When you pop open a package of potato chips, you probably don't intend to eat just one, or maybe even 16, which is around one serving size. Potato chips might be your snack of choice when your tummy starts to rumble. However, before you wander off to the vending machine, consider a healthier option. Air-popped popcorn gives you more sustenance than potato chips for far fewer calories.
Potato Chips
A large single-serve bag of potato chips is high in calories and laden with sodium and fat. Data from NutrientFacts.com indicates that 1.5 oz. of regular potato chips has 230 calories, 130 of which come from fat -- this makes up a quarter of your recommended fat intake, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. This serving size has 15 g total fat, 5 g of which is saturated, along with 250 mg sodium.
Dust your potato chips with various flavorings, and the sodium count shoots up. A 1.5-oz. bag of sour cream and onion potato chips has 270 mg sodium. Barbecue-flavored potato chips have 330 mg sodium per every 1.5 oz. The American Heart Association recommends restricting your sodium intake to no more than 1,500 mg a day.
Air-Popped Popcorn
Three cups of air-popped popcorn have only 90 calories, only 10 of which come from fat -- only around 2 percent of your Daily Value, or DV, for total fat. Air-popped popcorn is naturally sodium-free, unless you go out of your way to salt it. MayoClinic.com notes that popcorn is considered a whole-grain food, making it high in dietary fiber. Three cups of air-popped popcorn give you 4 g of filling dietary fiber, which encourages healthy digestive functioning. If you eat a diet high in fiber, you may also decrease your risk for diabetes and heart disease.
Keep Popcorn Healthy
When you're snacking, unsalted, air-popped popcorn really is all that and a bag of chips -- even if you ate 6 cups of popcorn, you'd still consume fewer calories than you would if you reached for the large snack size. However, even popcorn can be made less healthy if you slather on the butter, powdered flavoring and added sugar. A 1.5-oz. serving of caramel popcorn has 180 calories, 5 g total fat and 90 mg sodium. Cheese-flavored popcorn has 220 calories per 1.5-oz. serving, along with 380 mg sodium and 15 g total fat -- 20 percent of your DV.
Other Snack Choices
Air-popped popcorn is only one healthy option if you're watching your weight -- or if you're concerned about reducing the amount of fat and sodium in your diet. But it's not the only snack in town. MayoClinic.com suggests other nutritious choices, such as fresh fruit, raw veggies, low-fat or nonfat yogurt, a fat-free pudding cup and rye or pumpernickel melba toast crackers or another low-fat, whole-grain cracker or crisp.
References
- MayoClinic.com; High-fiber foods; Mayo Clinic staff; Nov. 2009
- NutrientFacts.com: Popcorn
- NutrientFacts.com: Potato Chips
- MayoClinic.com; Whole grains: Hearty options for a healthy diet; Mayo Clinic staff; July 2009
- American Heart Association: AHA supports lower sodium limits for most Americans
- MayoClinic.com; Snacks: How they fit into your weight loss plan; Mayo Clinic staff; May 2010
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