Welcome to “McDaniel’s Bite-Sized Reviews” | Trader Joe’s Just Beets
It’s a weekly series we’re calling “McDaniel’s Bite-Sized Reviews!” Every other week, we’ll share a popular food, drink or supplement one of our MNT Registered Dietitians tried, reviewed and rated. With the growing number of products on the grocery store shelves, figuring out which items are getting you the most nutritional bang for your buck can feel overwhelming? Our hope is that we can make grocery shopping at least 0.5% easier!
FYI – these posts aren’t sponsored. They are opinions of unpaid tastebuds.
Check Out Our Past Reviews:
Caulipower Pizza Crust
Sports Research Collagen Peptides
Garden Lites Muffins
What are Trader Joe’s Just Beets?
Trader Joe’s Just Beets Chips are just dehydrated beets; with no extra ingredients. These chips were likely created so that people can enjoy the nutritional benefits of beets on-the-go.
Why Did We Try Trader Joe’s Just Beets?
Currently, more and more research is pointing to high fiber diets as an important element of overall health. 95% of Americans do not get the recommended 25 grams/day for women and 38 grams/day for men.
These beet chips, along with other snack foods, were featured on a “high-fiber convenience foods” list by the Today’s Dietitian magazine. Since snacking is on the rise and fiber isn’t…it’s handy to have on-the-go high-fiber snacks options!
How Many Stars?
Our 5 Star Rating
Taste: 4/5
TJ beet chips have the perfect level of crips – akin to the beloved kettle chips. If you love the flavor of beets, you’ll enjoy these chips which embrace the earthy, deep flavors of raw beets. The intensity of flavor is slightly more mild; perhaps due to being dehydrated.
Nutrient Density: 4/5
One serving of beet chips contains 7 grams of fiber, providing 1/3 of your daily fiber needs/day. Compared to other products, these chips are low in fat and sodium with a fair amount of protein (4 grams/serving). TJ’s chips come out on top for protein, fiber and sodium but fall short in sugars. However, since the only ingredient is beets, the higher sugar content comes with the nutritional benefits from beets themselves.
Value: 3/5
If you’ve got the craving for chips, vegetable chips will cost you hand over fist more than the humble potato. But, in return, you get a higher fiber, slightly better micronutrient profile. Also important to know, these are single-serving chips, which we don’t consider the most environmentally-friendly option.
Average Rating: 3.6/5
Where To Find Trader Joe’s Just Beets?
This specific brand of beets chips can only be found at Trader Joe’s grocery store. However, the bare naked beet chips can be found at most specialty grocery stores such as Dierbergs, Schnucks, target, and whole foods. You can also find them online from on amazon or thrive market.
How We Enjoyed Them
I enjoyed these as a mid-morning snack along with some garlic hummus during a busy work day. I enjoyed the convenience of having a snack that is easy to eat as I drive from place to place.