A quick visit to your nearest supermarket or local grocery store will leave you with a lot of mid-day snack options to pick and choose from but making the right choice from the limited available options can be extremely challenging. One of the most popular snack options in India is a bag or pack of fried chips, and the most popular one being Lays. So why exactly have fried chips gained a bad reputation? Let's take a look!
If you have been following our regular health blogs, then you, by now will be familiar with how to read the nutritional information on a pack and identify whether or not the food item is good or bad for you.
Fats:
As you are well aware that fats are an essential macro-nutrient, and play a vital role in our day-to-day functioning. It is, however, important to get these fats from healthy sources, and not from deep-fried potato chips. The oil used here is either refined vegetable oil or palm oil that has been heated to its smoking point, something that is not particularly healthy for you.
Carbohydrates:
While carbs per se are not bad for your body, it is again important that you get them from healthy sources, such as beans, lentils, oats, etc, and not from deep-fried potato chips. Another problem with these pseudo potato chips that are seldom spoken is the high sodium levels per serving. High sodium foods are linked to elevated blood pressure, weight gain, kidney issues, water retention, and a host of other health issues. Moreover, since these chips are packed with sodium, we tend to easily overeat them, as the high sodium levels trigger a hunger response in our brain as well.
Protein:
The protein content in these fried snacks is negligible and isn't even a complete protein, making them useless for muscle building and weight loss.
If you are particular about your health and weight loss and staying fit is what you plan on achieving, then opting for healthier snack options such as a protein cookie or a protein bar is your best bet. When you compare the nutritional information of a HYP Protein cookie versus a bag of chips, you will realize that a protein cookie is a far better snack option than a bag of chips. Not only are they made using the highest quality ingredients, but are packed with Fiber, are low on sodium, and are packed with 10 grams of high-quality complete protein. So the next time you plan on snacking during the day, just make sure that you're making an informed decision.
Questions?