Last week I had a bizarre, slightly disgusting experience. With tortilla chips. I’d found a new, healthy-ish looking brand in my local hippie health food store. Masa Traditional Chips. The package boasted Ancient Grain Crunch and No Seed Oil. Who among us isn’t in search of a healthier chip? Ancient grains? No oil? Yes, please. Pass the chips!
The next day at lunch, my husband and I ripped into the bag. They had a weird taste. Okay, I thought, maybe it’s an ancient grain I didn’t know. Or maybe it was one I did know, like barley or farro, that took on a different taste once processed into a chip. I turned to the back of the package in search of the ingredient list.
- Organic corn
- Beef tallow
- Sea salt
BEEF TALLOW IN TORTILLA CHIPS? WHAAAAAT?
I spit it out. (I haven’t eaten beef since 1990). My husband, who was equally disgusted, but has better manners than I do, swallowed. I returned the chips to the store, to exchange for a non-tallow brand. The shelves were packed with a dizzying array of chips, made mostly with canola, olive, and avocado oil. None — except Masa– contained beef.
Why would a tortilla chip company replace canola oil with beef tallow? The answer lies in U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services RFK, Jr.’s misleadingly titled, “Make America Healthy Again,” report ….
Science-refuting RFK, Jr. claims that artery-clogging beef tallow is healthier than seed oils like canola, corn, and sunflower. And he’s urging food manufacturers and fast food chains to replace healthier oils with tallow.
Decades of randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis unequivocally conclude that replacing seed oil with high cholesterol beef tallow in any food is a very, very bad idea. Yet, venture capital firms like Swan Peak Capital Management, an “angel investor” behind Masa Traditional Chips, are touting a “tallow-is-better-for-you-than-seed-oil” message. Their goal: To “redefine the snack aisle.” Target market: MAHA disciples; people who love the flavor of beef and can’t get enough of it; and unsuspecting chip-lovers who wouldn’t, in their wildest dreams, suspect a tortilla chip to contain beef.
Misleading Labeling: I get that there are many people who love the flavor of beef, and some consider beef-flavored chips a product benefit. My beef with MASA tortilla chips is their misleading labeling. In fact, there are quite a few brands of chips fried in tallow — but, unlike MASA, these brands tout their ingredients on the front of the package. Many proudly incorporate it into their brand name. Never would a beef-avoiding, chip-lover be duped into buying (and eating!) Beefy’s Own Tallow Potato Chips, or any chip sold by Meat N’ Bone (which, frankly, sounds more like a Petco supplier than a company whose products are in the chip aisle of a supermarket).
What the Science Says
+ Replacing unsaturated fats (seed oils) with saturated fats (tallow, lard, butter) increases risk of heart disease and stroke.
+ Omega-6, found in seed oils, lowers inflammation and reduces type 2 diabetes risk.
+ The American Heart Association and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health endorse the use of seed oils for cardiovascular benefits.
+ The healthiest tortilla chips are baked using extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. Both are rich in mono-saturated, heart-healthy fats.
Dipping a carrot or celery stick into a bowl of hummus is always a better idea, nutritionally, than crunching on a chip, no matter which oil is used to make it. But sometimes you just need a chip. And eating a chip made with beef tallow is never good for your arteries and heart.
“Seeds are one of nature’s most nourishing gifts; a package of beneficial healthy fats,” says Darioush Mozaffarian, professor and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University. “That something so well studied within nutrition science has had such a backlash has been a source of confusion … But this misunderstanding may come from a misplaced combination of partial truths.”
And to that I raise a Graza Extra Virgin Olive Oil Potato Chip to Dr. Mozzaffarian. And look forward to the day when choosing a bag of chips (or returning one to the store for a refund) is no longer a political act of resistance.
How to Bake Simple Crunchy Snacks that Are Good for You
3-Ingredient Tortilla Chips: I was well into my 30s until I learned where tortilla chips came from. (I didn’t learn where potatoes came from until much later, when I started growing them). Simply buy a package of your favorite tortillas, cut them into small triangles, sprinkle with olive oil and salt, bake, and it’s magic – within a few minutes you’ve got yourself a batch of crunchy chips. Without the guilt.
Easy Seed Crackers: My search for ways to incorporate more flax and chia into my diet (more fiber and omega-3) ended with this recipe from England-based Moorlands Eater. These simple crackers are crunchy, savory, and insanely healthy. They’re sturdy enough to hold up to whatever you put on them, and tasty enough to eat on their own.
Crispy Baked Potato Chips: So simple, so good. What you need to know about this recipe: Definitely use russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, because they get the crispiest when baked. You don’t need a mandolin if you have a sharp knife to cut thin slices. Be prepared to binge.
Crispy Baked Kale Chips: I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a recipe I’m kinda famous for. It will make a kale-lover out of anyone. Every time I make these, I wonder why kale chips didn’t become the default snack at movie theaters. Popcorn, move over!
Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas: I fell in love with roasted chickpeas while making the best Caesar Salad ever, published in New York Times Cooking. (Here it is, but it’s behind a paywall). It just happened to be vegan. I tasted a roasted chickpea before I tossed it into the salad, and before I knew it, half of the chickpeas were gone. I had to make another batch for the salad. This recipe is simpler – just the chickpeas, hold the salad. And because they’re chickpeas, they’re fiber-licious!
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