Continuum Fitness & Movement Performance – Registered Kinesiologist Ottawa

Healthy Chip Alternatives

We have a few chip lovers in our household.  Did you know that chips contain acrylamide, a known carcinogen?  This compound occurs when a carbohydrate is heated at high temperatures (such as frying).  I’ve tried a few different options to mimic that satisfying crunch that the mighty chip provides us and one of my favourites is the kale chip.  Many find it difficult to perfect – the chips burn or get soggy.  Here’s are two tricks to get the perfect kale chip:

  1. Make sure the kale is dry. I’ll wash it the night before and leave it in the sink, pat it dry or put it in the salad spinner.  If you don’t have time to dry it completely, heat the oven to 350F and turn it down as soon as the chips go in the oven.  The higher temperature will burn off any excess water.
  2. Once you’ve brushed the kale with oil and added your seasonings (sea salt and nutritional yeast are our favourites and give a nice cheesy flavour), cook them low and slow.  Try baking them at 250F for an hour or so.  They are less likely to burn and will cook evenly and turn out perfectly crispy!

Yucca, Taro, Sweet potato and squash are also great chip alternatives.  Dasheen is one of my favourites as it is a starchy root vegetable and provides a nice crunch.  Beets are a nice sweeter chip alternative – surprisingly good. Slice thin, brush with oil, bake low and slow until crispy and enjoy!

Have a peek at our CTV segment on healthy chip alternatives and see how great they turn out!   http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=693748

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