Multigrain Pringles: Potato Chips Gone Healthy

I can understand the rationale in choosing whole wheat past over regular, or wholegrain bread - visibly embedded with oats and barley and seeds and so forth - over white. There are health benefits to be had. But now, healthy Pringles? Yes, that's correct, the curvaceous potato chip sold in a tube now comes in a Multigrain varietal. As of this writing, you can purchase the Multigrain in Truly Original, Creamy Ranch, or Cheesy Cheddar. But there looms a critical question: must you sacrifice flavor for health? And if so, is it worth it?

I come from a family where Pringles have been the go-to potato chip of choice since as early as I can remember. Going on a road trip and needing some munchies, there was never a doubt - Pringles would wind up in my mother's tan bag on the backseat. And chances were high that we'd pop the freshness seal before noon. Ever the health-conscious consumers, we've migrated from the full strength chip of yore to a brief flirtation with the then-new, Olestra-filled fat free chip to our current pick, the Light Pringles chip, which is quite satisfying. Before changing yet again to the Multigrain chip as a new healthier road trip snack, we purchased a Truly Original tube - they're always cheap at close to a dollar a container - and took it home to our kitchen laboratory for assessment.

The packaging, enrobed in cadmium yellow and punctuated with the fun visual of a grain of wheat intersecting a mechanically-shaped chip, is a noticeable change from the usual Pringles tube. It exudes health and righteousness. The actual chip is also a notable departure from the smooth, milky yellow of the original version. Like so many other starchy products with "grain" in the title, the Pringle is laced with textures and a nutty complexion, thus inspiring confidence in its consumer. "Hey, this must be good for me." There is an added heft to this chip which is pleasing. The flavor, however, might not be worth the change. As my fellow taste-testers agreed, the Multigrain chip is sweeter than the Light or Original. Part of the appeal of the Original and Light versions is in the salty, crunchy, potato-y goodness. You bite into the chip and know that it is, at least to some extent, a product of the humble potato. The Multigrain version, which lists rice flour as the first ingredient, does not pack that potato-y punch. Given the marginal difference in fat and caloric content, it is my belief that the Light or Original Pringles are worth the indulgence. True, the standard chip's composition may include a few "less healthy" ingredients, but unless you're eating potato chips every day and at every meal, the Multigrains aren't worth it.