By Harriet Mallinson | Published on October 20, 2017
For many people a packet of potato crisps formed a pivotal role in childhood lunch boxes. Even today they’re a main player in the triumvirate of the supermarket meal deal.
However, while they might be a safe option to bring along to a picnic, potato crisps really aren’t the healthiest snack going, depending on your brand of choice, of course.
Salt is the main culprit. Yes, it’s the salt that keeps us coming back to the bowl of crisps at a party, but too much of it is deadly. Salt can cause hypertension which is a risk factor for stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
Some brand manufacturers use factory-produced partially hydrogenated plant oil to keep foods crisp. The vast majority of trans fats come from this oil – over-consumption of which can increase the risk of heart disease. Preservatives are another concern. Butylhydroxytoluene, commonly known as BHT, is often used to preserve packaged baked goods and snacks. When eaten in high amounts this stuff can cause cancer, and while a packet of your favourite crisps isn’t going to reach anywhere near such dangerous proportions, it’s always best to choose preservative-free snack option.
Ok, so enough doom and gloom. MACROS have rounded up five crisp alternatives that will satisfy your cravings without ruining your healthy eating regime.
Wholegrain Crisps
Often, when you’re tucking into a bag of snacks, you can have no clue whether they’ve been made in a factory that handles allergens.
Snacking maestros Wellaby’s have created ‘Simple Bakes’, which are a wholegrain alternative to regular crisps. They are vegan, free from most common allergens, including gluten, nuts, eggs. They contain no dairy, cholesterol, preservatives, trans fats or artificial flavours.
The snacks come in three flavours: sea salt & pepper, spicy chilli and smoky BBQ, and have 6% fat – 70% less fat that regular potato crisps.
– RELATED: 6 Of The Best Healthy Snacks Right Now –
Oat Crisps
Mini Cheddars are a highly popular type of crisp and rightly so – they’re cheesy and delicious. Unfortunately, despite being baked not fried, they have a very high saturated fat content.
Luckily, if you’re trying to stay healthy but still want to get your cheesy crisp fix, oat experts Nairn’s are here for you with their cheesey gluten free ‘Snackers’. At around 100 calories per bag, these little snacks are made with delicious wholegrain oats that are naturally full of vitamins and minerals. They are high in fibre and provide slow releasing energy.
They come in two other flavours:Â sea salt and balsamic vinegar and smoked paprika.
Popcorn Crisps
Popcorn has been doing pretty well as popcorn for many, many years – have you even gone to the cinema if you haven’t eaten (and spilled) a tub of the stuff? – but now, it seems, we are to herald the dawn of the popcorn crisp.
Metcalfe’s – who you may know as creators of skinny popcorn and rice cakes – have branched out to nacho-esque popcorn products. ‘Popcorn Crisps’ are flash griddled, crunchy corn crisps with more than 30% less fat than the average tortilla crisp. Plus, there’s just 145 calories per pack.
There are currently three flavours: sweet chilli, cheese and original.
Fruit and Vegetable Crisps
Fruit and veg are more often than not chosen due to their freshness, if not their juiciness, but that hasn’t stopped carrots, pineapple and beetroot being turned into crispy snacks.
Emily Crisps is just one company who are responding to the growing popularity of veg crisps. Their snacks – which range from red apple and fig banana to sugar snap peas and black edamame – are low in fat and calories and are naturally gluten-free. They are allegedly created using a technique which focuses and directs air pressure in a way that preserves the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, colour and taste.
Only a light coating of oil is used to create the crunch and there is no added sugar, preservatives or additives.
Coconut Crisps
Coconut is having a bit of a moment right now. In its various forms, we can slather it on our skin and plaster it on our hair; we can slosh it into our cooking and quaff it in a healthy smoothie.
When dried, coconut is often used in baking, but now it’s coming to the fore as a stand-alone snack. Ape Snacks have come up with vegan-friendly Coconut Curls and Coconut Bites. The nibbles are gluten free, sugar free, low in calories and high in fibre – and have the added health benefits of coconut’s anti-microbial and anti-viral properties.
Ape Curls are available in lightly salted, slightly peppered and salted chocolate variants, whilst the Bites come in natural, chia seed, and sesame seed flavours.
Harriet is Editor of MACROS and perfectly capable of eating an entire log of goat’s cheese in one sitting.
