Special Diets Diabetes Best Chip Brands for Diabetes Yes, you can still enjoy chips while following a diet to manage diabetes. Here are the best brands of chips for diabetes plus what to look for when you shop. By Katie Shields, M.S., RDN Updated on September 27, 2023 Reviewed by Dietitian Elizabeth Ward, M.S., RDN Reviewed by Dietitian Elizabeth Ward, M.S., RDN Elizabeth Ward is a registered dietitian and award-winning nutrition communicator and writer. She has authored or co-authored 10 books for consumers about nutrition at all stages of life. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines In This Article View All In This Article What to Look for When Shopping for Chips How to Fit Chips into a Diabetes-Friendly Diet Nutrition Guidelines for Choosing Chips Best Chip Brands for Diabetes More Nutritious Chips for Diabetes Trending Videos Close this video player Contrary to common belief, you can enjoy chips as a snack, even if you have diabetes. While you'll still need to consider carbohydrate, sodium and saturated fat content, you can still enjoy the foods you love. We'll show you how to make sense of what's on the shelves, discuss some ways to healthfully include chips in your diet and share our favorite finds. You'll get our favorite picks for potato chips and tortilla chips and learn what to look for on food labels. 26 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Better Blood Sugar What to Look for When Shopping for Chips Keep it simple: Look for chips featuring short ingredient lists and without artificial preservatives and flavors. Keep an eye out for excess sodium and added sugars, which are commonly added to barbecue-flavored chips, and other chips with a sweet or savory taste. Be heart-healthy: Choose chips cooked with heart-healthy vegetable oils like sunflower or safflower. Expeller-pressed means the oil was extracted naturally, without the use of chemical agents. Baked versus fried versus kettle-cooked: You'll save a few grams of fat by choosing baked chips, but don't be fooled into thinking "kettle-cooked" is a more healthful option. Kettle-cooked chips are still fried, just in smaller batches of oil to give them that extra crispy texture. Choose whole-grain: For tortilla chips, fill up on satiating fiber by picking brands that contain whole-grain corn, which might appear as "whole kernel" corn on the label. Best Cold Cereal Brands for Diabetes How to Fit Chips into a Diabetes-Friendly Diet While chips don't offer much nutritional value on their own, they can still be part of a healthful, diabetes-friendly diet when eaten in moderation. Munch mindfully by portioning out a reasonable amount of chips—a 1-ounce serving typically translates to about 15 regular potato chips or 10 tortilla chips—and returning the bag to the pantry. (Or eliminate the guesswork by buying single-serve packages.) As with all meals and snacks, balance blood sugar by pairing carbohydrate-rich foods with protein foods—think low-sodium deli turkey, cottage cheese or hummus. When eating chips with a sandwich, skip the second slice of bread and make a half-size version or open-face sandwich to keep your overall carb count in check. We love crushing a few tortilla chips on top of taco salad or a low-sodium bowl of soup. Instead of scooping high-calorie queso cheese, try one of these heart-healthier swaps: 1/4 cup low-sodium salsa and a dollop of low-fat sour cream; 1/4 of an avocado mashed with lime juice; or sprinkle chips with 2 tablespoons of reduced-fat Mexican cheese and melt in the microwave. Nutrition Guidelines for Choosing Chips Here's what to look for on the label when choosing chips. Serving size: 1 ounce, which is equivalent to about 15 regular potato chips or 10 tortilla chips. Always check the label, since serving size varies widely depending on the brand. Calories: ≤160 caloriesCarbohydrate: ≤25 gFiber: Aim for at least 1 gSaturated Fat: ≤2 gTrans Fat: 0 gSodium: ≤240 mg Best Chip Brands for Diabetes We put these chips to the test. Here are our favorite potato chips and tortilla chips that meet our nutrition guidelines and taste great. Photo: FritoLay. Simply Lay's Sea Salted Thick Cut Potato Chips Serving size: 17 chips 160 calories, 15 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein, 10 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 160 mg sodium Photo: FritoLay. Sun Chips 100% Whole Grain Original Serving size: 16 chips 140 calories, 19 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein, 6 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 110 mg sodium Photo: Amazon. 365 Everyday Value Kettle Cooked Potato Chips Sea Salt Serving size: 18 chips 150 calories, 17 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein, 9 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 120 g sodium Photo: Cape Cod. Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips 40% Less Fat Sweet Mesquite Barbeque Serving size: 18 chips 130 calories, 18 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein, 6 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 35 mg sodium Photo: Late July. Late July Organic Sea Salt Thin & Crispy Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips Serving size: 10 chips 130 calories, 17 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein, 7 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 65 mg sodium Photo: Guiltless Gourmet. Guiltless Gourmet Baked Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips Serving size: 18 chips 120 calories, 22 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein, 3 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 180 mg sodium Photo: FritoLay. Tostitos Baked Scoops Tortilla Chips Serving size: 16 chips 120 calories, 22 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein, 3 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 140 mg sodium More Nutritious Chips for Diabetes There are always new products popping up beyond the traditional potato and corn chips. We're big fans of the brand Beanitos, made from legumes instead of potatoes or corn. Beanitos have a comparable nutritional profile to potato or tortilla chips but pack in about 5 g of satiating protein and 4 g of fiber per serving to help manage blood glucose levels. And, while not technically a potato chip or a tortilla chip, Popchips—potato chips that are air-popped, not baked or fried—offer a slightly lower-fat alternative to traditional chips. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit