FitSugar

Food Review: Terra Sweets & Carrots Chips

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:57:12 -0700

Over the weekend at a friend's BBQ, I found orange-colored Terra Sweets & Carrots Chips sitting next to the dip. Move over potato chips - you have some competition.

Chips made out of sweet potatoes and carrots look and sound healthier than your basic potato chips, but can you trust your instincts on this one? To see how these orange root veggie chips compare with potato chips, read more.

First off, I must say that I'm in love with these chips. They have a delightful thick and crunchy texture, so they're equally great for munching alone and for dipping. These chips are so unbelievably sweet that I was sure I'd see a sweetener listed in the ingredients -but there's none. There's also no salt added, so they make a healthy snack for people watching their sodium intake.

As you can see from the chart below, nutritionally speaking, Sweets & Carrots do have some benefits over regular potato chips, but they aren't more nutritious in every category. These orange chips contain less sodium and carbs, and tons more fiber than the Yukon gold potato chips. They're also higher in vitamin A. However, the regular potato chips contain fewer calories, less fat, and less sugar than the Sweets & Carrots. Surprisingly, regular potato chips also higher in iron. So the moral of the story is that just because a food sounds healthier, that doesn't necessarily mean it is. Always read and compare labels just to be sure you're eating the nutrients your body needs.

	1 oz. (13 chips)	1 oz. (13 chips)
Calories	150	130
Total Fat	9 g	5 g
Saturated Fat	1 g	.5 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	20 mg	80 mg
Carbs	15 g	19 g
Fiber	5 g	0 g
Sugar	7 g	0 g
Protein	2 g	2 g
Vitamin A	15 percent	0 percent
Calcium	2 percent	2 percent
Vitamin C	0 percent	0 percent
Iron	2 percent	10 percent
Ingredients	Sweet potatoes, carrots, expeller pressed canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or sunflower oil.	Yukon gold potatoes, canola oil and/or sunflower oil, and salt.

I'll definitely buy a bag of these the next time I go shopping, but at $3.99 a bag, these will be reserved for special treats and occasions.

Food Review: Terra Crinkles - Garlic Mashed

FitSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Salty foods are my weakness and every once in a while I crave potato chips. I'm a huge fan of Terra chips, and Sweets & Beets are my favorite. When I was at the store, I saw that Terra came out with a new kind of chip, Terra Crinkles. I decided to give the Garlic Mashed a try. Want to know what I thought and how many calories are in one serving? Then read more

Serving Size	17 chips
Calories	130
Total Fat	6g
Saturated Fat	.5g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	170mg
Carbs	19g
Fiber	2g
Sugar	1g
Protein	2g

When I took my first bite, I thought, "Mmmmm, these taste just like garlic mashed potatoes." They had a savory flavor and just the right amount of saltiness, without a ton of sodium per serving. I also loved that they had a hard crispy texture, and are thick enough to dip into hummus if you wanted to. After a while, the flavor was a little too much, which I guess is a good thing, because I couldn't even eat one serving. I also wasn't too psyched with the strong oniony-garlic after taste left in my mouth, but I guess I should have expected that. Overall I liked the way they tasted, but for almost $5 for a fairly small amount of chips, I don't think I'd buy these again.

How do you feel about potato chips? Can you pass them by or are they a weakness for you too? Share in the comments section below.

Chocobillys Seem Healthy, But Are They?

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:30:00 -0800

Instead of my usual Terra Blue Chips, I decided to go for the Chocobillys Cookies while on a Jet Blue flight a few weeks ago. They seemed like a sort of healthy treat (well, I mean, cookies can only be so healthy, right?). On the package it says "Cookies with a Cause" and "made with 70% organic ingredients" and "no trans fats, GMOs or other funky stuff."

Well that last statement is interesting because I guess everyone has a different definition of what "funky" is. The very first ingredient on these cookies is "organic enriched unbleached wheat flour." Enriched means that already healthy wheat flour was refined and stripped of its nutrients, and then manufacturers add some of the lost nutrients back in to make it slightly good for you. "Enriched" sounds nutritious, but it's really a scam. So if you ask me, enriched flour is pretty "funky."

The Immaculate Baking Company, the maker of these cookies, has a goal to make "top-quality baked goods...to celebrate the creativity of folk art, and to somehow give back." I think it's great that they set up the Soul Food Fund to nurture creativity, sponsor art workshops, and raise money for charities that support art in communities. That's all great, but why not use whole wheat flour instead of enriched?

