Is healthy potato chips a real thing now?

Who does not like to grab a bag of healthy potato chips without thinking twice? Don't worry—it’s not an oxymoron! Potato chips have turned healthy now, and you will be amazed to know that scientists have found a way around the oily and unhealthy recipes to produce a new version of potato chips.

This version of healthy potato chips, according to a new paper in The Plant Cell journal, will soon be made from a new potato variant, that can be stored at colder temperatures, making this variant different and even economical, as it reduces wastage. But how does that make it healthier? Let us find out.

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What makes this version different from a regular bag of potato chips?

Storing potatoes throughout the year is an issue to be addressed when producing healthy potato chips (Image by Lars Blankers/Unsplash)

Potato is a regular staple that cannot be grown throughout the year. Therefore, it is stored during the off-season, to create an uninterrupted supply to the market, which includes chip manufacturers too. When potatoes are stored, they are usually kept in cold storage or containers, which keeps them fresh, but this leads to cold induction sweetening, which converts the starches in potatoes to sugars, which is unhealthy.

When these sugary potatoes are cooked and made into chips, they can contain acrylamide, which is carcinogenic. This is how regular potato chips are produced. However, in the new version of making healthy potato chips, potatoes do not go through the same process of cold induction and, therefore, do not turn out to be carcinogenic.

A team of scientists led by Michigan State University, including Jiming Jiang and David Douches, are to be credited with the discovery of this healthy variant. Jiang said in a statement,

"It has the potential to affect every single bag of potato chips around the world."

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The new method of producing healthy potato chips

Since it was very expensive to remove sugar from potatoes and even after removal, it tasted artificial and gimmicky, there is a new way now which doesn’t involve the process of removal of sugar.

According to Oxford Academic's, The Plant Cell journal, potatoes that do not go through the process of cold induction, even when stored in cold storage, are developed, thereby eliminating both problems in one. In this new method, the particular gene that leads to cold induction in potatoes is targeted and the element that can regulate the problematic gene is found out, thus preventing sweetness in the very first place.

The potato vacuolar molecule can regulate and control genes that can produce carcinogens when potatoes are stored at really cold temperatures. Thus eliminating this gene can eliminate the problem of sweetening and cancer-causing substances, and potatoes can be stored in the cold very easily too.

These potatoes are cold-resistant, and as a result, when they are processed into chips or french fries, there is no acrylamide produced, which makes the byproducts healthy.

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Should you have potato chips?

Have healthy potato chips, to prevent obesity (Image by Towfiqu Barbhuiya/Unsplash)

No food is unhealthy if you are having it in moderation. Potato chips are usually salted and have a high quantity of sodium in them, along with oil and other chemicals and preservatives. There is acrylamide present in potato chips, which raises the chances of cancer in children and adults. So, if you’re wondering about eating chips every day, you need to stop immediately and look for healthy alternatives because chips are highly addictive.

Sodium can cause high blood pressure and oil can lead to diabetes. The unhealthy fats and preservatives will also affect your body, when you have this low-nutrient snack that is extremely high in calories.

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Healthy substitutes for potato chips

• Makhana (Fox Nuts)
• Kale chips ( air-fried)
• Apple chips
• Cucumber slices
• Nuts
• Ragi strips

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If you love chips, you can always choose healthy options like healthy potato chips or the ones mentioned above, and save yourself from harmful or carcinogenic food products. Focus more on homemade snacks and try to avoid junk, fried, or fast food to get better gut health and well-being.