Olestra, a fat substitute that can be used in potato and tortilla chips, impairs absorption of some vitamins and can lead to stomach cramps and loose stools. Based on these problems, we recommend avoiding snack foods containing Olestra. Which snack foods have animal-derived ingredients is usually pretty obvious. In other instances, shoppers will have to pay attention to the ingredient list. We found Barbecue Chips, Nacho Chips, and Chili and Lime Chips with whey, and Pinta Chips and some pretzels that contained honey.
Some chips do use organic ingredients.
These include Garden of Eatin', Guiltless Gourmet, Robert's American Gourmet, Skinny Naturals, Bearitos, Newman's Own, and Whole Foods products. These chips can be found in natural foods stores or the natural foods sections of supermarkets. In general, snack foods from the natural foods aisle had less fat and less sodium than their counterparts in the supermarket. If snack foods are an occasional treat, you may not be too concerned about the amount of fat and sodium in many brands. If, however, you find yourself munching on a regular basis, it seems prudent to choose products with less fat and less sodium.