Is Lay’s Good For Health? Are The Chips Fried?
Crunchy, spicy, or cheesy Lay’s chips are the snack you need during the World Cup. It is also perfect for enjoying some me-time with wine, a cheesy dip, and the chips laid out with your favourite movie on. These chips are known to create memories, but are they healthy for us?
Time to dive into it and investigate.
Is Lay’s Good For Health?
Now comes the question, is it healthy or not? We shall run an analysis to understand whether it is good for you.
About The Product
Lay’s is a brand of potato chips and wafers in various flavours. It is an American brand, also called Frito-Lay because Lay’s and Fritos are brands sold by the Frito-Lay company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PepsiCo since 1975. They are fried, and some variants are also baked. The different flavours of Lay’s are:
- Classic Salted
- Indian Magic Masala
- Chile Limon
- American Style Cream And Onion
- Spanish Tomato Tango
- Lay’s Crispz Herb and Onion
- Lay’s Wafer Style
- West Indie’s Hot ‘n’ Sweet Chilli
Now, let’s look at the ingredients in Lay’s Chips and find out if it suits you.
Ingredient Analysis
The Lay’s Classic Salted Chips contain the following:
Potato, Edible Vegetable Oil (Palmolein, Rice Bran Oil), Iodised Salt (1%).
Flavoured Lay’s contains the following:
Potato, Edible Vegetable Oil (Palmolein, Rice Bran Oil), *Seasoning (~Spices & Condiments, Iodised Salt,
Maltodextrin, Black Salt, Sugar, Tomato Powder, Acidity Regulators (330, 296, 334), Flavour (Natural and Nature Identical
Flavouring Substances), Anticaking Agent (551), Color (160c)), Garlic, and Onion.
Lay’s Indian Magic Masala’s Ingredients
| S.no. | What’s Good | What’s Not |
| 1. | Great flavours and taste. | Flavoured variants have artificial Ingredients: food colouring. |
| 2. | Great for parties and snacking. | The American Styled Cream and Onion contains milk. Milk can act as an allergen to people with lactose intolerance. |
| 3. | Contains natural ingredients, too, such as real potatoes and seasoning– salt, pepper, chilli powder, etc. | Processed vegetable oil. |
| 4. | It also uses maltodextrin(made from corn), which is safe for consumption. | Per 100g, it has 643mg of sodium present (Original Classic Salted), indicating high sodium levels. In the flavoured ones, it is between 676mg to 977mg. |
| 5. | It is high in fat, with 11% saturated and 1% trans fat. |
Overview of the Product
| S. No. | Criteria | Lay’s Chips |
| 1. | Whole ingredients | Original: Yes Flavoured: Yes |
| 2. | Artificial ingredients | Original: No Flavoured: Yes |
| 3. | Level of Processing | Original: High Flavoured: High |
| 4. | Harmful ingredients | Original: No Flavoured: No |
Is It Suitable For You?
| S. No. | Suitable for | Lay’s Chips |
| 1. | Vegans | Maybe |
| 2. | Diabetes | No |
| 3. | Vegetarian | Yes |
| 5. | Keto | No |
| 6. | Gluten-Free | Yes |
It is tagged as ‘Maybe’ for vegans because the original Classic Salted Chips are completely safe for vegans. It has no animal derivatives used in its making or added to its ingredients, making it safe for vegetarians and vegans. Most flavours are vegan-friendly; however, the ones containing milk, like the American Style Cream and Onion, may have milk (unclear which kind). So, it is best to read the label before consuming.
Final Takeaway
To conclude, Lay’s chips are unhealthy because they have processed oils, fat and more, making them unsuitable for regular consumption. We suggest that consumers eat it in limited quantities and not over-consume them as it can slowly lead to kidney disease, unhealthy weight gain, high blood pressure, and more.
FAQs
1. What is the overall calorie intake in Lay’s chips?
The overall calories can range between 160 and 167 depending on the packet size and the type of chips- fried, baked, or wafer.
2. Is Lay’s made of plastic?
No, Lay’s chips do not contain plastic in them. There is no claim that the chips contain plastic, and so far, no one has found even a trace of it in the packets.
3. Why is a packet of Lay’s full of air?
The extra air space in the box is designed to safeguard the chips from breakage during handling; it is not merely a marketing gimmick to boost sales.
You should also read Is Coke Zero Healthy? Does It Have Caffeine?
