how bad are tortilla chips & salsa for you??

Question

are they terribly fattening? trying to diet but they don't seem like the WORST thing I could eat.

Answer 1

The salsa is good for you if it has cooked tomatoes- even if they are not cooked. But those chips- a heart attack waiting to happen. I recommend Baked Lays instead.

Answer 2

The salsa is not fattening per say,but the chips can hold carbs and fat.Salsa is considered as free food for Diabetics,so you know it is alright for a diet,now the chips I'd buy the baked and check sodium contents and fat, then see how many are in a serving.Hope this helps.....

Answer 3

Just don't eat chips and salsa before bed at night. That's an old trick sometimes used for gaining weight. Yes, it's true, some people actually need to gain weight- such as after surgery or illness or for bodybuilding. Also, don't eat them late at night because the jalapenos and what not can cause stomach problems from slower nighttime digestion.
Interesting fact: People in Mexico have the lowest occurance of stomach cancer in the world. Why? Because they eat so much hot stuff and usually start at very young age.

Answer 4

Simple solution: avoid chips and as many high-starch products (bread products, rice, and potato-based products) as possible (even whole-wheat ones aren't great): use beans, fruits, and nuts: these are all low-glycemic (and thus more likely to be converted to muscle than body fat) and much healthier.

???????So what's wrong with chips beside fat??????????????
Many people know chips are bad because of saturated and/or trans fat and some realize the salt in them in bad for the heart and blood pressure.
But what many people don't know is even "healthy" baked chips still have the problem of being made of high-starch potatoes and/or white bread.
What this means is chips have VERY high glycemic potential (almost as bad as sugar IE ice cream) and, therefore, often contribute to weight gain and the insulin intolerance that speeds up aging...not to mention high-glycemic foods harm the cardio system, causing symptoms like lightheadness and making exercise harder.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Fat and protien is 9 calories per gram and carbs are 6 calories per gram, any of these can make you gain weight if you have more than you burn in a day (for example 2 grams of fat are as "bad" as 3 carbs b/c both are 18 calories). Note eating protien along with carbs helps make foods with carbs lower glycemic (vinegar has a similar effect...if you really need chips THAT badly try eating them with vinegar and use a bit of protien powder supplement in the dip).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You are going to get some fat and carbs no matter what you eat: keep the in your diet ratio at 1 to 1 saturated fat to monounsaturated fat and all the carbs low-glycemic and you will be fine. :-)

Answer 5

Salsa has zero fat in it. The reason why so many hispanics are obese though has to do with the other foods. Guacamole, fried tortillas, cheeses, beans. If you can find baked tortilla chips, enjoy!

Answer 6

How bad is any junk food for you...they call it junk food for a reason. Those chips taste so yummy because of their high fat content. You want to have the salsa fine but eat it with a low fat cracker instead.

Answer 7

They are tasty and wonderful to eat, but if you are really worried about the oils, then just go for the baked, low sodium variety! The salsa will make up for the lack of taste! ;) Enjoy!

Answer 8

The salsa is not too bad. But those chips are high in saturated fat!

Answer 9

I like them specially with cream cheese under the salsa.

Answer 10

pretty good for you actually you can get baked chips to lower the fat but salsa is good for you. especially if its home made