Nutritionists have warned crisp-lovers to stop when they’ve eaten half a bag — as full packets are likely to make you fat.
According to nutritionist Vinny Kodamala, the convenient 45g bags regularly sold as part of supermarket meal deals is actually equivalent to eating two whole portions of crisps.
One bag can contain as much as fifth of an adult’s recommend daily intake of fat, one sixth of their daily limit of salt, as well as more than 200 calories.
As the packets are not resealable and sold as part of a ‘meal’, consumers assume the entire bag is one portion, Ms Kodamala said.
Instead, he recommended opting for the ‘correct’ bag size of 25g, sold as part of larger multipacks.
These smaller packets can contain as little as one tenth of an adult’s recommended fat and one twentieth of their daily salt limit, as well as just over 100 calories.
Kodamala, who works with LloydsPharmacy, said frequently eating too many crisps could have serious health consequences.
‘It’s important to be aware of portion sizes,’ she said.
Nutritionists have revealed the key mistake Brits are making when buying crisps that is leading them to eat double the amount recommended
‘Too much saturated fat and salt can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.’
Other diet experts agreed.
‘Most individual bags typically provide around 250 calories which is more than a tenth of a person’s recommended daily calories,’ dietitian Carrie Ruxton told MailOnline.
‘Shoppers would be better off buying a multipack of smaller bags and having these with a sandwich.’
The warning comes after an experiment by the online pharmacy revealed people in the UK vastly overestimate what constitutes a single portion of crisps.
Participants in the study dished up 51g of crisps as a single portion, 103 per cent more than the correct amount.
A separate survey, also run by the pharmacy, found less than half (47 per cent) guessed 25g as the correct single portion.
One in three incorrectly opted for a 45g grab bag as a single portion.
The British Nutrition Foundation echoed Ms Kodamala’s recommendations for portion size, advising that around 25g is the correct weight to stick to.
A YouGov poll, conducted in 2013 suggested a third of British children, and about half of adults, eat crisps at least once per day.
As nation, we polish off six billion packets a year — the equivalent of one ton of crisps every three minutes or almost 100 packets per person.
Experts have highlighted that snacking on a pack per day is equivalent to adding almost five litres of cooking oil to the yearly diet.
Many packets of crisps are high in fat and salt which, if consumed in excess, can increase the risk of obesity and developing serious health issues like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Obesity levels have soared in the UK in recent years, with the latest NHS data showing 64 per cent of adults in England are now overweight or obese, compared to just 53 per cent in the early 90s.
