A commercial for potato chips once challenged you with “Bet you can’t eat just one!” Eating one potato chip is hard for two reasons: they taste good and it’s such a small portion. They beg to be devoured by the handful. And that’s the real challenge. Potato chips provide important nutrients, but the fat and salt they contain will outweigh the benefits if you eat too many.
Benefits
A 1-oz serving provides 2 g of complete protein, which represents 3 percent of the recommended daily value, or DV, based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet. Potato chips are a great source of potassium, with 357 mg, 14 percent DV. They also offer 2 percent to 6 percent DV of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. They provide 8 percent to 10 percent of the daily value of vitamins C, E, K and B-6. You’ll also gain other B vitamins, including 12.6 mcg of folate.
Cautions
The amount of fat, salt and calories found in potato chips may pose a health risk depending on how much you consume and whether you have medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease or obesity. Generic salted potato chips contain 150 calories and 166.3 mg of salt. That means you'll gain 8 percent of your total daily calories, and 6 percent of the recommended amount of salt, by eating one ounce of potato chips. Fried potato chips contain 9.68 g of total fat, including 3.1 g of saturated fat, representing 14 percent DV for total fat and 15 percent for saturated fat. Look for chips that do not contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, because they are a source of unhealthy trans fatty acids.
Fat Free
Potato chips labeled as “fat free” are made using Olestra, which is a synthetic fat substitute that adds no calories or fat because Olestra is not digested by the body. Olestra affects nutrition because it inhibits the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K and may interfere with other nutrients. It’s also associated with side effects such as cramping and diarrhea.
Comparison
The type of chip you choose can significantly lower or increase the amount of salt and fat. Potato chips that are unsalted may reduce the salt to 2 mg. Baked chips can reduce the total fat to 2 g, while reduced-fat chips average around 7 g. Chips flavored with sour cream and onion provide 179 mg of salt and 9 g of total fat.
Considerations
Consider the amount you eat and how often you eat them. Remember that a serving size is 1 ounce, which represents about 12-18 chips, but check the nutrition label to learn how many of that specific type equal one serving. All of the nutritional values used here are based on a 1-oz serving. So consider this: one bag of chips is usually 6 or 8 ounces. If you eat an 8-oz bag, that’s 1,216 calories, 79 g of fat and 1,348 mg of sodium, or half of your daily salt and 120 percent of the recommended fat intake.
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