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People often ask this question, “Can we eat potato chips while on a weight loss diet?” After all, there cannot be too many calories in a small packet of chips, right? We understand how hard to resist the temptation digging into a packet of crunchy, flavourful chips. Now, here’s an interesting fact – did you know people often turn to chips when under stress or anxiety, and the flavourful taste of potato chips can act as a temporary distraction. Likewise, when we are feeling hungry in between meals, a bag of chips can act as a saviour. These chips are also a popular choice for on-the-go snacking due to their longer shelf life, making them perfect for outdoor adventures. Now, coming back to the question, can you have chips while trying to lose weight? We have got the answer below:
Let’s delve into the main ingredients that make potato chips savoury and delicious: A popular brand of potato chips has these main ingredients – potato, edible vegetable oil, salt, sugar, dextrose, among others.
The main ingredient potato contains carbohydrates derived from starch, which is the main component of potatoes. When potatoes are fried to make chips, the starch undergoes a process known as gelatinization, which changes its structure and texture. Gelatinized starch is also considered more likely to cause obesity than normal starch. Gelatinized starches can cause elevated blood glucose, diabetes, and obesity as the calories are readily available in simple form. Experts recommend to cut down on foods with gelatinized starches to reduce the risk factors of high blood glucose, diabetes, and obesity.
Apart from starch, potato chips may also contain small amounts of simple carbohydrates in the form of sugars. These sugars can come from the natural sugars present in potatoes or added sugars in flavored or seasoned varieties of potato chips.
Apart from sugar, commercially-available potato chips also have another sugar “dextrose.” According to Webmd, consuming excessive amounts of dextrose can lead to various short and long-term effects. And one obvious outcome is weight gain. Since the body metabolizes dextrose rapidly, any excess sugar that is available gets stored as fat. Overconsumption of dextrose can therefore contribute to fat accumulation.
It’s important to note that while un-processed potatoes are a source of carbohydrates, the frying process to make potato chips adds quite a lot of fat from the oil used for frying. This means that potato chips are typically high in both carbs, sugar, and fat, making them a calorie-dense and hyperpalatable snack.
Another ingredient that’s worth mentioning is “sodium,” which causes water retention. Consumption of too much sodium-rich food can make you drink less water and intensify cravings and hunger, which could further lead to overeating and weight gain.
What is a Hyperpalatable Food?
Potato chips fall into the hyperpalatable category. Hyperpalatable food are often engineered to be extremely appealing to the senses, containing a combination of ingredients that are high in sugar, fat, salt, and other flavor-enhancing additives. The goal of hyperpalatable foods is to create a sensation of intense pleasure and satisfaction upon consumption, which can lead to overeating and potentially contribute to issues such as obesity and other health problems. This continuous cycle of craving, overconsumption, and weight gain is perpetuated by what’s known as the “bliss point” – a meticulously calibrated and engineered combination of ingredients that maximizes the food’s appeal so that individuals even when full, crave for more of such food, detrimental to weight loss and overall health.
Summing up, as mentioned above, we turn to a bag of potato chips as a remedy to fight cravings, boredom, stress relief, and to get a quick energy boost. However, this seemingly innocent snack may be a significant contributor to weight gain and obesity. Being a hyperpalatable food with ingredients such as gelatinized starch, sugar, fat, dextrose, can make it difficult to lose weight. So, it’s not recommended to rely on potato chips as a snack on a diet, instead popcorn (without butter), fresh fruits, whole grain crackers, apple slices with peanut butter, nuts are better choices. For effective weight loss diet plans, download and subscribe to the Rati Beauty app.
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