Kale chips

[KRCMommy]

I have been avoiding trying them because they sounded kind of gross     However, I decided to bite the bullet and made some.  They are AMAZING.  So very happy I tried them!!!  If you are procrastinating with making them...don't!!

[KathyV]

Love them too!

[TessTurbo]

Wish I were able to share the enthusiasm. No matter how good kale chips taste, I discovered that my body is extremely intolerant of kale. A number of enthusiasts kept insisting "but have you tried it THIS way?" And the conclusion seems to be...I can't digest kale in any form. You can rest easy knowing that I'll never arm-wrestle you for the last head of kale in the store.

[GFChris]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but kale chips (and other chips made with compliant ingredients) are now discouraged on the Whole30, per the updated Can I Have Guide? 
 

"Chips: We'd rather you didn't 
It's possible – some might even say easy – to find sweet potato, beet, or vegetable chips that meet the Whole30 ingredient standards. It is not easy, however, to consume those chips in a way that's true to the spirit of the Whole30. It's pretty hard to find a suitable place for them in our meal planning template (no, half a bag of ‘Sweets and Beets' is not an appropriate way to “fill the rest of your plate with vegetablesâ€), and even harder to stop yourself from eating them when the designated serving comes to an end. In fact, for most of us, chips of all kinds are a bonafide food-with-no-brakes. So these chips fall into that deep, dark area of less-healthy foods with technically compliant ingredients. Eater beware."
- See more at: http://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/#sthash.KEEYm5VW.dpuf

[Jenn B]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but kale chips (and other chips made with compliant ingredients) are now discouraged on the Whole30, per the updated Can I Have Guide? 

 

"Chips: We'd rather you didn't 

It's possible – some might even say easy – to find sweet potato, beet, or vegetable chips that meet the Whole30 ingredient standards. It is not easy, however, to consume those chips in a way that's true to the spirit of the Whole30. It's pretty hard to find a suitable place for them in our meal planning template (no, half a bag of ‘Sweets and Beets' is not an appropriate way to “fill the rest of your plate with vegetablesâ€), and even harder to stop yourself from eating them when the designated serving comes to an end. In fact, for most of us, chips of all kinds are a bonafide food-with-no-brakes. So these chips fall into that deep, dark area of less-healthy foods with technically compliant ingredients. Eater beware."

- See more at: http://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/#sthash.KEEYm5VW.dpuf

While this updated information is all nice and good, I think there is a difference between buying pre-made chips vs. making them homemade - as KRCMOMMY did.  (I recall one moderator commented she only ate nuts with a shell so she had to work to eat them and would not eat as many, same sentiment with authentic homemade plaintain chips, the work makes you savor and value and portion the experience).

 

Besides which, my "food with no breaks" depends on my hormonal state, emotional state and I can turn virtually any food into a food with no breaks: along side nuts, or fruit, I have turned grape tomatoes, red bell pepper... into FW/OB. I have seen posts where people question their love of cauliflower as being SWYPO!

 

And though I agree that scarfing a bag of "sweets and beets" is not in the vein of whole 30, I think that it is up to the consumer. For some, nuts is a food without breaks, for others it is a sprinkling atop a salad or infused into a recipe. We have to decide ourselves what constitutes FW/OB.

 

I too happen to love the kale chips! (with Trader Joes grind your own garlic salt) and I also love homemade sweet potato chips.

[Jenn B]

I have been avoiding trying them because they sounded kind of gross     However, I decided to bite the bullet and made some.  They are AMAZING.  So very happy I tried them!!!  If you are procrastinating with making them...don't!!

Thanks for sharing KRCMommy! I bought a bag of precut Kale thinking I could find a way to use it (cause when I got it from my co-op in the large leaves, it just sat til it hit the compost.). The TJ store bought bag was on the edge of going bad, when a friend of mine was visiting from out of town; in talking I revealed my ignorance regarding doing anything appetizing with kale chips, and at her urgence, we made them right then and there. 

 

An ensuing relationship with homemade kale chips had begun.

[beespajamas]

I don't see a lot of difference between a handful of kale chips and a salad.  Yes, they are a substitute for an unhealthy snack, but if faux garlic mashed potatoes (a.k.a. mashed cauliflower) is okay on this reset, why not these?

