Low-Carb Kale Chips – Vegan Snack Recipe – Diet Doctor (2024)

FAQs

Are kale chips good for weight loss? ›

In the long run, replacing high-calorie snacks (looking at you potato chips) with kale chips can be a helpful component to losing weight. That's because kale chips are more nutrient-dense and less calorie-dense. That's a fancy way of saying they help you feel full with less calories.

Kale is a nutrient-dense food that's high in several vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. While cooking kale makes it less bitter, it also significantly reduces its antioxidant, vitamin C, and mineral content.

Made with three simple ingredients green leafy kale, oil, and a touch of salt, kale chips are the perfect low-carb, low-glycemic snack for diabetics.

Kale is high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamin A and calcium, as well as B vitamins, vitamin C and potassium. It's fat- and sodium-free, and the minuscule amounts of olive oil and salt used in my recipe barely bump up those amounts. My basic kale chip recipe simply involves kale roasted with sea salt and olive oil.

Because of the low calorie and high water content, kale has a low energy density. Eating plenty of foods with a low energy density has been shown to aid weight loss in numerous studies ( 30 , 31 ). Kale also contains a small amount of fiber, which is an important nutrient that has been linked to weight loss ( 32 ).

Spinach and other leafy green vegetables like kale, lettuce, etc. are great for burning belly fat and are very nutritious as well. There have been some studies done on the subject of the fat burning capabilities of spinach and the very healthy veggie has come out a winner in this category.

It is not likely that you would experience adverse effects from consuming kale chips. If the chips are very salty and you over-consume them, you might feel bloated from the excess salt intake. You may also feel some stomach discomfort from the fiber if you eat a lot of them and are not used to eating high-fiber foods.

RELATED: Believe It Or Not, Kale Actually Lives Up To All Of Its Hype—Here's Why. Manganiello says you can eat kale every day, just don't overdo it. She recommends one to two servings maximum of kale per day, leaving room for other healthy foods that provide an assortment of nutrients.

One cup contains more than five grams of fiber, which makes it a great source of digestive support. There's no denying kale's powerful detoxing benefits. One cup of the leafy green contains 1,328 percent of your recommended daily value of vitamin K, more than 300 percent of vitamin A, and 89 percent of vitamin C.

Kale chips are a low energy density food, meaning that you can eat a lot of them without adding many calories to your diet (Mayo Clinic, 2014). This makes them the perfect weight loss food, as they give you an energy boost without promoting weight gain.

Why are kale chips so expensive? ›

To top it off, kale chips are usually labeled as raw, which means in order to get them crispy they are dehydrated and that takes a looooong time. So we've got expensive ingredients + a long production process = $7 for a mini bag of kale chips!

Oven-baked kale chips are a great snack for anyone looking to add more vegetables to their diet. I've found that even my kids enjoy them because they have that salty flavor and crunch factor that everyone loves in a savory snack!

Kale can be good for adding fiber and antioxidants to the diet in many savory dishes, salads, and smoothies. Various health benefits include managing blood pressure and boosting digestive health. Kale is a leafy green cruciferous vegetable that is rich in nutrients.

"However, if you are looking for a food that is particularly high in fiber, vitamins K and C, kale is a better choice," she said. "If you are looking for a food that is particularly high in folate and a source of iron, and vitamins A and E, then spinach is a better choice."

Steaming is a better option than boiling because you don't lose as many nutrients with this cooking method, according to Gray. “You're not giving it heat treatment for very long, so it's closest to raw that you can get and you still are cooking it to some degree,” she said.

My Recommendations for Best Chips for Weight Loss

Sun Chips – These are whole grain chips and are oven-baked. Beanitos – These are bean-based, which provides fiber and protein. Tera Vegetable Chips – These are made from a mix of vegetables, providing phytonutrients and fiber. Tortilla Chips – Corn is a whole grain.