Nutrition Nugget! Bite-sized bonus episodes offer tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about Protein Doritos. Are these bold, crunchy chips actually a smart snack upgrade, or just clever marketing from one of the biggest food companies in the world? With 10 grams of protein per serving and a shorter-than-usual ingredient list for a Dorito, they might sound like a win, but is that the whole story? Jenn digs into the nutrition facts, the fat sources, the GMO disclosure, and that ever-important question of what "one serving" really looks like in real life. Could these actually be a better protein snack than a certain celebrity protein popcorn? And more importantly, do any of us really need protein packed into our chips? Tune in to find out where Jenn lands on this one. Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full-length episodes of new releases every Wednesday. Have an idea for a nutrition nugget? Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/
KEYWORDS: Jenn Trepeck, Nutrition Nugget, Salad With A Side Of Fries, Health Tips, Wellness Tips, Protein Chips, Doritos Protein, Nacho Cheese Chips, Ultra-Processed Foods, Snack Food Nutrition, Food Label Reading, Nutrition Facts, Net Carbs, Protein Per Serving, Healthy Snacking, Frito-Lay, PepsiCo, Big Food Companies, Bioengineered Ingredients, GMO Disclosure, Casein Protein, Whey Protein Concentrate, Saturated Fat, Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil, Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Artificial Flavors, Natural Flavors, Serving Size Awareness, Packaged Food Ingredients, Dietary Fiber, Calorie Count, Food Marketing Claims, Snack Food Comparison, Protein Popcorn, Healthy Chip Alternatives, Food Industry Trends, Weight Loss Snacks, Wellness Nutrition, Balanced Snacking, Ingredient List Analysis, Protein Labeling, Mindful Eating, How To Read Nutrition Labels On Protein Snacks, Are Protein Doritos Actually A Healthy Snack
Transcripts
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[00:00:26] So I don't know if you heard our episode called 90s Versus Now. So Stephanie joined me for that episode. Following the episode, she sent me a thing on Instagram that was about protein Doritos, and it was people tasting them and they were saying like, "Not bad for a protein chip," kind of a thing. Or it tasted like what you wanted a Dorito to taste like.
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[00:01:21] Even some of the healthier options that were are today's versions of foods from the 90s were originally made by these independent companies, and then those smaller companies and brands were bought up by the big companies. So Doritos is a product of Frito-Lay. Frito-Lay is owned by PepsiCo. Now you can make that mean whatever it means to you.
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[00:02:10] It packs the bold flavor you love with 10 grams of protein per one ounce serving, delivering big nacho cheese taste and iconic crunch with no colors from artificial sources and no artificial flavors." Okay. I don't even have much to say on that. I think we just, let's get to the nutrition facts. Serving size, that one ounce, is about 10 chips.
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[00:02:58] We're not really getting any [00:03:00] micronutrients. Not a deal breaker, just a note. Something I see. The net carb is seven grams, which falls into our ideal of nine grams or low on the net carbs. The fiber is low at only one gram. Ideally, when we're looking at a packaged food, we want at least five grams of fiber.
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[00:03:45] I'm actually particularly curious about the zero grams of trans fat, if that's a function of the serving size and rounding or if there's truly no trans fats in there. And when we think about this Like [00:04:00] the purpose of the Dorito. Like what role are chips playing, right? And when we think about that, I'm guessing this is probably more fat than you'd think you're getting from your chip, that thing that you're looking for like some sort of crunch, right?
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[00:04:52] But again, this may or may not be deal breakers. So okay, let's look at the ingredients. Now, this is not a short [00:05:00] list. Here we go. Milk protein, casein, vegetable oil, corn oil, and/or canola oil, and/or soybean oil, and/or sunflower oil, corn, rice flour, corn starch. Then less than 2% of cheddar cheese, milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, salt again, oat fiber, natural flavors, don't know what those are, whey, potassium salt, buttermilk, Romano cheese, milk, cheese cultures, salt again, enzymes, whey protein concentrate, onion powder, tomato powder, corn syrup solids, spices, citric acid, garlic powder, lactic acid, yeast extract, red and bell peppers, sugar, paprika extract for color, vegetable juice for [00:06:00] color, annatto extract for color.
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[00:06:38] I'm going to err on the side of the or more if I'm just guessing on that. Then they add, "No artificial flavors, no colors from artificial sources, good source of protein, made with milk protein," which is that casein, and then it says, "10 grams of protein per one ounce serving." So I do wish we knew which [00:07:00] ingredients were, you know, the bioengineered or GMO ones.
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[00:07:35] On their site, you can sort of click into a dropdown for every single ingredient. If you really wanted to dig into each one, you could I think on the whole, protein Doritos, if your heart is set on eating Doritos, these are potentially better than a different version of the chip. Admittedly, I have [00:08:00] not looked at the label on Doritos, regular Doritos, in a very long time.
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[00:08:38] So one, this as opposed to what? So if we're comparing this to the Cloud popcorn, I actually think I'd still go with the popcorn. Fewer ingredients overall, different balance of nutrients in that one. But either way, for you, it's this or [00:09:00] what? And then you can evaluate which is a better fit for the meal or the snack, and which is a better fit for your priorities in the moment, and which is a better snack for your overall health priorities.
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[00:09:38] Especially if it's a bigger bag and not, like, a single-serving container. 'Cause I think that's where this becomes way more challenging. And as we know with food labeling, one plus one does not equal two necessarily. So we just have to also consider how [00:10:00] much we're having when we have it. With all of that said, I stand by that you do not need to protein pack every single thing that goes on your plate or in your life.
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[00:10:41] Website is asaladwithasideoffries.com. Pick your platform, send a message. I love hearing from you, your takeaways, your ideas, your questions. This is also the easiest way to learn more about working with me as your health coach. Robin Nielsen, thank you again for joining us. And friends, if you are not already a member, [00:11:00] join us in the Happy Healthy Hub.
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[00:11:22] Well, friends, that's it for today's episode of Salad with a Side of Fries. Congratulations for making yourself and your health a priority. Thanks so much for joining us. Be sure to click subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast platform, share us with a friend, and we'll be back next week. Always remember, you deserve it and you are worth it.
