Study Finds Lentil and Vegetable Chips Not Significantly Healthier Than Potato Chips
A German consumer center's study found that lentil and vegetable chips are not necessarily healthier than potato chips, despite claims of being lower in fat or higher in protein.
Newsnibs Staff
- 2026-10-02
- Updated 12:19 AM UTC
(North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)
Legume chips made from lentils, peas or chickpeas are not necessarily healthier than ordinary potato chips, according to a market check by the Verbraucherzentrale NRW, the consumer advice centre for North Rhine-Westphalia. Some of the products carry claims such as "less fat" or "rich in protein".
The centre examined six vegetable chip products and six legume chip products. The legume chips contain roughly 30 to 55 percent less fat than potato chips. They average about 450 kilocalories per 100 grams, around 17 percent below the roughly 540 kilocalories in potato chips. Vegetable chips average about 510 kilocalories per 100 grams.
Salt tells a different story. Many of the legume products contain 1.5 grams or more per portion. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung, the German Nutrition Society, recommends a maximum of 6 grams a day, so 1.5 grams is one-quarter of that limit.
The Verbraucherzentrale NRW concludes that these chips are not automatically a better choice. For people who want more legumes in their diet, it suggests freshly prepared dishes instead.
Photo by Jeff Siepman on Unsplash
