There’s a lot to love about Barnana plantain chips. First, these chips are made with healthy ingredients, including organic plantains, organic coconut oil, and Himalayan pink salt. Plus, these chips are vegan, paleo-friendly, certified organic, and kosher (2).
What’s more, the pink salt flavor is low in sodium, providing just 75 mg per 1-ounce (28-gram) serving, which makes these chips a good alternative for those watching their sodium intake.
Additionally, Barnana brand takes sustainability seriously, working with farmers to reduce food waste by using imperfect produce that would otherwise be thrown away to create their products.
Here’s the nutrition info for a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving:
Jackson’s Honest sweet potato chips are a great choice for when cravings for crunchy, salty snacks hit.
These chips are made with just three ingredients — sweet potatoes, coconut oil, and sea salt. Coconut oil is an excellent choice for frying chips due to its stability at high temperatures (3Trusted Source).
Many popular chips are fried in canola oil. While stable at high temperatures, it’s also high in omega-6 fats which increase inflammation in your body when consumed in excess (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).
Because modern diets tend to be high in omega-6 fats and low in anti-inflammatory omega-3s, it’s best to reduce intake of refined, omega-6-rich oils like canola oil.
Plus, these chips are slightly higher in fiber and lower in sodium than traditional potato chips (6, 7).
Here’s the nutrition info for a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving (6):
3. Safe + Fair olive oil and sea salt popcorn quinoa chips
Price: $
Safe + Fair makes food-allergy-friendly snack foods, including chips. Their olive oil and sea salt popcorn quinoa chips contain nutritious ingredients, including whole quinoa, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds.
These crunchy chips are lower in calories and higher in protein and fiber than traditional potato chips, making them a good alternative to popular chip brands. Plus, these chips are baked, not fried, and are made with olive oil (7, 8).
Here’s the nutrition info for a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving (8):
Many cheese puff products contain a number of ingredients that aren’t good for overall health, including artificial flavors, artificial coloring, and flavor enhancers like monosodium glutamate (MSG). They’re also high in sodium and calories, making them a less-than-healthy snack choice (9, 10).
Still, there are healthier cheese puff choices on the market, including Lesser Evil Paleo Puffs.
The “No Cheese” cheesiness flavor is made from nutritious ingredients like coconut oil, sweet potato powder, nutritional yeast, and ground mustard, and doesn’t contain any artificial colors, flavors, or flavor enhancers.
Plus, they’re lower in calories and sodium than other cheese puff products (9, 10, 11).
Here’s the nutrition info for a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving (11):
Calories: 130
Carbs: 18 grams
Protein: less than 1 gram
Fat: 6 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Sodium: 190 mg
Added sugar: 0 grams
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5. Made in Nature Veggie Pops
Price: $$
If you’re searching for a veggie-filled chip alternative, Made in Nature Veggie Pops make an excellent choice.
These snack balls are created from a nourishing mixture of ingredients including kale, chickpeas, bell peppers, cauliflower, almonds, and sunflower seeds and are high in protein and fiber, which helps boost the fullness factor of this salty snack (12).
The sour cream and onion flavor is a nutrient-dense alternative to sour cream and onion chips, which are typically high in calories and fat, and low in protein and fiber.
Here’s the nutrition info for a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of the sour cream and onion flavor (12):
Siete brand tortilla chips are grain-free and a good choice for those following paleo diets. They’re made with limited ingredients and come in a variety of flavors, including nacho, ranch, sea salt, and salt, and lime that are sure to please even the pickiest chip lover.
Siete uses avocado oil to make their chips, which is a healthier alternative to highly refined oils like canola and soybean oil (13).
Avocado oil is mostly composed of monounsaturated fats and rich in antioxidants. It’s also stable when used at high temperatures, making it a good choice for frying chips (14Trusted Source).
Here’s the nutrition info for a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of the sea salt flavor (13):
Brad’s veggie chips are made from real vegetables and come in a variety of flavors.
They’re air-dried, not baked or fried, so they’re low in calories and fat, yet high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals due to their nutritious ingredients like organic veggies, flax seeds, buckwheat groats, and spices (15).
Brad’s makes a number of different veggie chips, including kale chips, red pepper chips, broccoli cheddar chips, and sweet potato chips — all of which are packed with vegetables.
Here’s the nutrition info for a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of the red bell pepper flavor (15):
Forager Project brand makes organic, grain-free chips that are packed with healthy ingredients.
Their grain-free greens chips are made from tiger nut and cassava flour, as well as kale, coconut oil, spinach powder, and black and white sesame seeds — all of which add to the nutrient-density of the product (16).
In fact, each bag of Forager Project grain-free greens chips contains 1.5 cups of organic leafy greens, making them a great choice for those looking to increase their vegetable intake.
Here’s the nutrition info for a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of the grain-free greens flavor (16):
Calories: 130
Carbs: 14 grams
Protein: 1 grams
Fat: 8 grams
Fiber: 1 grams
Sodium: 125 mg
Added sugar: 0 grams
How to choose
When shopping for healthy chip options it’s important to choose products based on their ingredients and nutritional profile.
