Yes, this is a chip made of beans. And rice. Complete protein?
Check it out for yourself at the Beanitos Launch Party:
Tuesday, January 5 at 11am at the Long Center.
Corn-chip-eating cow, WWF-inspired corn stalk versus bean wrestling match, and “kick the corn” football game are just a few of the all-ages activities. Plus lots and lots of beanitos samples.
Beanitos are manufactured in Austin, TX by Bean Brand Foods (founders of and former home to Guiltless Gourmet, before they sold to Barq’s Root Beer). Two varieties: Black Bean Chips and Pinto Bean & Flax Chips, with many more varieties in the works, including a cheese flavor. The chips retail for $3.99/bag at HEB.
Got Questions? Me too. Check their FAQ: no, they won’t make you fart, nor will they make you have diarrhea (thanks, Olestra, for making that a question we must ask).
How are Beanitos chips made?
We always start with whole beans – either black or pinto. We carefully sort, wash and cook the beans in small batches. Next, we combine them with whole grain rice (also adding in whole brown flaxseed to the pinto chip recipe) to create special dough which we then shape and cut into round chips. Our chips are baked, then flash-fried in pure vegetable oil and finished with a light dusting of sea salt.(Look, Paleors! We’ve gone mainstream! ——>) What’s so bad about corn?
Corn is the single biggest ingredient in the American diet which, because of subsidies to the U.S. farmer and a variety of other factors, is used in the manufacturing of most food products. In addition to being used as feed to fatten cows, pigs and poultry, it’s a big, fat kernel of simple starch that can be broken down and re-assembled to make high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, baking powder, sucrose, starch, and margarine (to name a few!) The big problem is that corn, as it appears in most processed foods (including leading snack chips like Frito’s ®, Doritos ® and Tostitos ®), has minimal nutritional value. What’s more, corn in some of these altered states – including high-fructose corn syrup – is believed to be contributing to a public health crisis in our country by fueling obesity, particularly among children who consume a disproportionate amount of soft drinks, juices & traditional snack chips.
It is estimated that over 4,000 items in the typical supermarket contain corn. So, the more manufactured products that contain corn you consume, the greater your intake of empty calories is, and the greater your risk of becoming obese. This is especially a problem in lower income communities, where fast food and sodas are cheaper than organic produce and grass-fed meats.
Now, beans aren’t technically Paleo, but since not everyone eats that way, this is a really neat alternative to corn chips. I’ll definitely give them a shot!
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