Healthy Chips in India: The Complete Guide to Types, Benefits and Buying Smart

Introduction

This healthy chips guide is made for anyone who loves to have crispy chips in India but doesn’t want to lose out on health, fitness, or well-being in the process. This covers the complete range of healthy chips in India and how they compare in terms of nutrition content and labeling for the perfect choice in less than a minute.

Through this process, this healthy chips guide offers in-depth insights into chips made of ragi, beetroot, millet, makhana, and others.

What makes a chip actually healthy?

Healthier chips are not just less-oily versions of standard wafers. There are four parameters that determine whether a particular wafer is healthy or just marketed as such.

1. First ingredient cannot be maida

• Always look at the ingredient list.

• When the first ingredient on a product label is either “refined wheat flour / maida” or “potato starch”, it implies a high-carb and low-fiber product.

• Instead, you should search for first ingredients being ragi, jowar, bajra, oats, chana, makhana, beetroot or sweet potatoes, as these would provide a lot of fiber, minerals, and lower glycemic index.

2. Processing process – ideally baked, roasted or popped

• As we already know, the deep frying process results in higher levels of absorbed fat, increasing calorie content per serving.

• Therefore, baked or roasted chips would generally have less total fat and calories per 30 gram serving, especially in combination with whole grains or millets.

Also read: Baked vs fried chips 

The main types of healthy chips in India

The types of healthy chips in India include the following

1. Ragi Chips

Ragi Chips, which are produced from finger millet, an indigenous Indian grain, include minerals like calcium, iron and fibre. In a single 30 grams serving, ragi chips might have 120-130 calories, 2-3 grams of protein, roughly 20-23 grams of carbohydrates along with 3 grams of fat. 

Due to their higher fiber content and lower glycemic index, ragi helps to maintain constant blood glucose levels, thus being beneficial for people having diabetes, PCOS and obesity. Being one of the highest sources of plant-based calcium in Indian diets, ragi is helpful for kids, women and seniors. For further information regarding the topic, you can consult the ragi based snack chips article.

2. Beetroot Chips

Beetroot chips are slices of beetroot, which are then baked or roasted to form a crispy snack with naturally red color because of the presence of betalain pigments.

In a single 30 grams serving of beetroot chips, there would be about 140 calories, 3 grams of proteins, 18 grams of carbohydrates, roughly 7 grams of fat and nearly 3 grams of fibre. Since beetroots contain natural iron and folate, they could be beneficial for

3. Millet chips (jowar, bajra, mix) - protein, fibre and gluten free

India's millet chips usually consist of jowar, bajra, ragi, or any combination of the above. Some millet chips are made from a mix of millets and flax seed or another seed.

A 28 to 30 gram pack of flaxseed and millets based chips may contain between 70 and 110 calories, up to 1 to 3 grams of protein, up to 12 grams of carbohydrates and a small amount of fat at 1 to 3 grams, alongside beneficial dietary fiber.

Millets are gluten free, and have less effect on blood sugar than several refined flour types, and they provide iron and magnesium.

Millet based chips are good options for anyone looking for an alternative to traditional chips. 

4. Makhana chips – lowest calorie and low GI

Fox nuts are commonly used to make makhana chips; they are roasted and flavored, and sometimes light-baked with spices or coatings applied. A 30 gram packet of roasted makhana provides roughly 150 to 160 calories,

5. Sweet potato chips - vitamin A and beta carotene

For 28 to 30 grams, sweet potato chips typically contain about 150 calories, around 16 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fibre, 9 grams of fats, and a negligible amount of proteins. Sweet potato chips are produced by cutting sweet potatoes into slices and baking/roasting them with a minimal amount of oil and seasonings. 

Their most notable contribution comes from the vitamin A contained in beta carotene form, which is beneficial for promoting good vision and boosting the immune system, as well as for maintaining healthy skin. 

Sweet potatoes' glycemic load is also significantly lower compared to that of many potato-based snacks. If you want more information about sweet potato snacks, you can read relevant articles in guides on baked chips in India focused on vegetable chips.

6. Oats chips – high fibre and highly filling

Oats chips combine either rolled or powdered oats with some other grain or pulse products. In 30 grams of plain oats, there are around 117 calories, 5 grams of protein, 20 grams of carbs, roughly 3 grams of dietary fibre, and 2 grams of fats. Although these numbers differ when oats are baked into chips

Healthy chips nutrition comparison table

Healthy Chips by Health Goal 

Healthy chips should be customized according to your particular objective for health improvement. In this part, we have considered all the healthy chips available in India to come up with appropriate combinations for each purpose.

1. For Weight Loss

In the case of weight loss, look for fewer calories per serving along with more fiber content and better satiety.

• Best choice: ragi chips, millet chips, chana chips. These provide greater amounts of fiber and protein calories and help you stay fuller for a longer time.

• Others: makhana chips in controlled quantities if you are looking for bulkier chips with a lighter feeling.

Also read: Healthy chips for weight loss - 100 calorie variants.

2. For Diabetes

Low to medium GI, whole-grain or pulse-based chips without added sugar will be the best choices for people suffering from diabetes.

• Best choice: ragi chips, chana chips, millet chips. They contain more fiber and slowly-digestible carbohydrates.

• Suggested sometimes: sweet potato chips and beetroot chips if consumed in small quantities.

