Thoughts on Vegetable chips.

Vegetable chips, better than regular chips? 

Vegetable chips; given their name they would seem a healthy and yummy alternative offering more nutrition than the lowly potato chip, but do vegetable chips have any  real advantage over potato chips?

It all depends on the processing of the chip. Read the labels. If it were as simple as take the vegetables slice them, and fry them yes, there would be of some benefit to your health. There are some great products out there on the market, but most of the vegetable chips on the market are made from dehydrated vegetable powders added to potato and or other starches then mixed and mashed together and  a variety of flavorings and preservatives until there is nothing left of the vegetable that began this journey.



Processed and full of chemicals from the beginning, these things are far from healthy. Start with the vegetable powders used.  Many of the dried fruits and vegetables  that are produced  today are not done the old fashioned way. There are too many things added to aid in the process of drying fruits and vegetables. Chemicals are added to improve the texture, color, and flavor, as well as additives to avoid spoilage and aid in quicker drying times. All this chemical stuff just to dry out the vegetables, and we are just beginning to make the vegetable chips.

Once this vegetable infused powder is obtained then it is mixed with large amounts of chemicals, fillers, starches, flavorings etc. to create a mass of "dough" that will be pressed through a machine and will ultimately end up in the deep fryer. Now you take this mass of chemicals with a hint of what used to be vegetable and let it swim in the oil bath, which is more chemicals.  (don't believe me check out how vegetable oils are made). After this process, the chips are usually off to a shower of salt and flavorings (read another chemical bath).  Then off to packaging, which includes more chemicals to preserve them while in the bag.

We eat this stuff thinking that we have done something good for our body. Thinking that somehow because it began as a vegetable it is good for us. Vegetables are good for us because they are living full vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They are living and if eaten in this form they give life to us, take away that and mutilate the vegetables in the manner described above and it has no life or energy left to give to you and I.

THE VERDICT:  

I think I will stick to real vegetable chips made with thin sliced vegetables, oil, and salt.

I think that they are a hoax offering you very little. It is like the package of vegetable pasta I picked up the other day and looked at the label. On the front it boasted that a 6 oz. serving provided half a vegetable serving. It had a little star by it. I turned the package over to see the real story. On the back of the package it showed that a the serving size was 2 oz. This meant that you needed to eat three servings of pasta to equal half a serving of vegetables. I will stick to real fruits and vegetables.



If you want to check out how vegetable oils are made here are some places to start.

Answerbag, how is vegetable oil produced   The short sweet version
Healthy eating politics how vegetable oil is produced The long version with all the nitty gritty details.

 

This post shared as part of real food wednesdays