Instead of Doritos, try healthier options which are just as tasty
Just like makeup, we prefer our food choices to be as clean and close to real as possible. But we also enjoy our snacks! It’s sad that many of the most popular foods on our supermarket shelves are full of ingredients that are not the best for us. Some are downright dangerous. Our new series, Instead of…Try is here to help you make better eating choices without spending a lot of money or giving up the tasty foods you love. Today’s project: Doritos.
What’s wrong with Doritos? Well, we have made efforts to keep foods with certain harmful ingredients out of the Chronicles Casa. Unfortunately, the ever-popular bag of Doritos chips, in any flavor, contains all of them.
What we avoid and why:
- Partially Hydrogenated Oils: these are trans-fats. They’re toxic and terrible for your heart and Doritos is full of them. Even popular fast food restaurants are no longer using these oils in their cooking. Avoid.
- MSG or Monosodium Glutamate: this is a flavor enhancer that is scientifically proven to stimulate brain cells. To do what? To make you crave more of them and consume more calories. Over time this can overstimulate brain cells, which can cause cancer. Many people I know suffer headaches or even migraines when they eat anything containing MSG. Avoid.
- Artificial Colors and Flavors: This is a toughie to avoid and we try our best to purchase foods that don’t contain them. The chemicals used to create these colors (Doritos have Yellow 6, Yellow 5 and Red 40) have been linked to thyroid and other cancers, asthma, and even insomnia. Avoid.
There’s more, too, but our Instead of…Try series really focuses on avoiding or cutting down on foods that contain items 1-3. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up Dorito-like fun or flavor. Here are just three of the many brands that make tortilla chips so close to Doritos in taste, we bet we could fool you!
Garden of Eatin’ makes great products and their Doritos dupe is spot on. See that big NO on the front of the bag? That means none of items 1-3, but still tons of flavor. You can find these online, as well as most health food stores. We’ve also noticed some Target stores and many big chain supermarkets carrying this brand on their shelves.
If you like Cool Ranch Doritos, here’s a healthier dupe for you. Late July makes the perfect swap and this brand is becoming more widely available. It’s also on Amazon if you can’t find it in a store near you. Buy them in bulk.
So here’s the official Chronicles Casa Doritos dupe. We have a Trader Joes market near us. We love Trader Joes because none of their products contain items 1-3 on our avoid list. Their Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips even fooled the picky Chronicles team member in our cover shot. They are also the least expensive of all of the healthier brands.
Remember, just because the healthy brand chips contain better ingredients, doesn’t always mean they contain less calories. Still enjoy these types of snacks in moderation.
Do you have a favorite food you suspect might not have the best ingredients? We can help you find a better substitute. Just let us know!