A single snack pack of paprika crisps can be handy when you want to take a pre-portioned amount with you, but that doesn’t automatically make crisps suitable for people with diabetes. Check the carbohydrate content for the serving size shown on the label of the variety you’ve chosen, and compare the other nutritional information too. With a large bag, you’ll need to weigh out your own portion; a claim such as ‘lower fat’ tells you nothing about the carbohydrate content.
If you want to include a snack in your carbohydrate count when you have diabetes, you’ll need both the nutritional information and the weight of your own portion. Diabetes.nl explains that carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels. So check the label for the exact flavour and pack size you’re choosing.
A single snack pack tells you how much you’re taking with you before you open it. With a larger bag, you can weigh out a portion at home. This makes it easier to manage the amount without saying anything about the crisps’ nutritional value.
Thinking of oven-baked paprika crisps because they’re labelled as lower in fat? Compare the carbohydrate, salt and fibre content, as well as any allergens, for the exact variety. A fat claim doesn’t answer those other questions.
First decide how much of the crisps you want to take with you, then check the nutritional information for that amount. The serving size on the label may not be the same as the amount you actually eat.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrates per snack occasion | Check the carbohydrates per 100 g and calculate the amount for the weight you plan to eat. Use the value per serving if it matches your portion. | If I count carbohydrates, I want to know what one snack pack or weighed portion adds up to. This is the top priority for around 50% of consumers choosing a snack for this occasion. |
| A portion to take on the go | Check whether the pack contains individual snack packs and how many grams are in each one. If you have a larger bag, weigh out a portion beforehand if needed. | When I’m out and about, I don’t want to keep reaching into a large bag without knowing how much I’m eating. A set portion to take with them is the main priority for around 30% of these consumers. |
| Other nutritional information and allergens | For the same amount, compare fat, salt and fibre. If you have an allergy or intolerance, also check the allergen information on the exact pack. | If I’m choosing between regular and oven-baked crisps, or a different base ingredient, I want to look beyond the claim on the front of the pack. This broader label comparison matters most to around 20% of these consumers. |
Albert Heijn states that Lay's Oven Baked Roasted Paprika has 50% less fat than regular crisps. The nutritional information reviewed lists 69 g of carbohydrates per 100 g for this variety, compared with 54 g per 100 g for the regular Lay's Paprika variety reviewed. They are different products, and the fat claim doesn’t replace a comparison of their carbohydrate content.
Check the carbohydrates, fat and salt on the label of the variety you want to buy, and compare the same amount of crisps.
A large bag may list several servings without packing them separately. Jumbo lists around eight 30 g servings for its 250 g bag of paprika crisps reviewed here; the Lay's multipack reviewed, by contrast, contains 20 individual 40 g snack packs.
If you want to take one portion with you, choose an individual snack pack or weigh out some crisps from a larger bag before you leave.
Properchips Paprika is a lentil snack with a stated reference serving of 20 g, while the whole bag contains 85 g. Jumbo lists 2.71 g of salt per 100 g for this product. The base ingredient and smaller reference serving don’t, on their own, tell you how much you’ll eat from the bag.
Compare the nutritional information for the amount you actually plan to have.
The products reviewed differ in this respect: Jumbo lists milk and sulphites for Smiths Sticks, and possible traces of soya for Properchips Paprika. A different flavour or pack may have different information.
If you have an allergy or intolerance, check the allergen information on the exact pack, even if you’ve bought the product before.
Worth considering because the varieties reviewed include a multipack of individual snack packs and a separate oven-baked paprika variety.
The Sticks reviewed are a formed potato and corn snack with paprika flavour, sold in a 100 g pack.
The AH BASIC Chips paprika reviewed are a supermarket own-brand variety in a 200 g bag, with a stated serving size of 25 g.
The Jumbo Paprika Chips reviewed come in a 250 g bag with around eight stated servings.
The Paprika variety reviewed is a lentil snack in an 85 g bag, with a reference serving of 20 g.
These products give you two ways to choose an amount to take with you: a pack of individual portions or a larger bag from which you can weigh out your own portion. There’s also an oven-baked variety to compare using the nutritional information.
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The 12 individual 40 g packs give you a set amount to take with you.
Check the carbohydrates and allergen information on the pack before choosing this variety for a snack.
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With this 200 g bag, you can weigh out your own portion for a snack before you leave.
To count the carbohydrates, use the weight of your portion and the nutritional information on this pack.
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This 200 g bag is a good option if you want to take a smaller portion with you.
Weigh out the portion you’ve chosen and check the nutritional information for that amount. The contents of the bag aren’t the same as one snack portion.
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This 150 g oven-baked paprika variety is an option if you want to compare this type of crisp with regular paprika crisps.
Compare carbohydrates, fat and salt for the same amount, and weigh out your portion. If you have a milk allergy, check the allergen information on the pack.
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You’ll need to weigh out a portion from this 300 g bag if you want to take a set amount with you.
Base the carbohydrate count for your snack on the weight of your portion and the label on this pack, not the weight of the whole bag.
No. The flavour or an individually portioned pack doesn’t automatically make paprika crisps suitable for people with diabetes. Diabetes.nl points out that carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels. If you choose crisps now and then, check the carbohydrates in the amount you actually eat and follow your own dietary guidance.
Multiply the carbohydrates per 100 g by 0.4 if the pack contains 40 g. For the Lay's Paprika variety described by Albert Heijn, which contains 54 g of carbohydrates per 100 g, that works out at 21.6 g per pack. Check the value on your own pack before doing the calculation.
It varies by product, so read the allergen information for the exact flavour and pack. For the Smiths Sticks reviewed, Jumbo lists milk and sulphites; for Properchips Paprika, it notes that the product may contain soya. The Jumbo Paprika Chips reviewed contain milk. Don’t assume this information applies to other varieties without checking the label.
