Is Organic Chia & Quinoa Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips Keto?

The Ingredient Breakdown

As a food scientist, I look past the marketing buzzwords on the front of the bag and go straight to the ingredient list. The first and most abundant ingredient here is organic whole ground corn. This is the dealbreaker for keto. Corn is a grain that is naturally high in starch. Even though it is organic and whole ground, it still converts to glucose in the body very quickly. For a diet that usually limits carbohydrates to under 20-30 grams per day, corn chips can wipe out your allowance in a single serving.

Next, we have organic chia seeds and organic quinoa. These are fantastic ingredients in isolation. Chia seeds are high in fiber and healthy omega-3 fats, and quinoa is a complete protein. However, in this context, they are sprinkled onto a corn base. The ratio of corn to seeds is heavily skewed toward the corn, meaning the net carb count is driven up by the starch, not the fiber.

Finally, the oil blend of organic expeller pressed sunflower oil and/or organic expeller pressed safflower oil is generally acceptable for keto, as they are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. But the oil can't save the product from the high carb content of the corn.

Nutritional Value

Let's look at the numbers. A standard serving of these chips (about 1 oz or 28g) typically contains around 140 calories. The fat content is moderate, usually around 6 to 7 grams, which comes from the oils and the seeds. However, the total carbohydrate count is usually around 18 grams per serving.

While the label might boast about fiber (usually 2-3 grams), leaving you with a net carb count of roughly 15-16 grams, this is simply too high for a single snack on keto. Consuming one serving could potentially trigger an insulin response that kicks you out of ketosis. For context, many strict keto dieters aim to keep their total daily intake under 20 grams of net carbs. Eating a bowl of these chips would exceed that limit immediately.