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Although packaged snacks, such as veggie straws, appear attractive and healthy, they are not the best choice for you.
Veggie straws are a type of crispy snack that claim to add veggies to your snacks without compromising the taste. This claim, however, seems a bit far from the truth.
To understand this better, let us take a look at their key ingredients:
- Potato flour
- Potato starch
- Corn starch
- Tomato paste
- Spinach powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Beetroot powder
- Turmeric
- Sea salt
- Oil (canola, sunflower, and/or safflower oil)
As can be seen from the ingredients, there is a lot of starch derived from potatoes and corn in veggie straws. This flour and starch form the main scaffold to which other ingredients cling. Thus, they carry a carb-rich base such as other snacks such as potato chips and nachos.
Veggie straws are a tasty and fun snack but by no means a way to increase your daily vegetable intake. Whole vegetables provide you with a lot of fiber and nutrients without the added oils and salt that veggie straws contain.
Are veggie straws a healthier alternative to other packaged snacks?
Veggie straws are not a healthy option to get veggies in your diet.
Let us compare them with other popular packaged munchies to know whether they are the “lesser evil” option. We will compare these snacks with the smart snacks guidelines by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that aim to promote and ensure healthy snacking.
Calories per serving (kcal)
≤200 calories
130
160
160
130
160
Total fats
≤35 percent of calories
46 percent (60 kcal)
56 percent (90 kcal)
56 percent (90 kcal)
34 percent (45 kcal)
56 percent (90 kcal)
Saturated fats
<10 percent of calories
3 percent
8 percent
8 percent
3 percent
5 percent
Trans fats
Zero grams
Zero grams
Zero grams
Zero grams
Zero grams
Zero grams
Sodium
≤200 mg
250 mg
170 mg
250 mg
200 mg
90 mg
Total sugar
≤35 percent of weight from total sugars in foods
Less than 1 gram
Less than 1 gram
Less than 1 gram
0 grams
4 grams (no added sugars)
So, are veggie straws better than chips?
As can be seen from the table above, veggie straws have comparable calories for the same serving size as many other popular snacks.
- Veggie straws are free of gluten and genetically modified organisms and kosher certified.
- Although they are trans-fat-free, they contain a significant amount of fat and sodium. This can put you at risk of cardiovascular diseases if you do not exercise portion control.
Hence, it is advisable to include real vegetables and fruits rather than seek them through packaged products.
8 interesting and healthy ways you can increase your vegetable intake
Although packaged snacks appear attractive and handy, they are not the best choice for you.
If you wish to increase your daily vegetable intake conveniently, try these eight tips:
- Stuff your wraps and sandwiches with veggies.
- Prepare baked veggie chips at home for hunger pangs between the meals.
- Add diced or grated vegetables to yogurt to make it more nourishing and filling.
- Add grated or mashed vegetables to flour to make savory pancakes.
- Steam vegetables and garnish them with spices of your choice. You can have them with yogurt dip, salsa, or hummus as a snack.
- Enjoy pickled vegetables and salads with meals.
- Add vegetables such as carrots, spinach, kale, and cucumbers to make smoothies.
- Add vegetables to omelets or sauté them with the meat of your choice to make them more filling and nourishing.