Best Alternatives to Potato Chips You Can Find in Malaysia

When it comes to snacking, potato chips, or potato crisps, have always been a popular choice among Malaysians. While snacking is not necessarily a bad thing, it can have negative effects on your health if you’re eating excessively, especially if you’re eating too many unhealthy, processed foods.

Snacking Habits

According to a survey, Malaysians tend to snack when multitasking – such as when browsing the internet, watching television, and studying or working. Furthermore, snacks have been a source of comfort and are used to destress, satisfy cravings, or tide one over until the next big meal. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, there are pros and cons of snacking.

Pros of Snacking

Having a small snack provides a small boost of energy, which is especially helpful for diabetics when glucose levels drop. Snacking also helps curb your appetite and prevents overeating during your meals. Lastly, it provides extra nutrients if your snack is something like fresh fruit or nuts.

Cons of Snacking

Snacking can cause weight gain because you are eating extra calories between meals. Too many snacks can also reduce hunger during actual mealtimes, causing you to skip the actual meal. Processed foods are high in calories and low in nutrients, resulting in excessive snacking because you will get hungry again after a short while.

Healthier Alternatives to Potato Chips

If you opt for healthy snacks over processed ones, you can eat more because they are high in nutrients and will keep you fuller for longer.

Fruit and Vegetable Chips

If you are looking for something crunchy, fruit and vegetable chips are healthy alternatives to potato chips and there are a variety of flavours and options available on the market. For instance, Woh Tempeh chips are thinly sliced and kettle-cooked to achieve their unique crunchy texture. Besides their signature plant-based chips, which come in original, seaweed, and spicy balado, they also have banana chips, jackfruit chips, and salacca chips.

Yogurt

If you’re craving something cold and sweet like ice cream, opt for yogurt instead. It’s a rich source of calcium and has probiotics, which is great for your gut health. Eat it with some fresh fruit or granola or freeze it with berries for a cooling and delicious treat.

Hummus

Made of chickpeas and full of plant-based protein, hummus is a healthy choice for snacking. They pair well with natural ingredients such as carrots and celery, or with toast or crackers. Hummus is nutrient-dense and a good source of fiber, making it great for blood sugar management. Incorporate it into your diet to keep you fuller for longer.

Nuts

For versatile and savory snacks, nuts are the healthier option for potato chips because they are nutrient-dense. They can be eaten raw, roasted, unsalted, or salted, or made into nut flour, butter, or milk. Nuts make the perfect snack or topper to healthy foods such as salads.

Fresh Vegetables

Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, fresh vegetables are the most nutritious snacks. It’s natural, unprocessed, and versatile. They can be eaten raw with a dip, or made into easy dishes like cucumber salad. Or can be baked to crispy perfection like kale chips.

Fresh Fruit

Just like fresh vegetables, fresh fruit is also packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making them the perfect alternative to potato chips. If you’re craving something sweet, fruits are the way to go because they are packed with fibre and have natural sugars, which is much healthier than processed complex sugars.

Snacking Smart for a Healthy Lifestyle

If you’re looking for healthier snack options, natural and unprocessed foods are the way to go.

However, it’s important to be strategic about your snacking habits. Quitting unhealthy snacks cold turkey may cause your cravings to be stronger, leading to binging in the future.

You can start by portioning that snack and eating it with something healthy – for instance, a small serving of potato chips after eating a simple sandwich. That way, you will feel full from the healthy meal and also satisfy your cravings for the chips without overeating.

As you slowly switch to the alternatives mentioned above, you can satisfy your munchies while nourishing your body with essential nutrients.