Generally speaking, the fewer ingredients the better. However, some healthy chips may contain more ingredients than others if they’re flavored. Spices, nutritional yeast, and salt are examples of healthy flavoring ingredients that may be listed on the back of chip bags.
Look for chips that aren’t made with artificial coloring or flavoring, and don’t contain added sugar. Added sugar can be listed in many ways on ingredient labels, including high fructose corn syrup and cane sugar.
Another factor to consider is the calorie and macronutrient content of the product.
Choose chips that deliver 150 calories or fewer per 1-ounce (28-gram) serving to maintain healthy snacking portions.
Also, because most chips are typically low in protein and fiber, it’s a good idea to pair them with a protein- and fiber-rich dip like hummus or black bean dip to make your snack more nutritionally complete.
Additionally, if you have any food restrictions, it’s important to choose chips that fit into your dietary pattern.
The bottom line
Although many popular chip products are packed with unhealthy ingredients, including additives like artificial coloring and sweeteners, you can choose from many healthy alternatives.
The healthy chips on this list are not only tasty but also made with wholesome ingredients sure to satisfy your cravings for a salty, crunchy snack.ADVERTISEMENTStart a custom weight loss program
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Olives, a savory Mediterranean fruit, are often cured and eaten whole as a tangy, salty snack. Many people also enjoy them on pizzas and salads or processed into oil or tapenade.
They’re known for being rich in beneficial fats and are included in the popular Mediterranean diet, so you may wonder whether olives can help you lose weight.
This article explains whether olives aid weight loss.
Olives may affect your weight in a variety of ways.
Calorie density
Olives have a notably low calorie density.
Calorie density is a measure of the number of calories in a food relative to the food’s weight or volume (in grams). In general, any food with a calorie density of 4 or more is considered high.
Whole black or green olives have a calorie density of 1–1.5.
Olives also boast healthy unsaturated fats, which differ from saturated and trans fats due to their chemical structure. All fats contain the same amount of calories, but unsaturated fats affect your body beneficially (5Trusted Source, 6).
Monounsaturated fats are found in foods like olives, nuts, avocados, and plant-based oils. Some research links diets high in monounsaturated fats directly to weight loss (11Trusted Source).
A 60-day study in 32 women compared diets high monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats with normal diets. The diet high in monounsaturated fats resulted in a weight loss of up to 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg), plus lower fat mass, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (12Trusted Source).
Furthermore, a large review of low calorie diets revealed that high fat eating patterns more often lead to weight loss than low fat ones (13Trusted Source).
Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes whole foods and seafood while limiting processed foods, may boost weight loss. Olives, olive oil, and other healthy fats are a key component of this diet (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).
Specific studies on this diet suggest that it may result in 1–4.5 pounds (2.2–10.1 kg) of weight loss (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source).
All the same, other studies don’t directly associate it with weight loss (19Trusted Source).
Olives have a low calorie density and are a good source of healthy fats, two factors that may boost weight loss by helping keep you full and replacing less healthy fats in your diet.
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Olive nutrition facts
The nutritional profile of olives varies based on the type of olive and the curing method. Still, most are low in calories but fairly high in salt and beneficial fats.
The following chart examines the nutrients in 1.2 ounces (34 grams) of black and green olives. This serving provides approximately 10 small- to medium-sized olives (24Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source).
Black olives
Green olives
Calories
36
49
Carbs
2 grams
1 gram
Protein
less than 1 gram
less than 1 gram
Total fat
3 grams
5 grams
Monounsaturated fat
2 grams
4 grams
Saturated fat
2% of the Daily Value (DV)
3% of the DV
Fiber
3% of the DV
4% of the DV
Sodium
11% of the DV
23% of the DV
Depending on the size of the fruits, a serving of 10 green or black olives may contain 35–95 calories.
Notably, olives are rich in polyphenol antioxidants, which fight harmful compounds called free radicals in your body. They’re also believed to help reduce your risk of health conditions like diabetes and heart disease (26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Whole olives are low in calories but rich in polyphenols and healthy fats. They tend to be high in sodium.
Moderation is key
Although olives have a low-calorie density and may aid weight loss in several ways, it’s best to enjoy them in moderation due to their high salt content, as well as their overall fat content.
Furthermore, if you don’t closely monitor portion sizes, olives’ calorie count can add up quickly.
To keep your saturated fat intake within the recommended guidelines, it’s best to limit your intake to 2–3 ounces (56–84 grams) — about 16–24 small- to medium-sized olives — per day.
SUMMARY
Though olives may aid weight loss, they’re high in salt and fat — and eating too many of them may offset your weight loss success. As such, you should moderate your intake, limiting yourself to a few ounces at most per day.
The bottom line
Olives are a scrumptious snack that boasts healthy fats and polyphenol antioxidants. Their low-calorie density means that they may aid weight loss by helping you feel full.
All the same, you should control for portion sizes because olives’ calories can add up quickly.
This popular Mediterranean fruit makes a great replacement for any processed foods or high-calorie snacks in your diet.ADVERTISEMENTStart a custom weight loss program
Noom helps you adopt healthy habits so you can lose weight and keep it off. Your program is customized to your goals and fitness needs. Just take a quick assessment and get started today.LEARN MORE
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