3 Things A Chip Company Can Teach Us About Nutrition

Food thoughts

Frito Lay recently sponsored a conference focused on healthy living, which raised some eyebrows. While it promoted balance, it was an odd pairing. Read about my opinions & what I learned on the Frito Lay factory tour here. It opened up my eyes to some surprising things. Perhaps the obvious healthier choices like Baked Lays & Sun Chips weren’t such a clear cut choice.

food label potato chips

What is healthier to you?

A. Fewer ingredients?          or         B. Cooking method?

How about:

A. Heart healthy fats?          or         B. Low fat?

Here are your choices:

lays originalbaked lays

Classic vs Baked

The choice is obvious right?

Baked Lays are the clear “healthy” choice.

But are they?

Looking at the options at the top- let’s say your personal health goals are the (A) choices: few ingredients & a source of heart healthy fats. In that case, the “Classic” might actually be your own personal preference.

Let’s look at the labels:

Classic                                              Baked

lays classic nutrition label baked lays nutrition label

lays classic ingredients baked lays ingredients

A Closer Look

Calories

Classic: 150 per serving

Baked: 120 per serving

Fat

Classic: 10g —> 8g unsaturated fats (aka good) vs 2g saturated (bad)

Baked: 2g —> 1.5g unsaturated fats (aka good) vs 1g saturated fat (bad)

Carbohydrate

Classic: 15g —> 1g fiber, 0g sugar

Baked: 23g —> 2g fiber, 2g sugar

Sodium

Classic: 180mg

Baked: 180mg

Ingredients

Classic: 3 ingredients; potatoes, oil, salt

Baked: 8 ingredients; dehydrated potatoes, modified food starch, sugar, soy lecithin, etc.

potato chip ingredients

What Does This Tell Us?

1. Read labels. Don’t assume anything; packaging & wording can be misleading. (Ultimately packaging & labels are marketing tools.)

2. Don’t worry so much. If you want chips for a snack, have chips for a snack. It’s important to look at the big picture, not each individual food. Foods shouldn’t be labeled “good” or “bad”, instead look at your diet as a whole.

3. Know your goal. Decide what’s best for you. What fits best into your picture of “health”? What’s important to you? Number or type of ingredients? Nutrient content? Sugar? The decision can be different for everyone.

chip label potato chip label

What factors do you consider when deciding if something is healthy? Do you read labels?

16 Comments

  1. Matt
    Matt on August 20, 2010 at 9:22 am
    The ingredients are the #1 thing I look at before I buy something. If something has more calories and fat, but no preservatives, I will most likely buy that. I am all about whole, non processed foods. I really liked this post :)Reply
  2. Becky
    Becky on August 20, 2010 at 10:20 am
    I've definitely converted from calories to ingredients when choosing healthy options. I always prefer the simple, real foods over the man-made stuff.Reply
  3. Bekah @ runtrackmind.com
    Bekah @ runtrackmind.com on August 20, 2010 at 10:42 am
    I am a huge label reader and when I say huge I mean borderline obsessive behavior. But, I just want to make sure that I avoid the things I feel rob me of my good health, so I am ok with that. ;)Reply
  4. Dorry
    Dorry on August 20, 2010 at 11:17 am
    This is a great eye-opener! Everyone who eats "diet" or low-fat foods should read this - great info!Reply
  5. Teri [a foodie stays fit]
    Teri [a foodie stays fit] on August 20, 2010 at 11:49 am
    Such a cool post! I care more about ingredients. I want real food, not weird scientifically derived ingredients, even if it results in lower calories or fat. I ALWAYS read ingredients/nutrition labels!Reply
  6. suki @ [Super Duper Fantastic]
    suki @ [Super Duper Fantastic] on August 20, 2010 at 11:58 am
    Exactly! It's important not to just read the fats/cals on the bag, but to check the fine print. If you don't know what the chemical is, do you really want it in your body? :)Reply
  7. Sarah Jayne
    Sarah Jayne on August 20, 2010 at 1:02 pm
    LOVE THIS!! So much!! Thank you for breaking it down for us all!!Reply
  8. Lisa
    Lisa on August 20, 2010 at 1:21 pm
    Another thing I look for: how many ingredients are listed? And can I pronounce them?Reply
  9. Karyn
    Karyn on August 20, 2010 at 2:46 pm
    i read labels. but to me when buying a product the fewer the ingredients the better. that said, a fruit salad or regular salad or anything that i make i say the more ingredients the better :)Reply
  10. Emily @ Relishments
    Emily @ Relishments on August 20, 2010 at 2:54 pm
    Love this! Way to get past the marketing and look at what's really going on. I prefer going for fewer and more recognizable ingredients...and keeping things in moderation, but this definitely gets me thinking.Reply
  11. Sarah for Real
    Sarah for Real on August 20, 2010 at 3:23 pm
    Nice post! I always go by number of ingredients. Also, while I can't remember about sunflower oil, I know that I try to avoid corn and soybean oil when I get the opportunity. Plus, the Classic chips just taste better, Hello!Reply
  12. Amy
    Amy on August 20, 2010 at 3:32 pm
    "Modified Food Starch" makes me immediately suspect. And the Baked Lays always kinda leave that filmy feel in my mouth. Blecccch.Reply
  13. Candice @ ChiaSeedMe
    Candice @ ChiaSeedMe on August 20, 2010 at 3:43 pm
    Oh, I totally read labels! It's such a crucial thing to do. It's so shocking what's in some prepackaged foods that you would never dream! Very informative post!Reply
  15. Julie @ Wearing Mascara
    Julie @ Wearing Mascara on August 20, 2010 at 6:16 pm
    I'm someone who {has learned to} read labels. However, if I was at Subway or something, I would automatically pick the baked ones without a second thought. Sure, I've looked at the label on both these bags but never side-by-side. It just shows how much advertising does to someone psychologically! Thank you for this post :-)Reply
  16. Melissa
    Melissa on August 21, 2010 at 11:00 am
    Great post! I love the side by side comparison. It really helps to examine the facts and think about what you're eating. I'd prefer the regular chips with 3 ingredients. Keep the entire snack as simple and as natural as possible. Then I'll worry about moderation and balancing my meals. :)Reply

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