Ah the sweet, salty, oily taste of potato chips. Maybe mixed with a hint of sour cream or cheddar seasoning, but potato chips all the same.
We all eat them. Whether out on a sailboat for the afternoon, playing in the sand of a beach, or relaxing by the pool, the UTZ staple continues to plague our summer diets. No matter how many times we emphasize the “chips” part of kale chips, they will never count, and edamame just doesn’t have that same crispy crunch as a good Pringle. We are destined to be chip followers for our lives, falling in line as the generations before us had done. But I propose a challenge to this status quo, its time we abolish the happy memories of sunshine that we all associate with potato chips.
Now you may think I have gone crazy, why should I be so concerned about chips and their health detriments rather than just stop eating them? Well chips do not just influence the diet of their owner, they impact everyone around, each of us addicted to the salty scent and lightweight crunch they make between our teeth. When you open up a bag of chips, at least three other people will be right beside you, ready to help you polish the bag. I certainly experienced this as I ate not one, not two, but four different bags of chips brought out on the boat. I blame our fellow sailors today for causing me to break my diet by bringing those blue, green, and yellow bags I know all too well. What’s a girl to do when all there is left to eat are chips of every variety? That’s the worst part, there are so many flavors of chips that once you tire of one, there are hundreds of new flavors for your friends, or total strangers, to turn you on to. But drop those chips!
There are so many reasons you should stay away from potato chips. Health risks and weight gain being the most common. Did you know that one large bag of UTZ’s Sour Cream and Onion Flavored Potato Chips, according to their most recent packaging, has 10 servings in it? That’s 1,600 calories in one bag of chips! Now think of all the other more satisfying things you could have for 1,600 calories. I bet that pint of 1,080-calorie Half Baked from Ben and Jerry’s is looking much more appetizing. Now not only are chips high in calories, but they also increase dehydration by absorbing most of the body’s excess water supply. Being out in the sun for any activity will already speed up this process so you really will not want to contribute as you lay dehydrating in the sun on the bow of a boat. Finally, potato chips increase blood pressure and cholesterol build-up. While these may not seem like serious health concerns of yours yet, they will be sooner than you think by keeping up the unhealthy diet of potato chips.
So what are some healthy alternatives? Try the dried fruits in the vegetable aisle. I am a huge fan of banana chips dipped in peanut butter or on their own. Another is to make your own at home. While still fried and unhealthy, homemade potato chips don’t have all the chemicals found in store-bought chips. You can even try sweet potato chips to add some flavor. When you carve potato chips your body is often craving something salty but try to find a snack with some nutritional value to satisfy the hunger you are feeling as well.
No matter what your chip-kicking alternative is, just about anything is better for you than the grease-coated potato slices from a plastic bag. No matter what you decide to reach for, their is always a better alternative to the round of grease that you are sure to be given during your last months of summer.
