Sunday, September 9, 2012

Product Review: Open Nature ( Safeway ) Veggie Chips

I found a new product at my local Safeway today, and they are really very good: vacuum fried veggie chips. What is vacuum frying? Glad you asked!

A vacuum fryer is a deep-frying device housed inside a vacuum chamber. It was originally developed for potato chip production. Vacuum fryers are fit to process low-quality potatoes that contain higher sugar levels than normal, as they frequently have to be processed in spring and early summer before the potatoes from the new harvest become available. With vacuum frying it is easier to maintain natural colors and flavours of the finished product - this making the process ideal for high sugar veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.


So yes - these are fried. They also have no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Yes, they add fructose ( why? I have no idea... ) but I can deal with a natural fruit sugar for those times when I need a crunchy, wheat free snack.

I liked these, a lot. The store also had carrot chips and sweet potato chips I will definitely go back for - but for my first time, out, I decided to try the mixed bag of veggies. They did have a slightly oily feel, but not so much I was put off by it.

Part of a Clean diet is finding foods that satisfy you mentally without straying too far off your Clean path. This type of crunchy salty sweet product does it for me. I can see a bag of these chips in my desk drawer at work, or taking a bag along with me on a trip.

If you have a Safeway or Safeway affiliate store ( Safeway, Carr's, Von's Dominick's, Pak N Save Randall's, Tom Thumb ) in your area that sells Open Nature brand products, you'll find these in the fruit / vegetable area of the store - or near where they have raisins and dried fruit.


Open Nature Veggie Chips


Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Taro, Carrots, Green Beans, Canola and/or Palm Fruit Oil, Fructose, Sea Salt.
Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk, wheat, egg and soy.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 15.0 pieces (28 g)
Servings Per Container 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 130 Calories from Fat 35
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4 g 6%
Saturated Fat 0.5 g 3%
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 125 mg 5%
Potassium
Total Carbohydrate 22 g 7%
Dietary Fiber 2 g 8%
Sugars 4 g
Protein 1 g
Vitamin A 20%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0%
Iron 0%
Copper
Folic Acid
Iodine
Magnesium
Niacin
Phosphorus
Riboflavin
Thiamin
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B6
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Zinc
  • * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.