[Tina R]

Wish I were able to share the enthusiasm. No matter how good kale chips taste, I discovered that my body is extremely intolerant of kale. A number of enthusiasts kept insisting "but have you tried it THIS way?" And the conclusion seems to be...I can't digest kale in any form. You can rest easy knowing that I'll never arm-wrestle you for the last head of kale in the store.

Although kale chips are discouraged on your whole30, after your whole30 you might want to try Brussels sprout chips or mushroom chips from Nom Nom Paleo.

[GFChris]

I have been avoiding trying them because they sounded kind of gross     However, I decided to bite the bullet and made some.  They are AMAZING.  So very happy I tried them!!!  If you are procrastinating with making them...don't!!

 

 

While this updated information is all nice and good, I think there is a difference between buying pre-made chips vs. making them homemade - as KRCMOMMY did.  (I recall one moderator commented she only ate nuts with a shell so she had to work to eat them and would not eat as many, same sentiment with authentic homemade plaintain chips, the work makes you savor and value and portion the experience).

 

Besides which, my "food with no breaks" depends on my hormonal state, emotional state and I can turn virtually any food into a food with no breaks: along side nuts, or fruit, I have turned grape tomatoes, red bell pepper... into FW/OB. I have seen posts where people question their love of cauliflower as being SWYPO!

 

And though I agree that scarfing a bag of "sweets and beets" is not in the vein of whole 30, I think that it is up to the consumer. For some, nuts is a food without breaks, for others it is a sprinkling atop a salad or infused into a recipe. We have to decide ourselves what constitutes FW/OB.

 

I too happen to love the kale chips! (with Trader Joes grind your own garlic salt) and I also love homemade sweet potato chips.

 

Although kale chips are discouraged on your whole30, after your whole30 you might want to try Brussels sprout chips or mushroom chips from Nom Nom Paleo.

Here's an official clarification and update on chips (note: I stand corrected on what I said previously on kale chips):

"For most of us, chips are a bonafidefood-with-no-brakes, and fall into that deep, dark area of less-healthy foods with technically compliant ingredients. For that reason we do not allow frying or microwaving starchy veggies and turning them into chips during your Whole30. (However, if you want to roast some kale until it's crispy, or thinly slice jicama into a scoop for your guacamole, be our guest.)"

[KRCMommy]

Glad to hear they are OK...all I did was roast some Kale with olive oil and salt.  I also don't even eat them as a "snack", but as part of my food template.  They are at the bottom of the veggie chart on p. 271 of ISWF

[Midlyfechrysalis]

Here's an official clarification and update on chips (note: I stand corrected on what I said previously on kale chips):

"For most of us, chips are a bonafidefood-with-no-brakes, and fall into that deep, dark area of less-healthy foods with technically compliant ingredients. For that reason we do not allow frying or microwaving starchy veggies and turning them into chips during your Whole30. (However, if you want to roast some kale until it's crispy, or thinly slice jicama into a scoop for your guacamole, be our guest.)"

 

So, kale baked in the oven after being coated with compliant oil and spices = ok?

 

I *get* the point on fried chips and "compliant" snack foods.

[GFChris]

So, kale baked in the oven after being coated with compliant oil and spices = ok?

 

I *get* the point on fried chips and "compliant" snack foods.

Yes, kale prepared that way is fine. 

[angekfire]

The only way I've made kale chips are in the oven with olive oil, spices and salt, and I find them delicious. As far as a food without breaks, I hardly think if I ate an entire head of kale in one sitting that it would even be particularly unhealthy. I don't personally find them to be anything like sex with your pants on though, since I gave up chips about 8 years ago and never looked back.

 

Likewise sweet potato cut into fry shapes, coated with spices and olive oil ad baked I think hardly count either, but then again I gave up regular fries at the same time I gave up chips, so neither tempt me into unhealthy eating habits.

[sparklintan]

@KRCMommy how long did you "bake" them in the oven for?  I have a bag of kale sitting in my fridge and I've been tempted to try that as well!

[LisaLulu]

Wouldn't it depend on the situation too and what you're hoping to achieve? Would kale chips (or even snacking) even be an issue for someone who isn't trying to lose weight and doesn't have binge eating issues in the first place? What about people who are mainly doing this to rule out digestive intolerance? I'm doing this whole 30 to rule out what was causing my horrible stomach pains and bloating and it's clearly working because I'm on day 19 now but my stomach has been pain free since almost the very beginning. And I've made brussel sprout chips, plantain chips and apple chips.