Best & Worst Chips for your Hips

When you’re trying to lose weight, it seems like every high-calorie snack starts calling your name, making every vending machine or trip to the grocery store a recipe for a diet disaster. If you’re craving something crunchy but don’t want the fat and calories of traditional potato chips (after all, potato chip consumption has been linked to weight gain), it can be difficult to know which snack to pick.

We rounded up a few of the top snack brands that claim to be healthier alternatives to regular potato chips, and with the help of dietitians, ranked them from best to worst. Read on to find out which surprising brand is your best choice, and which supposedly healthy chips you’re better off without.

The Best Choice: Baked Lay’s

Serving size: 1 ounce, or about 15 chips
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 2 grams (0 saturated)
Sodium: 135 milligrams

You’ll save 40 calories and 8 grams of fat by choosing Baked Lays over regular potato chips. The low calories and fat make this the healthiest choice when you can’t resist chips.

Runner-Up: Kettle Brand Sea Salt Baked Chips

Serving size: 1 ounce, or about 20 chips
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 3 grams (0.5 saturated)
Sodium: 135 milligrams

Compared to regular potato chips, Kettle Brand Baked Chips has 30 fewer calories and six fewer grams of fat. If you can’t resist the temptation, this is a better choice, but be sure to watch your portions.

For a Filling Snack: Beanito Black Bean Chips

Serving size: 1 ounce, or about 10 large chips
Calories: 140
Total Fat: 7 grams (0.5 saturated)
Sodium: 55 milligrams

Beanito Black Beans Chips have 5 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein for every ounce. You can get 20 percent of your daily fiber intake from this chip because they’re made from black beans. And at the same time, the sodium is very low for a processed snack. If you want to increase your fiber intake, you might want to switch [from potato chips] to small portions of this chip.

Most Chips for the Calories: PopChips Original

Serving size: 1 ounce, or about 23 chips
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 4 grams (0 saturated)
Sodium: 280 milligrams

Although the calories and fat are lower, PopChips’ sodium is creeping up. If you need to watch your sodium intake, this isn’t the solution for you.

A Heart-Healthy Snack: Corazonas Slightly Salted Potato Chips

Serving size: 1 ounce, or about 14 chips
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 6 grams (0.5 saturated)
Sodium: 90 milligrams

This chip contains plant sterols, which can help to lower your cholesterol, but you need to consume at least 2 grams of plant sterols each day to have an impact. This chip only provides 0.4 grams of plant sterols, so if you are not eating other cholesterol-lowering foods there would be little, if any, impact on your levels.

Skip: Simply 7 Hummus Chips in Sea Salt

Serving size: 1 ounce, or about 30 chips
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 5 grams (0.5 saturated)
Sodium: 290 milligrams

Don’t be fooled by the name — these chips, which are made from chickpeas, aren’t as healthy as eating whole chickpeas or even hummus.

Skip: SunChips Original

Serving size: 1 ounce, or about 16 chips
Calories: 140
Total Fat: 6 grams (1 saturated)
Sodium: 120 milligrams

Although SunChips differ from the others because they’re made from whole grains instead of potatoes, the chips are high in both fat and saturated fat, so they’re not the best choice.

Skip: Pringles Multigrain

Serving size: 1 ounce, or about 16 chips
Calories: 140
Total Fat: 8 grams (2 saturated)
Sodium: 150 milligrams

Don’t be misled by the ‘multigrain’ label. Pringles Multigrain has only 10 calories and 1 gram of fat less than the original version.

Sources: Adapted via