Chip Your Way to Healthy Fall Foods

Think nice, crispy chips can't be part of a healthy diet? Think again! The crispness of fall is in the air, and it should be in your food, too, in the form of delicious chips made from seasonal, locally-grown foods.
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WASHINGTON - MAY 20: Kale chips at Elizabeth's Gone Raw during the weekly five course prix fixe raw dinner on May 20, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images for Girl Behind the Camera)

Think nice, crispy chips can't be part of a healthy diet? Think again! The crispness of fall is in the air, and it should be in your food, too, in the form of delicious chips made from seasonal, locally-grown foods. Here are a few fall staples that have amazing health benefits -- and that make fantastic chips.

These aren't fried chips -- there's no real way to make that healthy! But if you bake the chips they are just as delicious, with none of the fat or health downsides. For each of the ingredients below, you'll preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and arrange the food on a non-insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with olive oil and bake until crisp and slightly brown (though not burnt) -- this will be closer to 25 minutes for apples or pumpkin, more like 10 minutes for kale.

Healthy Chip Recipes
1. Pumpkins(01 of05)
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To make chips out of pumpkin, just use a mandolin to slice the flesh of the gourd after you've removed the seeds and pulp. Pumpkins are themselves a low-calorie vegetable, and a storehouse of many antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E as well as minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. Most of all, pumpkin is rich in B-carotene, a carotenoid associated with reduced risk of disease, especially certain cancers and eye disease. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c7242e4b03a1dcc7eb468" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="12" data-vars-position-in-unit="12">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23149749@N08/5321948098" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Seph Swain" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c7242e4b03a1dcc7eb468" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23149749@N08/5321948098" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="13" data-vars-position-in-unit="13">Seph Swain</a>)
2. Sweet Potatoes(02 of05)
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Use a sharp knife to slice the sweet potatoes crossways, such that you end up with round pieces about 1/8" thick. Like the pumpkin, sweet potatoes are a great source of B-carotene, and also of vitamin C, calcium, folate, and potassium. In fact, a one-cup serving of sweet potatoes has 65 percent of the minimum daily intake of vitamin C, which is essential to warding off those fall cold and flu viruses. The pigments that give sweet potatoes their distinctive color include anthocyanin, a strong anti-inflammatory agent. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c7242e4b03a1dcc7eb468" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="9" data-vars-position-in-unit="9">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80985143@N00/4279936410" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="kthread" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c7242e4b03a1dcc7eb468" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80985143@N00/4279936410" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="10" data-vars-position-in-unit="10">kthread</a>)
3. Acorn Squash(03 of05)
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Cut the squash open and take out the seeds, then peel off the outer skin before cutting the flesh into rounds or strips. Acorn squash is rich in folate, which reduces homocysteine, a byproduct of metabolism. Since homocysteine can be harmful to the walls of blood vessels, acorn squash is a heart-healthy food. Moreover, it has colon-protecting properties. Acorn squash is also rich in folic acid and vitamin B-12, both of which prevent nerve damage and brain shrinkage. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c7242e4b03a1dcc7eb468" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="6" data-vars-position-in-unit="6">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7158112@N04/5015260305" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Justin and Elise" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c7242e4b03a1dcc7eb468" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7158112@N04/5015260305" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="7" data-vars-position-in-unit="7">Justin and Elise</a>)
4. Apples(04 of05)
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A mandolin is the ideal tool for slicing apple chips. Core the apple first, and use a guard when slicing with the mandolin. You can season the chips with cinnamon and pumpkin spice before baking for a seasonal twist. Apples are rich in phytochemicals, natural chemicals in plants that reduce risk of chronic disease. In fact, epidemiological studies link eating apples with reduced risk of cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes. Laboratory studies find them to be high in antioxidants, including quercetin, catechin, phloridzin, and chlorogenic acid, antioxidants that help hinder the growth of cancer cells, and lower cholesterol. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c7242e4b03a1dcc7eb468" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="3" data-vars-position-in-unit="3">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35423169@N00/5132391002" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="SuperFantastic" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c7242e4b03a1dcc7eb468" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35423169@N00/5132391002" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="4" data-vars-position-in-unit="4">SuperFantastic</a>)
5. Kale(05 of05)
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Kale makes addictively delicious chips. Use a knife or kitchen shears to carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems. Wash and thoroughly dry the leaves with a salad spinner, and then tear them into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with seasoning salt to sharpen their natural flavor. However you eat kale, the rich amounts of vitamin K it contains can help reduce the overall risk of developing cancer, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found. Vitamin K is useful to the body in other ways as well, for basic functions such as blood clotting and bone health. (credit:Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images for Girl Behind the Camera)

With all of these fall chips in your repertoire, you'll have healthy snacks for the entire season.

Manuel Villacorta is a registered dietitian in private practice, MV Nutrition, award winning weight loss center in San Francisco. He is a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the founder of Eating Free and author of his new book Eating Free: The Carb Friendly Way to Lose Inches, Embrace Your Hunger, and Keep Weight Off for Good!

For more by Manuel Villacorta, click here.

For more on diet and nutrition, click here.

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