Who likes crisps? Me! Who also wants to keep their waistline? Also me! I’ve got a sweet tooth too, but sometimes, you want some crunch.
And I’m not alone. The chances are that you eat a lot of crisps too. How do I know this? Because we Brits crunch through an estimated 6 billion packets of crisps each year. That’s something like 140 packets per person per year.
As I get older though, the pounds are becoming more and more stubborn once added to my hips, so I have to be careful about how often I reach for a bag of crunchy happiness.
I’m not going to stop eating crisps, life is too short. However, I can limit the damage by opting for low calorie crisps. I’ve done a lot of research into this (by which I mean I have eaten lots of crisps 🤣) and I have found some low calorie crisp options that are still deliciously snack worthy, but which do less damage than a regular bag.
The crisps mentioned below are all low calorie – under 100 calories per bag – but are also low in fat compared to their regular counterparts. This is just as important if you want to reduce the damage done to your scales each time you munch a bag of crisps.
To give you an idea, a regular bag of Walkers Ready Salted contains 130 calories and 7.7 grams of fat, and the following suggestions are all well below that.
One thing to mention is some crisps are lower in calories but also lower in weight. Don’t let this put you off necessarily. The likes of Quavers and Skips are basically just flavoured puffed air. They don’t weight much but the pack size doesn’t seem small in comparison to regular crisps.
Anyway, here they are.
(If you are more interested in low calorie sweets, I’ve covered those too)
Walkers French Fries – 91 calories and 3.4 grams of fat per 21 gram pack
I genuinely love these. They remind me of parties when I was a kid. Did they even exist back then? I don’t know, but they give off party food energy.
They are satisfyingly crunchy, feel a bit more substantial that traditional potato chips, and come in all the most popular flavours:
- Ready Salted
- Cheese and Onion
- Salt and Vinegar
- Worcester Sauce
I’ve never tried to Worcester Sauce ones and probably never will, I’ve never even seen them on the shelves, but they do exist.
At 91 calories per bag they come in under the 100 calorie ceiling, and have half the fat of a regular bag of crisps. That means you can eat 2 bags and not feel bad! I’m kidding. Don’t do that. Put the second bag back in the cupboard.
Walkers Baked – 96 calories and 2.8 grams of fat per 22 gram pack
These things were a great find. They are sort of like McCoy’s ridged crisps but nowhere near as fatty or calorific.
They have a light, crunchy texture that feels thicker and more structured than a regular potato chip. They have a really satisfying snap when you bite into them. There is no greasy residue left on your fingers after eating them either (you still get the flavouring though).
You could say they are a bit more like a cracker than a crisp, but that makes them sound dry and boring, which they’re not.
Am I explaining this really badly? Probably. Just try a bag and see for yourself.
There are 5 different flavours in the range: Cheese and Onion, Sea Salt, Prawn Cocktail, Cheese and Jalapeno, and Salt and Vinegar.
Popchips – 99 calories and 3 grams of fat per 23 gram pack
I should say at the start that it’s hard to find the individual 23 gram bags of Popchips for sale. Well, it is near where I live anyway. They come in big bags for a few quid, but that means you have to control your own portion sizes, otherwise, there are multi packs which contain slightly smaller 17 gram bags.
But anyway, whichever option you go for, provided you stick to the recommended intake you are looking at around 99 calories and 3 grams of fat per bag. Each flavour is slightly different but not by much.
Speaking of the flavours, they are pretty interesting:
- BBQ
- Sea Salt
- Sour Cream and Onion
- Sea Sat and Vinegar
- Nacho
- Sweet Heat
Popchips are a slightly odd invention, created by heating and pressurising potato flakes and starch so that it ‘air pops’, a bit like pop corn. They probably count as being ultra-processed, but they won’t make much of a dent in your RDI’s. Somewhere between a rice cake and a crisp.
Won’t be for everyone but I like a pack now and again.
Quavers – 86 calories and 4.9 grams of fat per 16 gram pack
Quavers are another heavily processed option, but in terms of calories and fat they are on the lighter side. well, the fat could be better, but they are definitely low calorie.
You all know what quavers are. Curls of light, melt in the mouth… something. I don’t know what the hell they are made of but they are delicate and crunchy and delicious. They are full of air and nutritionally empty, but a satisfying snack nonetheless.
They are technically a high fat food because of the amount of fat they contain per 100 grams, but, you’re not eating 100 grams of quavers. One 16 gram bag represents about 7% of your recommended fat intake per day, and just 4% of your daily calories.
They only come in cheese flavour. So if you don’t like cheese they probably won’t be your cup of tea.
Proper Chips – 92 calories and 3.9 grams of fat per 20 gram pack
These Proper Chip thingies are made from lentils. This makes them an even healthier plant based alternative. They basically pass every hippie test: all natural ingredients including seasonings, vegan, gluten free, etc.
If you are dubious let me assure you – they taste great! I’ve had all five flavours: Sea Salt, Barbecue, Sweet Chilli, Sour Cream and Chive, and Salt and Vinegar, and it’s only the Sour Cream and Chive I’m less keen on.
They are high in fibre, so despite still being a junk food (let’s not kid ourselves) they do at least offer some nutritional value. Plus, they are on the lower end of calories and fat for this type of snack.
If you can’t imagine what they are like, they feel more rigid and crisp than say a baked crisp, but are still light and crunchy with zero grease. They would be good for dipping actually, but that would defeat the object of eating a healthier crisp.