Sweet potato chips have become a popular snack food in recent years, marketed as a healthier alternative to traditional potato chips. But are they really any better for you? Here we’ll take a look at the nutrition facts and explore whether sweet potato chips deserve their reputation as a nutritious snack.
Are sweet potatoes healthier than white potatoes?
Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants like beta carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. They have around 90 calories per 100g, while white potatoes have around 85 calories per 100g. Sweet potatoes have more fiber, coming in at 3g of fiber per 100g compared to white potatoes at 2g.
So while sweet and white potatoes have similar calorie counts, sweet potatoes do edge out white potatoes when it comes to certain vitamins and fiber.
Nutrition facts: Sweet potato chips vs regular potato chips
Now let’s compare oven-baked sweet potato chips to regular salted potato chips:
| Nutrition Facts | Sweet Potato Chips (100g) | Regular Salted Potato Chips (100g) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 431 | 536 |
| Total Fat | 18g | 35g |
| Sodium | 381mg | 632mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 63g | 54g |
| Protein | 3g | 7g |
Looking at the table, sweet potato chips have fewer calories and less fat and sodium compared to regular salted potato chips. However, they contain more carbs. They also have less protein.
So in terms of basic macronutrients, sweet potato chips do appear healthier. But that’s not the full story…
The problem with chips
Regardless of whether they are made from sweet potatoes or regular potatoes, chips go through a frying or baking process that adds a lot of calories from fat and salt.
Even though sweet potato chips have less fat than regular potato chips, 18g of fat per 100g is still a lot. To put it in perspective, the recommended daily limit for fat is 20-35g per day. Just a small handful of chips could give you nearly an entire day’s worth of fat!
And while sweet potato chips have less sodium than regular chips, 381mg is still considered high for a single serving. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 1500mg of sodium per day.
So while sweet potato chips are an incremental improvement over regular chips in some ways, in the end they are still a high calorie, high fat, high salt food.
Healthier ways to eat sweet potatoes
Rather than deep frying or baking sweet potatoes into chips, there are much healthier ways to enjoy their nutritional benefits:
1. Bake or roast slices
Cut sweet potato into wedges or cubes, toss lightly in oil, and bake until tender. Add spices like cinnamon or cumin for extra flavor.
2. Mash them
Boil sweet potatoes and mash them on their own or use them in place of white potatoes for healthier mashed potatoes.
3. Make sweet potato fries
Cut into fry shapes, toss lightly in oil, and bake. Get that crispy fry satisfaction without all the fat and salt that comes with deep frying.
4. Add to salads or bowls
Cube and roast sweet potatoes to add texture, color, and nutrients to grain bowls and salads.
5. Sweet potato toast
Slice sweet potatoes into rounds and toast or bake until crispy. Top with peanut butter, avocado, or an egg for a nutrient-packed breakfast or snack.
The bottom line
Compared to regular potato chips, sweet potato chips can provide some incremental nutritional advantages. They have fewer calories, less fat, less sodium, and more vitamins.
However, the high fat and salt that comes with frying or baking any vegetable into a chip makes both sweet potato and regular potato chips a food low in nutrients and high in fat and sodium.
For better health, it’s best to enjoy sweet potatoes in their whole form prepared with minimal added fat or salt. The vitamins and fiber in sweet potatoes make them a great addition to any diet when prepared in healthier ways.
So are sweet potato chips healthier than regular potato chips? Slightly. But neither of them fit the definition of a healthy snack. If you want the nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes, your best bet is to eat them whole and prepare them in nutritious ways that don’t involve frying or drowning them in sodium.
Conclusion
In summary, sweet potato chips are marginally healthier than regular potato chips since they contain fewer calories, less fat and sodium, and more fiber and vitamins. However, the high-heat cooking process of making chips removes most of the inherent health benefits of sweet potatoes. To truly gain the nutritional value of sweet potatoes, it’s best to eat them whole, in moderation, and prepared with minimal added fat or salt. Rather than chips, bake, roast, mash or add them to salads and bowls. In their whole form, sweet potatoes are a great healthy carb and vitamin-packed addition to any diet.