The Short Answer
Veggie chips are a masterclass in deceptive marketing. While the packaging promises a garden full of fresh produce, the reality is that you are eating deep-fried starch covered in salt.
Whether you're eating potato-starch Veggie Straws or actual root vegetables from Terra, these do not count as a serving of vegetables. The deep-frying process strips away heat-sensitive nutrients and adds heavy doses of processed seed oils, making them nutritionally identical to regular potato chips. Are Chips Bad
Why This Matters
The "health halo" effect tricks millions of consumers into making poor dietary choices. When parents see spinach and tomatoes printed on a bag, they assume they are buying a nutritious snack for their kids.
In reality, the vegetable powders used in many popular brands are only there for food coloring. By volume, you are eating significantly more corn starch and potato flour than anything grown in a garden.
Even premium brands that use whole root vegetables fall into the same trap as traditional potato chips. Deep-frying a vegetable in canola oil destroys its nutritional profile, saddling it with 9 grams of fat and 150 calories per ounce—virtually identical to a bag of Lay's. Oils In Chips
What's Actually In Veggie Chips
- Potato Starch & Corn Starch — The literal foundation of Veggie Straws and similar puffed snacks. They provide empty calories, spike blood sugar, and offer almost zero fiber.
- Expeller-Pressed Seed Oils — Both Terra and Veggie Straws are fried in canola, safflower, or sunflower oil. These refined oils are highly processed and heavily linked to systemic inflammation. Oils In Chips
- Vegetable Powders — Ingredients like beetroot powder, spinach powder, and tomato paste are often added in trace amounts simply to dye the potato starch red and green.
- Beet Juice Concentrate — Premium brands like Terra actually dip regular potatoes in beet juice so they turn red and look like you're eating a real beet chip.
- Sea Salt — A single serving often contains 10-15% of your daily sodium limit, making it easy to overconsume.
What to Look For
Green Flags:
- Whole vegetables as the first ingredient — Look for products where the actual vegetable (not a starch or powder) is the undisputed main ingredient.
- Baked, air-dried, or freeze-dried — Skipping the deep fryer removes the inflammatory oils and preserves the actual nutrients of the plant. Are Baked Chips Healthier
- Short ingredient lists — If a product has more than three ingredients (vegetable, oil, salt), put it back on the shelf.
Red Flags:
- Potato starch or flour — This means you are eating a highly processed, extruded potato chip disguised as a vegetable.
- Vegetable powders for color — Spinach and beet powders used as dyes do not provide any meaningful vitamins, minerals, or fiber.
- Seed oils — Deep-frying in canola, safflower, or sunflower oil completely ruins the nutritional value of the snack.
The Best Options
If you want the crunch of a chip with actual nutritional value, you have to look past the heavily marketed mainstream brands. Healthiest Chips
| Brand | Product | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad's | Crunchy Kale | ✅ | Air-dried real greens with no added oils. |
| Bare | Baked Crunchy Veggie Chips | ⚠️ | Just baked root veggies, but concentrated in natural sugars. |
| Terra | Original Vegetable Chips | ⚠️ | Real root veggies, but deep-fried in seed oils. |
| Sensible Portions | Garden Veggie Straws | 🚫 | Pure potato and corn starch with vegetable food coloring. |
The Bottom Line
1. Don't count them as vegetables. Frying a root in canola oil turns it into a junk food, regardless of whether it's orange, purple, or green.
2. Read the first ingredient. If the label says "potato starch" or "potato flour," you are eating a highly processed snack, not a garden vegetable.
3. Eat the real thing. If you want the health benefits of vegetables, roast actual carrots, kale, or sweet potatoes at home with high-quality olive oil.
FAQ
Are Terra chips healthier than potato chips?
Terra chips are nutritionally identical to regular potato chips. A one-ounce serving has 150 calories and 9 grams of fat, while Lay's has 160 calories and 10 grams of fat. While they do offer slightly more fiber, they are still deep-fried in inflammatory seed oils. Tortilla Vs Potato Chips
Do Veggie Straws have real vegetables in them?
They contain trace amounts of vegetable powder. Sensible Portions Veggie Straws use spinach, tomato, and beetroot powders primarily to dye the potato starch red, green, and yellow. They are not a valid source of vegetable nutrients.
What is the healthiest veggie chip?
The healthiest options are air-dried or freeze-dried vegetables that aren't coated in industrial oils. Brands like Brad's or Rhythm Superfoods use minimal heat processing to preserve actual nutrients without relying on deep fryers. Healthiest Chips
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