Are Banana Chips Healthy ? This Is What You Should Definitely Know

It is no secret that bananas are incredibly healthy and nutritious fruit. Banana chips, a popular Indian snack, seem pretty healthy at first glance; after all, they are made out of bananas-a nutritious fruit.

However, the question is, are banana chips healthy? They seem healthy but are they beneficial for you?

Banana chips are highly processed foods.

They are fried in oil to give them a crunch and then coated with sugar, salt, honey, syrup, and spices. This process adds significant calories and fats to them. If one were to ask me- how much sugar in a banana? I would say much lower than the sugar in banana chips. So, how healthy are banana chips?

Let’s look at banana chips nutritional values-

Dried Banana chips Nutrition facts

Source-USDA

Amount-per 100g

Calories-519

Total fat-34g

Sodium-6mg

Pottasium-536mg

Carbohydrate-58g

Protein-2.3g

A 100g of dried banana chips contains 519 calories-a very high number. To give you some context, an average adult male’s daily calorie requirement is around 2000 calories. Calories in 100g of banana chips are almost 1/4th of an adult male’s daily calorie requirement!

Unsweetened banana chips’ calories are relatively lower than sweetened banana chips’ calories. The calories in fried ones are also higher than dried ones. This is because these are made by first drying the bananas (dehydrating the bananas gives them a longer shelf life, so they do not get spoilt fast), then frying them, finally adding flavor through sugar, honey, or syrup, and sometimes spices.

However, unsweetened banana chips’ calories are lower, simply because these do not contain extra sweeteners.

High in Fat

These are high in fat because they are fried in hot oil, which gives them their signature crunchy taste. The high-fat content due to frying increases the calories present in the chips and the number of saturated fats. A diet that is high in saturated fats, especially from processed foods, can lead to lifestyle diseases such as Hypertension and Diabetes.

High in Sugar

These are also very high in sugar as sugary syrups and honey are added to add flavor. Foods high in sugar are adversarial to the skin, brain, and other internal organs. A high sugar diet can be a cause for chronic illnesses. Additionally, high sugar increases the calories present in them.

High in Calories

These chips are exceedingly high in calories.100g of them contain 519 calories, almost equivalent to the calories in 100g of potato chips (536 calories) and way more than the calories in 100g of banana (89 calories).

Now to answer the glaring question-Are banana chips healthy for you? Are banana chips good for health?

The verdict is-NO, banana chips are not healthy. The high-fat content, including the saturated fat content and high potassium levels, makes them an unhealthy food choice.

A few trite questions related to these are- Are these a healthy snack? Are these fattening? The answer to these questions is no and yes, respectively. Banana chips (which are usually fried) are not a healthy snack option. The high content of Fat, Sugar, and calories makes them unhealthy. Also, eating them in large quantities can cause weight gain and harmful fat accumulation.

The Bottom Line

Banana chips seem healthy but are not. They are high in calories, fat, sugar, sodium, and potassium. Thus, it increased in all things that scream alarm bells. However, if you want to eat them, it is better to go for the baked ones seasoned with herbs and spices rather than fried chips containing sugar. Alternatively, go for a whole banana.

Remember to be mindful of the portion size!

Click here to read about the amazing benefits of gond