This Veggie Straws Dietitian Review will help you decide if Veggie Straws are nutritionally sound and live up to their marketing claims. Read on for our dietitian review of taste, nutritional properties, ingredients, use, cost, and overall versatility before making your decision.
Read more about our Food Nutrition Score here!
About Veggie Straws
Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws are a crunchy snack made from potatoes, tomatoes, and spinach. They are available in seven flavours: Sea Salt, Zesty Ranch, Screamin’ Hot, BBQ, Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream & Onion, and Cinnamon Apple.
Nutrition Marketing Claims
They are promoted as a healthier alternative to potato chips, as they are “30% less fat than the leading potato chip”. The name veggie straws also implies that they are made from vegetables which most consumers would associate with being a healthier option.
Taste & texture
Veggie straws have a light and airy texture. They are crispy to bite into, and the original flavour tastes salty.
Veggie Straws Dietitian Review
Ingredients
Potato starch, potato flour: the first and main ingredients in these straws.
Expeller-pressed canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or sunflower oil: these are the main fat sources in these chips. Expeller-pressed means that the oil was removed from the source by “pressing” or squeezing the plants rather than with chemicals. In theory, this means that the oil has gone through less processing compared to traditional methods. All three of these oil types are mostly mono-unsaturated fatty acids.
Spinach powder: one of the two main vegetable ingredients in these straws.
Tomato paste: the second vegetable ingredient used in these straws.
Salt: used as a flavour enhancer
Cane sugar: used as a flavour enhancer in very small amounts.
Corn starch: a source of carbohydrates, likely used to help with texture.
Potassium chloride: an added source of potassium that can give foods a salty flavour while maintaining a lower sodium content.
Tumeric: used as a colour agent.
Beetroot powder: used as a colour agent.
Priority allergens
No priority allergens are listed on the label. Note: some flavours contain milk. Always read nutrition labels for allergen information before consuming a product.
Nutrition facts
Note: the nutrition facts below reflect the Sea Salt flavour of Garden Veggie Straws. The range of nutrition information for all flavours is listed in parentheses.
1 serving = 38 straws (1oz)
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 7g (5-7g) coming from canola, safflower, and/or sunflower oil.
Saturated Fat: 1g (0.5-1g) coming from the oil(s) listed above.
Sodium: 220mg (220-310mg) coming from salt.
Carbohydrates: 17g (12-19g) coming from potato starch, potato flour, and to a lesser extent, corn starch.
Fibre: 0g
Sugar: <1g (0-3g) coming from added sugar.
Protein: <1g
Other nutrients: 80mg (70-90mg) calcium, 0.6mg (0.5-0.6mg) iron, 210mg (160-220mg) potassium. All micronutrients are found naturally in the ingredients listed above, except for potassium which comes from the potato ingredients and added potassium chloride.
Cost
Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws are available in Ontario for $3.27-$4.29/142g bag.
Veggie Straws Dietitian Review
Are veggie straws healthy?
The first two ingredients in veggie straws are potato (potato flour and potato starch), so despite their name, these are in fact potato chips.
Veggie Straws are also fried just like traditional potato chips. However, compared to traditional potato chips, Veggie Straws are lower in fat. They also use better quality oil than the leading chip brands which typically use corn oil and soybean oil. These oils are higher in omega-6 compared to the oils used in Veggie Straws, meaning that they have a less ideal overall fatty acid ratio.
Lastly, Veggie Straws do contain powdered spinach and tomato powder that add flavour and trace nutrients, though these amounts are insignificant and do not translate into added nutrient value. For example, whole vegetables are a good source of fibre, however, Veggie Straws contain 0g of fibre per serving. In addition, Veggie Straws contain a comparable amount of iron as traditional potato chips per serving, despite containing spinach, which means that the amount of spinach added to these chips is likely negligible.
Frequently asked questions
Are veggie straws healthier than potato chips?
Despite the name, Veggie Straws are actually potato chips. They are made from potatoes and are fried like traditional potato chips. Though spinach and tomato are added to these chips, the amount added does not translate to any additional nutrient content.
Can veggie straws help you lose weight?
Likely not. Veggie straws have a light texture and are only 130 calories per serving, however, they do not contain any fibre or protein needed to keep you satisfied between meals.
Do veggie straws actually have veggies?
Veggie straws are mainly potatoes, with small amounts of spinach and tomato powder. There does not appear to be a significant enough amount of spinach or tomato powder used to add additional nutrients compared to what would be in a traditional potato chip.
Are veggie straws good for digestion?
Veggie straws do not contain any fibre and would likely not have any benefit related to digestion.
Veggie Straws Dietitian Review
Are veggie straws gluten-free?
Veggie straws do not list gluten-containing ingredients on their ingredient lists. Always check with the manufacturer about the risk of contamination and allergen information before consuming a product.
Are veggie straws good for people with allergies?
Some flavours of veggie straws contain milk. Though no other priority allergens are listed on the ingredient list, they are not produced in an allergen-free facility. Always contact the food manufacturer for ingredient and allergen information before consuming a product.
Are veggie straws chips?
Yes, Veggie Straws are potato chips. Just like traditional potato chips, veggie straws are fried. They also are made mostly out of potato, with potato starch and potato flour listed as the first two ingredients.
Are veggie straws keto?
Veggie straws are not considered keto as they contain 12-19g of carbohydrates per serving.
Are veggie straws nut-free?
Veggie straws do not contain nuts but their website states that they cannot guarantee that their facility is nut-free.
Looking for more product reviews? Check out our RXBAR – Dietitian Review here!