Also read: Healthy chips for diabetics 

3. For PCOS

A woman who suffers from PCOS condition needs chips that increase insulin sensitivity, balance hormone levels and control body weight.

4. For kids

Kids require high nutrient density chips rather than low calories only.

• Top picks: ragi chips for calcium and iron content, beetroot chips for folate and natural color, sweet potato chips for vitamin A and beta carotene.

• Snack suggestion: combine chips with curd, hummus or nuts dip in order to provide proteins and healthy fat for making a mini-meal out of the snack.

Also read: Gluten-free snacks for kids 

5. For heart health

In case of heart health issues, one needs to concentrate on healthy fat content, fiber, and low saltiness.

• Top picks: oats chips and millet chips that contain heart-friendly oils such as rice bran or sunflower oil.

• Other options: ragi and chana chips due to their higher fiber content and minerals; however, one must pay attention to the sodium content in flavored varieties.

Also read: Heart-healthy snacking

6. For office snacking

For office snacking, one needs chips that can be easily packed, consumed in appropriate portions, and supply constant energy.

• Top picks: small bags of oats chips, millet chips, and chana chips because they provide slower energy release and higher satiety.

• Variety pick: beetroot chips and makhana for refreshing mind and diversified taste during long hours at work.

Also read: Best snacks for office 

How to read any chip label in 30 seconds?

Here is a list of five things that should take not more than 30 seconds of your time, which you can check to determine whether you need this pack of chips in your trolley.

1. First ingredient

• See if the first item is any one of these – ragi, jowar, bajra, oats, chana, makhana, beetroot or sweet potato.
  

• Stay away from those with refined wheat flour / maida or potato flakes as the first ingredients.

2. Oil used in preparation and method

• Select those which are baked, roasted or popped.

• Check for oils such as rice bran, sunflower or groundnut instead of palm oil or vegetable oil.

3. Servings per pack and caloric value

• In case of healthy chips, the quantity of nutritional values is usually mentioned per 30 grams.

• Ensure that you are consuming not more than 70 to 150 calories in 30 grams depending upon what your goals are.

4. Protein content and fiber content

• For chips made from grains which are healthier for everyday consumption in India, see if you have 2-3 grams of protein and fiber per 30 grams minimum.

• Generally, ragi, oats and chana chips score well compared to regular potato wafers in these aspects.

Healthy chips you can make at home

Home-made healthy snack chips that can be made in India kitchens can be surprisingly easy too. All that is needed is a base vegetable or grain, some oil, basic masala, and either an oven or air fryer.

• Ragi or millet based baked cracker chips: Mix a batter using ragi or jowar flour, a bit of oil, spices, and water. Roll it out and cut into triangles. Bake until crisp.

• Roasted beetroot or sweet potatoes chips in the oven: Cut thin slices and coat with a teaspoon of oil and masala before baking in a single layer until crisp.

• Roasted Chana and Makhana Mix Chips: Roast makhana and bhuna chana along with spices dry in a pan. Allow the mixture to cool and keep stored in airtight containers.

The homemade recipes give you full control over the type and amount of oil used, quantity of salt and flavors making them ideal additions for your baked chips guide. Step by step recipes with timings and temperatures for each will be found in special healthy chips recipes on well-established health food blogs in India.

If you have to make one homemade chip recipe in this weekend, what base vegetable or grain would you prefer?

Conclusion

If you are someone who likes to have ready to eat options that fall within the guidelines of our healthy chips types India guide, then products such as Healthy Master’s baked and roasted chips made using millets, pulses and vegetables offer great choice.

For instance, ragi chips and beetroot chips have been created keeping in mind the combination of whole grain/vegetable, low GI and better ingredients without coming across as diet foods. 

The common theme among these chips is that they make use of cleaner ingredients, baking of chips rather than deep frying in many cases and also flavors that are more suitable to Indian tastes. All of these make them a part of our complete healthy chips India guide to healthy snacking for every day. 

When creating your very own healthy chips pillar page, you could include both branded chips as well as homemade chips in order to give your loved ones better snacking choices over conventional wafers.

After going through all aspects of our guide to healthy chips – be it the basics of healthy chips, different types, health goals, label reading or even making your own chips – which single step are you willing to take for

FAQ:

1. Are there any healthy chips?

Yes, chips made with whole grains, millets, pulses, or veggies, baked/roasted not fried, using high-quality oils and keeping salt content under control may turn out to be quite healthy when consumed in moderation. Ragi chips, millet chips, chana chips, oats-based chips, beetroot chips, and makhana fall under that category of snacks which can become a part of a well-balanced meal provided they are consumed in small quantities.

2. What chip has fewer calories?

In terms of calories, millets-based chips tend to have the least calories per 30 grams (usually between 70 and 110) especially those that were baked and lightly spiced.

Ragi and oats-based chips tend to contain no more than 120-130 calories, while standard chips made with potatoes and sweet potatoes usually exceed 150 calories. Always check the number of calories per portion size indicated at the bottom of the pack.

3. What chip is better for diabetics?

If we talk about healthy chips for diabetics in India, one needs to opt for foods which have a low or medium GI, contain fiber and have very little sugar added during production. Such chips include ragi, millets, and chana chips which contain complex carbohydrates,