When a packaged food is so high in fat relative to its serving size, it’s hard to call it “healthy”, in fact, the Food and Drug Administration won’t allow this term applied to deep-fried potato chips. Healthier options include baked chips, even organic chips, made without artificial colorings and flavors, but they’re usually much more expensive—and usually the cheapest chips are the old deep-fried varieties.
Buying potato chips isn’t a smart strategy in these lean times–just one scant ounce serving (about 12-15 chips) is loaded with calories (150) plus gobs of salt, and often food colorings, additives, and preservatives. I don’t know about you, 12 chips don’t satisfy—in fact; it’s almost an invitation, a tease, designed to get you to eat more, and more, and more!
Padding your diet with fatty foods is the quickest way to gain weight, and although potato chips may be inexpensive, the costs to your health could be great. Improve your health–physical and financial, by making your own chips. Potatoes are relatively cheap, and easy to store so you can buy a pound or two and not worry about their spoiling.
Spray a jellyroll pan with cooking spray: Scrub a large baking or sweet potato into rounds or into matchsticks and place on pan; drizzle with a tablespoon of canola or olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F for about 18-20 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through, until golden. Cool and enjoy—you’ve invested in your health. Your own chips have about half the calories of regular potato chips, and taste fresher too. Make some in advance, refrigerate covered, and to reheat, bake as before, for just 8-10 minutes; they’ll crisp and be just as tasty. Try this with other root veggies, such as carrots and beets—slice with a mandoline for ultra-thin and crispy ‘chips’.
Registered and licensed dietitian Susan Burke March, MS, CDE, is the author of “Making Weight Control Second Nature: Living Thin Naturally” – a book intended to liberate serial “dieters” and make living healthfully and weight-wise intuitive and instinctual over the long term. She may be reached online at www.SusanBurkeMarch.com.
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