Tortilla chips: Stacking them up by taste, nutrition

In olden days, a tortilla chip was a corn-based triangle. Now there are 14 Tostitos chips alone, with an array of shapes, colors, and ingredients. To steer you toward a good choice, we had five trained panelists taste eight multigrain tortilla chips, and we found a clear winner.

Nutrition

“Multigrain” sounds healthful, but it means simply that the product has more than one kind of grain, which may be whole or not. Whole grain means that all parts of that grain have been used, boosting fiber, which helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Whole-grain products also may contain more minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.

It can be hard to identify whole grains from labels, but according to the Food and Drug Administration, some examples include oatmeal, whole-grain cornmeal, brown rice, whole-grain barley, whole rye, and buckwheat. Among the chips we tested, Garden of Eatin’ Blues has the longest list of whole grains. Other products list fewer or no whole grains. For guidance, go to www.fda.gov and search for “whole grain.”

You might pay a premium for multigrain. Nutrition statistics are similar for Tostitos Multigrain and Tostitos 100% White Corn Restaurant Style chips, but the multigrain chips cost about 30 percent more. “It costs us more to make the product,” a Frito-Lay customer-service representative told us.

Per 1-ounce serving, the tested chips have 130 to 150 calories, 6 to 8 grams of fat, and 2 or 3 grams of fiber. Sodium content has a wider range, as shown in the Ratings (available to subscribers).