While those squishy sweet fruits filled with lots of potassium are healthy to snack on, are their chips the same? Banana chips may seem like a delish snack: they’re crunchy and sweet to satisfy your sweet tooth!
If you’re thinking of buying a bag, you may want to know are banana chips healthy or not.
Banana chips are high in calories, sugar, fat, and many nonessential nutrients. A single serving of banana chips contains about as much fat as a small fries. Moreover, packaged banana chips are typically fried in unhealthy oils. So, you should not consume banana chips regularly.
With that in mind, let’s look at how many banana chips are suitable for consumption and how you can finish in a healthy way (pretty much).
Table of Content
Are Banana Chips Healthy?
Banana chips are a popular snack enjoyed by many because of their sweet and crunchy texture. However, like any other kind of food, banana chips have pros and cons regarding their nutritional value and health benefits.
Thinking about banana chips, the first thing that comes to mind is potassium. Well, banana chips inherit a pretty good amount of potassium from bananas. But does that make them healthy?
Is Banana Chips Good for Weight Loss?
While banana chips may seem like a healthier alternative to other chips, they are quite high in calories and not good for weight loss.
Banana chips calories per 100g can be over 300, more than double the amount in a serving of regular potato chips.
Also, they are high in saturated fats, which increases the chance of heart disease. One of the reasons banana chips are high in saturated fat is because they are deep fried. When food is fried, it absorbs oil, mostly unhealthy fats.
Are Banana Chips Healthier than Potato Chips?
Neither banana nor potato chips are healthy for you if they are packaged. Both contain high calories, sugar, trans fat, and salt.
Moreover, banana chips are high in carbs because they are made from bananas. Bananas are a high-carb fruit; when they are dried and fried, they become even higher in carbs.
Nutritional Facts of Banana Chips
To help you decide whether or not you should eat banana chips, we’ve ranked them on every important aspect of their nutritional profile, from calories to fiber to sugar content.
Read on to learn about the healthiest (and unhealthiest) ways to enjoy this popular snack food!
Chart for One Cup (18-22 pieces) of Banana Chips
| Calories | 374 |
| Sugar | 25.4 gram |
| Total Fat | 24.3 gram |
| Saturated fat | 21.1 gram |
| Carbohydrate | 42 gram |
| Potassium | 386 mg |
| Fiber | 5.55 gram |
On an average, 20 banana chips can provide 8% potassium intake of your daily nutrient consumption, which is a plus.
However, if you look at the calories, carbs, and saturated fat content in only 20 chips ( as if we can stop eating within 20 banana chips), the plus point is kind of overweighed by these factors.
3 Health Risks of Overeating Banana Chips
Banana chips can be unhealthy if you eat too many at once that too regularly. There are some disadvantages of banana chips on your health that you shouldn’t avoid.
Weight Gain
Overeating them can lead to weight gain, as they are high in calorie and carb content. In fact, having one packet of banana chips per day can take over your overall daily consumption of calories and carbs, let alone other meals.
Heart Disease
More than healthy fats, banana chips are loaded with saturated fats, which increases the risk for coronary heart disease in the long run.
Increase Sugar Intake
Most people think banana chips are healthy because they are made from fruit. However, what many people don’t realize is that banana chips contain a lot of sugar as a coating. In fact, one serving of banana chips can have as much sugar as two candy bars.
The sweetness of banana chips can prove bitter for your health if consumed limitlessly. Too much sugar can lead to weight gain and insulin resistance.
The lesson is not to overeat them. If you crave sometimes and want to indulge in these chips as a snack, limit yourself to about 20 pieces per day (or less if you can).
Healthier Alternatives of Banana Chips
If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to banana chips, try making your own at home. When it comes to banana chips, there are a few things you should know.
They can be a healthy snack option, but they also have some drawbacks. And, of course, there are always alternatives to consider.
Here are a few ideas for when you want something salty and crunchy in your mouth.
- What about roasted almonds? Almonds have lower calories than regular banana chips, so if you’re trying to watch your weight or avoid snacking on too many high-calorie snacks, this is a good choice.
- Or, try another type of fruit chip like apple chips or pear chips. Apple chips are also delicious dipped in chocolate!
- You might even find banana chips healthier in the fruit’s raw form. Raw banana chips or plantain chips are other healthy alternatives because they contain fewer calories and fats than regular banana chips, so you won’t feel guilty after eating them as often as you like.
For reference, let us compare the nutrition value of banana chips and raw banana (plantain) chips.
| (per 1 cup) | Ripe Banana Chips | Raw Banana Chips |
| Calories | 374 | 134 |
| Carbs | 42 gram | 22.19 gram |
| Sugar | 25 gram | 13.43 gram |
| Total fat | 24.2 gram | 12.77 gram |
| Saturated fat | 21 gram | 11 gram |
Ripe banana chips contain almost twice the amount of all the unhealthy nutrition compared to raw banana chips of the same amount.
Therefore, choose your consumption wisely.
Homemade Healthy Banana Chips
There are ways to make healthier versions of everything at home. Since you can’t control what’s going on inside a bag of banana chips you get from grocery stores, you have handed over what you make at home.
To make healthy banana chips at home, first, you need to ditch the idea of deep frying. Instead, opt for baking or air frying to keep the homemade banana chips calories low.
You can make your banana chips at home by
- Slicing ripe bananas into rounds
- Spread them separately on a baking sheet
- Brush a little bit of oil (preferably olive or coconut)
- Sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon powder for added taste
- And, bake for 10-15 minutes until they are dry and crunchy.
You can also fry them in a non-stick pan coated with cooking spray or coconut oil until browned on both sides. However, baking or air frying instead of frying the chips is going to make them taste even better without the after-taste of oily grease.
If you want to avoid added sugar or salt, sprinkle them with cinnamon or lime juice before baking them until crisp.
Make sure not to overbake them; once they turn dark brown, their natural sugars have caramelized, which will give the chips an unpleasant taste.
FAQs
Let’s figure out all the frequently asked questions about banana chips.
Are banana chips good for weight loss?
Probably you are not ready to hear this, but no, banana chips are not good for weight loss. In fact, if over-consumed, it will shoot your weight up. A small serving of 20 banana chips contains an unexceptional amount of calories, carbs, and sugar, which are 374, 24.3 grams, and 25.4 grams, respectively. And if you compare this with a simple potato chip of a similar serving, it is twice the amount.
Are banana chips good for dogs?
While banana chips are not toxic to dogs, they are not particularly healthy. Banana chips are high in fat and calories, leading to weight gain and other health problems for your pet. Giving them a treat sometimes is alright unless you are not loading them up with an entire meal of banana chips.
Are banana chips gluten-free?
The health benefits (or lack thereof) of banana chips are often debated. While banana chips are generally gluten-free, some brands may add gluten-containing ingredients during processing. If you are gluten intolerant, you must read the packaging before buying.
Are banana chips vegan?
Undoubtedly, banana chips are vegan as they are made from banana, oil, sugar, and some preservatives. No animal-derived ingredients are used in the making process, so vegans and vegetarians can delightfully munch on this crunchy goodness.
Final Thought
Overall, banana chips are not a healthy snack to dig in. They are high in calories and fat and do not contain any essential nutrients (except potassium).
It is important to watch your intake like any type of packaged chips. A serving size is only 1 ounce and can be very addicting if eaten by itself or with too many other snacks.
Instead, be like a minion and snack on the banana fruit instead of its chips to rip the health benefits!