Here's the deal. Just because a product states that it's organic doesn't necessarily mean that it's good for you. Remember those Kettle Pita Chips were organic too. So be on the look out, read nutrition labels, and don't be fooled by food that sounds or looks healthy.

New Terra Chips: Stripes & Blues

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 02:30:00 -0700

How very patriotic of Terra to introduce a red, white, and blue chip medley they call Stripes and Blues. They are much healthier than the Lays chips I ate as a kid since they are made with 3 kinds of harvested veggies, not just your average potato. The red chips are made from sweet potatoes, the blue chips are made from blue potatoes, and the striped chips are striped beets.

These Stripes & Blues chips take my favorite Sweets & Beets to an entirely new visual level. I love that they're made with no trans fat or cholesterol, and contain hardly any saturated fat (the kind that is bad for your heart). Plus these chips have a much zestier flavor so they don't need a whole lot of sodium.

To check out the nutritional info and see what these delectable chips really look like, read more

Serving Size	1 oz (about 14 chips)
Calories	140
Total Fat	8g
Saturated Fat	.5g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	110mg
Carbs	16g
Fiber	2g
Sugar	5g
Protein	2g
Ingredients	A seasonal mix of root vegetables (sweet potato, blue potato, beets), canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or sunflower oil, beet juice concentrate, sea salt.

Well I'm just amazed that these chips are actually as pretty as the photo on the outside of the bag, plus I can actually pronounce all the ingredients!

With only 110mg of sodium, these still taste salty and definitely satisfied my craving. Plus they have 2g of fiber (you can aways use more), 2g of protein, and 4% of your daily iron needs (I know it's not much, but every little bit counts).

I love that there are 3 different chips in this bag, so your taste buds never get bored. I definitely recommend looking for these chips in a health food store near you, or in the health food section of your grocery store.

Fit's Tip: Just remember, even though these chips are healthier than potato chips, they are still chips! So keep your portions under control.

Terra Chips: Potato Chips with a Twist

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 10:30:00 -0800

Sometimes a girl craves potato chips - it happens. When those moments come, who wants a boring greasy potato chip when you could have Terra Vegetable Chips?

Not only do they make delicious chips out of potatoes, but they also use exotic root vegetables like taro, ruby taro, sweet potato, batata, parsnip, and yuca.

These chips are all natural, made with root vegetable, canola and safflower oil, beet juice for color, and salt. And that means NO trans fat.

They're colorful, light, and each root vegetable has its own unique flavor. All mixed together, they achieve a satisfying balance of flavors - complex, nutty, rich, and delicate.

Not into the mixed vegetable chips? They also make Sweets & Beets chips - a mix of sweet potato and beets chips. Their Red Bliss Garlic & Parmesan potato chips are really unique.

But my favorite have to be the White, Russet & Sweet Potato Kettle chips.

But see for yourself. You can find Terra Chips at your local health food or specialty foods shop.

Terra Chips Sweets & Beets = YUM!

FitSugar — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:30:00 -0700

I took a flight on JetBlue last week and was loving their Terra Blue Chips. When I went to the health food store to pick some up, I came upon Terra's Sweets & Beets.

These krinkle-cut chips are made out of my favorite root veggies - delicious sweet potatoes and bold, beautiful beets. Sweets & Beets chips offer a hearty crunch, with a robust burst of sweet goodness.

Want to know what they're made with? The ingredients are simple - sweet potatoes, beets, canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or sunflower oil. That's right - no salt, no hydrogenated oils, no sugar or corn syrup (many a chip has this), and nothing but veggies and oil. I will happily recommend these Terra chips for a snack any day.

Want to see what they really look like? How about the nutritional info? Then read more

Serving Size	1 oz (16 chips)
Calories	150
Total Fat	9g
Saturated Fat	.5g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	5mg
Carbs	15g
Fiber	1g
Sugar	0g
Protein	2g

Can you believe that? The serving size is pretty big compared to some other chips (Pico de Gallo), and there's no sodium, no cholesterol, and no sugar. I love it! These are a much healthier snack than say those Pita Chips I was tricked into buying (damn advertising), because these are made of actual vegetables instead of crappy enriched wheat flour. These Sweets & Beets could be my new favorite thing.