Review: Everland Organic's Coconut Chips

There’s no denying the appeal of potato chips, especially in summer, when they make the perfect no- fuss accompaniment to a grilled burger or an easy, sure-to-please component in a picnic basket. However, as a nutritionist, there are several reasons why I cannot endorse eating them on a regular basis. Potato chips are made, for the most part, by deep frying potatoes in polyunsaturated oils, like corn, soybean or canola, (often genetically modified!) that are susceptible to heat-induced damage.

When deep-fried, these oils turn into trans fats that have been shown to increase the risk for coronary disease. In addition, cooked at such temperatures, the benign vegetable itself develops acrylamides—compounds that are suspected carcinogens. Furthermore, most potato chips are sodium bombs—the average serving (13 chips) can contain up to 300mg of sodium! That’s bad news for your blood pressure.

What’s a chip lover to do? Fear not, I have found the perfect replacement for you. Everland Organic’s Coconut Chips! These delightful chips offer the same “oh so satisfying”, addictive crispiness of potato chips without the deleterious health effects. What’s more, they’re absolutely delicious and remarkably versatile. Available in four varieties—a basic unflavored, a lightly salted, a sweet chip enhanced only by a touch of organic coconut palm sugar, and a savory chip coated with an enticing mix of organic peanut butter, ginger, apple-cider vinegar and sea salt—these chips are dry roasted at low temperatures to crunchy, lip-smacking perfection. You get great taste with ZERO trans-fats, acrylamides or GMO’s! Plus, they’re super low in sodium.

And, while there is no current research to back up some of the super-food, “cure-all” claims made about coconut on the internet, there are some studies that suggest the tropical treat can be a healthy addition to a well-balanced diet. Some small human trials and several animal studies have shown that supplementing the diet with coconut may help to raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels, reduce waist circumference, stem inflammation and improve cognitive function. And let’s not forget, coconut is one of nature’s better sources of heart-healthy, digestion-regulating fiber!

So now that we’ve established these chips are good-for-you, let’s get back to their outstanding flavor and versatility. Unless you absolutely loathe the flavor of coconut, you will fall in love with these chips. I, myself was so pleased with their scrumptious taste I found several ways to utilize them in my cooking. Here’s how I used the two flavors I tried.

The Sweet Chip

To coat a cream cake I made for a friend’s birthday.
Folded into meringues to lend an intriguing texture.
Thrown into my morning granola/yogurt bowl.
Blended with frozen banana to make a creamy vegan ice cream.
Tossed into a curried quinoa salad.

The Thai Peanut Chip

Ground in a blender and added as an ingredient to make Thai flavored crab cakes.
As a coating (crushed) for a chicken breast I grilled.
As a “crouton’ alternative atop soup.

Why not get creative and do some experimenting yourself with Everland’s Organic Coconut Chips? You’ll enhance your health, delight your palate and you may even forget all about potato chips.

Website

Available in Victoria

The Market Stores (Yates and Millstream)

Lifestyle Markets

In Vancouver

Famous Foods, Sweet Cherubim, Loblaw City Market