In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleShopping TipsMeal-Planning TipsNutrition TipsBest BrandsMore Tips
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Shopping Tips
Meal-Planning Tips
Nutrition Tips
Best Brands
More Tips
Close
Contrary to common belief, youcanenjoy chips as a snack, even if you havediabetes. While you’ll still need to consider carbohydrate, sodium and saturated fat content, you can still enjoy the foods you love. We’ll show you how to make sense of what’s on the shelves, discuss some ways to healthfully include chips in your diet and share our favorite finds. You’ll get our favorite picks for potato chips and tortilla chips and learn what to look for on food labels.
26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar
What to Look for When Shopping for Chips
Keep it simple:Look for chips featuring short ingredient lists and without artificial preservatives and flavors. Keep an eye out for excess sodium andadded sugars, which are commonly added to barbecue-flavored chips, and other chips with a sweet or savory taste.
Be heart-healthy:Choose chips cooked with heart-healthy vegetable oils like sunflower or safflower. Expeller-pressed means the oil was extracted naturally, without the use of chemical agents.
Best Cold Cereal Brands for Diabetes
How to Fit Chips into a Diabetes-Friendly Diet
When eating chips with a sandwich, skip the second slice of bread and make a half-size version or open-face sandwich to keep your overall carb count in check. We love crushing a few tortilla chips on top oftaco salador a low-sodium bowl of soup. Instead of scooping high-calorie queso cheese, try one of these heart-healthier swaps: 1/4 cup low-sodiumsalsaand a dollop of low-fat sour cream; 1/4 of an avocado mashed with lime juice; or sprinkle chips with 2 tablespoons of reduced-fat Mexican cheese and melt in the microwave.
Nutrition Guidelines for Choosing Chips
Here’s what to look for on the label when choosing chips.
Serving size:1 ounce, which is equivalent to about 15 regular potato chips or 10 tortilla chips. Always check the label, since serving size varies widely depending on the brand.
Best Chip Brands for Diabetes
We put these chips to the test. Here are our favorite potato chips and tortilla chips that meet our nutrition guidelines and taste great.
Photo: FritoLay.
Simply Lay’s Sea Salted Thick Cut Potato Chips
Serving size: 17 chips
160 calories, 15 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein, 10 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 160 mg sodium
Sun Chips 100% Whole Grain Original
Serving size: 16 chips
140 calories, 19 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein, 6 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 110 mg sodium
Photo: Amazon.
365 Everyday Value Kettle Cooked Potato Chips Sea Salt
Serving size: 18 chips
150 calories, 17 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein, 9 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 120 g sodium
Photo: Cape Cod.
Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips 40% Less Fat Sweet Mesquite Barbeque
130 calories, 18 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein, 6 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 35 mg sodium
Photo: Late July.
Late July Organic Sea Salt Thin & Crispy Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips
Serving size: 10 chips
130 calories, 17 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein, 7 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 65 mg sodium
Photo: Guiltless Gourmet.
Guiltless Gourmet Baked Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips
120 calories, 22 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein, 3 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 180 mg sodium
Tostitos Baked Scoops Tortilla Chips
120 calories, 22 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein, 3 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 140 mg sodium
More Nutritious Chips for Diabetes
There are always new products popping up beyond the traditional potato and corn chips. We’re big fans of the brand Beanitos, made from legumes instead of potatoes or corn. Beanitos have a comparable nutritional profile to potato or tortilla chips but pack in about 5 g of satiating protein and 4 g of fiber per serving to help manage blood glucose levels. And, while not technically a potato chip or a tortilla chip, Popchips—potato chips that are air-popped, not baked or fried—offer a slightly lower-fat alternative totraditional chips.
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Tell us why!
