Potato Crisps or Chips
Food · Other · Food, Typed Supps
Frying swaps the potato's water for oil. That single swap is most of what you are eating.
Stage by stage
- Intake (Shatters and rehydrates): The porous fried structure fragments immediately, exposing gelatinised starch to salivary amylase.
- Digestion (Oil and starch broken down): Frying replaced the potato's water with oil, so a small mass carries a large fat load; gastric emptying slows.
- Absorption (Sodium and fat absorbed): Sodium absorbs almost completely and acts fast; starch releases glucose quickly.
- Over time (Sodium and energy load): Repeated intake matters mainly through sodium and energy density rather than any single nutrient.
Time to effect
- Under an hour: Sodium is absorbed and drives thirst within the hour.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. May contain: Celery, Gluten, Milk, Mustard, Soya, Sulphites. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Low-FODMAP. Depends on the product: Gluten-free.
Satiety
72 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — low. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.
Environmental footprint
0.5 kg CO2e and 59 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Potatoes" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £1.4 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 501
- Protein: 6.8g
- Carbohydrate: 43.6g
- of which sugars: 1.4g
- Fat: 32.6g
- of which saturated: 7.8g
- Fibre: 3.6g
- Sodium: 970mg
Food vs. supplement
Not applicable. The potassium and vitamin C here are real potato nutrients that survive frying, but they come attached to the fat and sodium that define the food.
Kitchen tip
The frying oil is the single biggest lever on fat quality and it is chosen by the manufacturer, not the eater — which is why comparing brands on the fat breakdown is more informative than comparing flavours.
Common myth
"Plain salted crisps are the low-salt option." In reality: Salt is the base seasoning for the whole family. Flavoured varieties do tend to sit higher, because acids and savoury powders are themselves sodium salts, but plain crisps are salted generously and the gap is narrower than the names imply.
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