VEGETARIAN JOURNAL'S GUIDE TO SNACK FOODS
By Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.
When the munchies strike, many of us reach for a bag of crispy, salty snacks — pretzels, tortilla chips, or potato chips. Until recently, that bag often came with a heaping helping of oil also. An ounce of potato chips (about 10 chips — most of us eat more than that) has 10 to 13 grams of fat, while an ounce of tortilla or corn chips has 8 to 9 grams of fat. Even popcorn could be a greasy treat with most microwave varieties contributing about 4 grams of fat per cup.
Now, however, the fat-conscious snacker has some options. Just as several years ago snack manufacturers began making snacks without salt, today's snacks can be found without oil. This month we sampled some of these products.
The first no-oil tortilla chips we tasted were from Guiltless Gourmet. They come in both salted and no salt varieties. One ounce supplies 110 calories and 1.4 grams of fat. The salted chips are delicious on their own and taste like toasted corn tortillas. The no salt chips were great with salsa or a bean dip. We found them a little flat on their own.
Little Bear Organic Foods also makes a no oil tortilla chip made from organically grown corn (either blue or yellow). These chips also come with or with-out salt. An ounce has 110 calories and 1 gram of fat. We found them to be very similar in taste to Guiltless Gourmet No Oil Chips.
Potato chips without fat? Childers Potato Chips are oven-toasted, not fried. They taste like potatoes, not like the grease and salt that usually makes us think of potato chips. We liked them for their fresh taste. One ounce has 97 calories (about two-thirds the calories in regular potato chips) and no fat. They didn't taste too salty. Their sodium content is 120 milligrams per ounce, which is slightly to significantly less than that of other potato chips.
What are other low fat snacks? We've eaten pretzels for years, often scraping off some of the salt. The best varieties have no oil and are just made from flour, water, yeast, and salt. These are often sold as Dutch or sourdough pretzels. Even the varieties which have oil in the ingredient list have less fat than most chips. The only ones to beware of are those with a cheese filling. An ounce of these has about 5 grams of fat.
Another low fat snack is plain air-popped popcorn. One cup without butter or margarine has virtually no fat. Sprinkle it with nutritional yeast (also known as Good Tasting yeast; this is not brewer's yeast) and chili powder for a flavorful snack. Watch out for cheese popcorn, buttered popcorn, etc. An ounce of cheese popcorn has as much fat as some potato chips, while even an ounce of what was labeled "lightly buttered" popcorn had 6 grams of fat.
This is only a sampling of healthy snack foods available in today's marketplace. Vegetarians can certainly choose from a large selection of good tasting lowfat snack items.
Editor's Note: As we go to press we learned about a new no oil, lowfat snack created by American Specialty Brands called Smart Temptations Oven Toasted Tortilla Chips. A one-ounce serving contains 100 calories and 1 gram of fat.
