent of your daily recommended amount) compared with 147 milligrams per ounce (6 percent of your daily recommended amount) in traditional chips. The added sodium accounts for the loss in flavor since the chips aren’t being fried.

Baked chips are also one of the highest sources acrylamides. This cancer-causing chemical forms when high-carb foods (like potatoes) are heated to high temperatures. The FDA found that baked potato chips contain about three times more acrylamides than traditional fried chips.

The last issue is with any salty snack is portion control. Mindlessly munching on a huge bag of baked or fried chips can mean loads of extra calories and fat.

The Verdict?

Choosing baked varieties may save you calories and fat, but you’ll still be chomping on more sodium and acrylamides. As an occasional treat, baked chips can be part of a healthy diet but if it’s making more than a guest appearance, you may want to reconsider.

TELL US: What’s your take on baked chips?

Next Up

Taste Test: Baked Potato Chips

Looking for a lighter crunchy option for a weekend picnic or lunch at the office? We polled our Facebook fans and tested their favorite brands of baked potato chips.

Subway Unveils Footlong Baked Potato Chip

It’s absurd ... and awesome?

How to Reheat a Baked Potato

Keep them fluffy and delicious for days.

Lay’s Is Giving Us Layered Potato Chips

Lay’s Layers will please those who find classic potato chips a little too one-dimensional.

Lay’s Classic Potato Chips Recall Boosted to Highest Level

Some bags may contain “undeclared milk ingredients.”

10 Healthy Sweet Potato Recipes

Fall in love with sweet potatoes again and again with these 10 deliciously healthy recipes.

Lay’s Releases Line of Potato Chips That Taste Like Iconic Restaurant Dishes

Now you can get the taste of Grimaldi’s Pizza and Geno’s Steaks’ Philly cheesesteaks no matter where you are.

50 Potato Sides

Take your spuds to the next level with these tempting upgrades!