Product Review: Lay's Wavy Potato Chips with 0 Trans Fat

The search for a diet healthy potato chip can feel like it leaves much to be desired. When you are craving potato chips, it feels like I could eat the whole bag, and at times I do. While many of the new variants of no trans fat favorite foods are ruined for me - the Oreos just don't taste the same - the healthier no trans fat foods at Starbucks disappoint, but Lay's Wavy Potato Chips actually taste better to me.

I always liked that Lay's Wavy chips are a little thicker and that they do not break apart as easily, they taste the same yummy salty crispy fried way, but the safflower oil adds something. It is not as greasy but still packs flavor. The calorie count is reasonable, about eleven chips are 150 calories (90 from fat) so a reasonable portion can be a tasty diet indulgence that is much more satisfying than its caloric equal of eating seven gummy bears.

The safflower oil that is not used by Lay's is one of the zero gram trans fat kinds that are seen since the 205 dietary guidelines changed. This specifically affects many of our favorite junk foods, and most potato chips have not quite adjusted. For instance, a competing potato chip, Pringles, describe how the oil they use can cause stomach pains, and personally I do not find the chips very tasty. Lay's has managed to make a healthier variant of their original product without compromising quality. While Pringles reduced fat chips are a more consistent taste per chip - another words you rarely get a bad tasting or sour chip since they are a processed stamped chip shape of selected potatoes, not fried wafers. However, there is a heavier oil taste to the Pringles, which always has a bit of a different taste, but the trans fat also has a different texture to them.

Why do diet chips often taste bad? According to the Lay's bag, regular Lay's Wavy Potato Chips contain 3 grams of saturated fat per one ounce serving and 10 grams total fat. Total daily intake of fat should be between 20 - 35 percent of total calories, so at 150 calories, 90 of them from fat, the Trans Fat Lay's Wavy Chips are still about 3/5 of 60% fat, so they require you to adjust your diet somewhere else. But they are tasty enough to satisfy, which is somewhat rare in a diet chip.

And sometimes you just need to satisfy a greasy salty potato chip craving. When that happens, a handful of Lay's Potato chips is a tasty and healthier version of a classic chip.