In many parts of the world, banana chips are enjoyed frequently as a side dish, but they also make a great snack. Banana chips provide protein, dietary fiber, and most essential vitamins and minerals. However, if you choose fried banana chips over baked, be aware that they are extremely high in saturated fat.
Definition
Banana chips can be made from bananas or plantains; yellow bananas produce sweeter chips, while the plantains result in a saltier chip. Chips are made from thin slices that are dehydrated, baked or fried. Sometimes spices such as turmeric are added. The nutritional values provided are for a 3-oz. serving of fried banana chips. The calories and fat content will be lower if the banana chips are baked or dried.
Basic Nutrition
One serving of banana chips has 441 calories and 49.6 g of total carbohydrates. Based on a 2000-calorie-a-day diet, these values represent 22 percent of the recommended daily value (DV) of calories and 17 percent of carbohydrates. Banana chips are high in fiber, providing 6.5 g, or 26 percent of DV. They also supply 2 g of a nearly complete protein, according to NutritionData.com's amino acid score of 91 out of 100.
Fats
Fried banana chips are very high in total fat (28.6 g). Even though they do not have any cholesterol, they have 24.6 g (123 percent) of saturated fat. They also supply a small amount of healthy essential fatty acids, providing a trace amount of omega-3 (0.009 mg) and 3 to 4 percent of the recommended adequate intake of omega-6 (0.53 mg).
Vitamins
They're not a rich source of vitamins, but a 3-oz. serving of banana chips provides 0.2 mg of vitamin B6 (11 percent of DV) and 5.4 mg of vitamin C (9 percent of DV). Banana chips also provide 5 percent of DV of thiamin, 3 percent of folate and niacin, and 1 percent of vitamins A, E, K and riboflavin.
Minerals
Banana chips are an excellent source of manganese, providing 1.3 (66 percent of DV) of this essential antioxidant. They supply potassium (456 mg, or 13 percent of DV), iron (1.1 mg, or 6 percent of DV), copper (0.2 mg, or 9 percent DV) and magnesium (64.6 percent of 16 percent of DV). The only essential dietary mineral not found in banana chips is sodium.
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