Munching on chips while watching television might seem like a harmless habit today. Yet, we all know that these salty and oily snacks, are bad news for our body. But how do you satisfy your snack cravings while still eating right? We decided to set out on a quest to find the healthiest chip out there and compare - tortilla chips and potato chips. Let us look at the nutritional value of each to understand once and for all, which one is healthier.

Nutritional value of potato chips

A one-ounce serving of potato chips contains 154 calories. It has a total fat content of 10 grams which is made up of saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat. It has 1.1 mg of cholesterol, 136 mg of sodium, 361 mg of potassium and a total carbohydrate content of 14 grams. Finally, a single serving of potato chips has 2 grams of protein.

Nutritional value of tortilla chips

Similarly, one-ounce of tortilla chips contains 142 calories. With a total fat content of 7 grams, tortilla chips take an early lead. It also contains 0.6 mg of cholesterol, 150 mg of sodium, 56 mg of potassium and a total carbohydrate content of 18 grams. With 2 grams of protein once again. Taken at pure nutritional value, potato chips come in 2nd as they have more fat, potassium and calorie levels. Let us now look at other factors to determine whether potato chips can make a comeback in the final round.

Which is better?

The final aspect to consider is the base ingredient that goes into making these chips - corn and potato. Simply eaten raw, both ingredients can be classified as healthy snacks. Potatoes build bone health, reduce blood pressure and inflammation and even improve skin texture. Corn is low in fat, high in antioxidants and contains good carbs. While the advantages of the base ingredient are lost in both cases, in the case of potato chips it works in the opposite manner. Instead of reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, fried potato chips serve to further exacerbate things. Keeping this in mind we can definitively say that fried tortilla chips are healthier than fried potato chips.

While we now know that tortilla chips are healthier, this does not mean that the mighty potato is unhealthy. Apart from the advantages mentioned above, raw potatoes also support a healthy heart, prevent certain types of cancer and help digestion. It is only deep-fried potato chips and french fries that create unwanted results such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. You can tackle this issue by switching to baked potato chips instead of deep-fried potato chips. You can also try other healthy alternatives to potato chips such as kale chips, whole grain chips, apple chips and many others. Making the healthier choice is easy when you give yourself the right options for healthier and tastier food.