I’m sure you vaguely remember your mid-life Eastern Mysticism phase – escaping away to India, searching for the meaning of life, plucking away at a sitar, hanging out with your band mates – good times. Unfortunately, gone are the days of gurus and ashrams, and we’re now stuck with Google and Apple, but you still need a snack that will help you find the inner light.
But I digress – I’m playing one trick pony with the name “yogi” when in fact, these chips are made by a brand called Wai Lana and feature a picture of a Hawaii yoga conglomerate of the same name. While her retail/personal website is quite humble (“Wai Lana is not only a beautiful and charming modern-day yoga advocate but also a highly energetic and prolific artist.”), she not only sells Yoga DVDs and Yogi Chips, but Yogi Fruit Bars and even Yogi Kids Snacks for your budding Bodhisattva.
The Yogi Chips come in several different varieties (including Barbeque, Pizza and Swiss Cheese) but we found a huge box at Grocery Outlet selling the Sour Cream & Chives variety for 3/$1. And what a deal!
In fact, the prestigious Wall Street Journal even said that Yogi Chips are “a delicious salty snack that you could joyfully ravage while consuming fewer calories and, hopefully, some extra nutrition.” [emphasis mine] and who could doubt the WSJ – owned by Rupert Murdoch?
The chips aren’t really that impressive when you dump them out of the bag onto the 1970s era dish of your choosing. While they may appear more as “curled up crackers” than chips, they’re actually made with neither of the main components of those products (wheat/flour or potatoes) and use a bevy of corn, beans and starchy roots (tapioca and cassava):
Corn, Tapioca, Cassava, Sunflower Oil, Brown Rice, Mung Bean, Cane Sugar, Dehydrated Vegetables, Milk Solids, Maltodextrin, Onion, Hydrolyzed Maize Protein, Cheese and Onion Flavor, Sea Salt, Natural Acidity Regulator, Parsley.
Just what my stomach needs is more delicious Natural Acidity Regulator®.
I was pleasantly surprised when I popped a chip into my mouth. While I was expecting a dry, gritty unflavorful (stereotypically “healthy”) snack, these chips actually taste a bit like their unhealthy, deep fried and fat loaded forefathers, Bugles Corn Snacks (which I’ve very saddened to read are not available in Canada anymore). Unfortunately, I was not allowed to eat Bugles as a kid due to the high saturated fat content (from sweet, delicious coconut oil) so these chips may just be the suitable replacement for all of those missed childhood memories (though you can’t stick Yogi Chips on your fingers and pretend they’re gnarly claws).
Feed your inner zen.
I would suggest picking up a bag or two if you see them on sale in your area (better yet, any of the other flavors). If anything, you can have a taste test of all-natural-trans-fat-free Yogi Chips and evil-deep-fried-grease Bugles (which also happen to be trans fat free – I think they may have taken out the MSG in the meantime too).
They’re a decent snack whether you’re a hardcore yogi or someone like me, whose sole physical activity is clicking a mouse.
Tags: Corn, Gluten Free, Grocery Outlet, Onion
