PCOS Snacks – Parsnip Chips

Hello Y’All!

It’s Thursday and you know what that means? It means it is time to talk PCOS friendly snacks! Last week we talked about my little sweet and salty finds – Trader Joe’s Unsalted Peanut Butter Pretzels. If you missed last week’s posts and you love peanut butter half as much as I do – click here to read what you missed. Those nuggets are amazing! So onward to another PCOS Friendly Snack 🙂 

This week I decided to keep the Trader Joe’s theme going. But instead, this week I wanted to share something a bit saltier – or at least tastes saltier! Trader Joe’s Parsnips Chips.

PCOS Friendly Snack  – Trader Joes Parsnip Chips 

If you don’t already know – I love Trader Joes. Not only is it about 1/8 of a mile from my office – but it right on the way home from Crossfit. The people who work there are also so friggin’ nice! Plus they almost always have samples which a foodie like me loves, loves, loves. I sometimes feel like it sometimes my home away from home. Every time I am in there – I am always on the hunt for different PCOS friendly foods and snacks that taste good. Most days I end up feeling accomplished and happy. Today was a good day 🙂  I found these gems: 

I have to say I was not sure what to expect when I bought them. I am generally not disappointed with anything I buy at Trader Joes and these “chips” were no exception. These chips reminded me somewhat of plantain chips – but not AS sweet. Don’t get me wrong they certainly do have a certain level of sweetness to them – but not nearly the same sweet after-flavor of plantain chips. I found the chips super crunchy and thicker than regular potato chips. But let’s see how they stack up nutritionally against their competitor — a standard serving of potato chips. 

How Do Parsnip Chips compare with Regular Potato Chips? DO they live up to the PCOS Friendly Snack Hype?

Serving Size 

Serving size is about 12 chips. This is pretty similar to regular potato chips in which you get around 15 potato chips per serving which is also the equivalent of 1 ounce of chips. Calorie wise they are slighter lower than the same size serving of potato chips. The parsnip chips have 120 calories per serving while potato chips have about 130 – 170 calories per serving. 

Fat Content

The fat between the parsnips chip and regular potato chips is almost even. Both types of chips have about 12 grams per serving. While this is not crazy crazy crazy high – it could cut into a hefty portion of your fat grams for the day. 

Carbohydrate Count

The main difference between regular chips and parsnip chips (and the reason I even wanted to talk about them!) is the carbohydrate content. The parsnip chips only have 3 grams of carbohydrates. Yes you heard me correctly – the parsnip chips have 3 grams of carbohydrates per serving while regular chips (depending upon the brand and style) have anywhere from 14 – 25 grams per servings. So in the world of PCOS – that is a BFD (Big Friggin’ Deal – if you were wondering!) 

Low Salt 

The salt content of the parsnip chips are also substantially lower than regular chips. The parsnip chips only have 90 mg of sodium – while most regular chips have anywhere from 150 – 300 mg per serving depending once again on the brand and style. Flavored potato chips often have the most sodium per serving – so beware. You want to stay under 1, 800 mg of sodium for the day. 

Overall verdict

The parsnip chips are solid. I would rank them an 8/10. They fit the criteria for a PCOS friendly snack. They are certainly a better choice than regular potato chips for women with PCOS due to their lower carbohydrate count. But they are still fairly high in fat and contain no protein. That does not make them a bad choice – it just means just like any other snack in your diet we must have the proper “budget” left in our daily requirements.

I felt that the serving of 12 was more than enough to fill me up. I think this was due to the high fat content of the chips. If you have more calories left in your snack budget – I might suggest eating them with a couple of tablespoons of hummus or guacamole. I did enjoy them and do feel when consumed in moderation they could be an interesting addition to your PCOS friendly snack arsenal. And remember variety is the spice of life for sure when it comes to snacking. 

Have you tried this latest find? What did you think ? Yay or nay? Give us the 411 on your favorite PCOS friendly snacks. I would love to hear what you are munching on! Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.