Wasabi peas?
 

Can one of you nutritional experts give me your opinion on Wasabi Peas as a healthy snack food? (For those of you who haven't discovered them yet, they are dried green peas with a horseradish-flavored coating.)

Serving Size - 30g
Calories per serving - 120
Calories from Fat - 15
Total Fat - 1.5g (2% Daily Value)
Saturated Fat - .5g (3% DV)
Cholesterol - 0mg (0% DV)
Sodium - 230mg (10% DV)
Total Carbohydrate - 21g (7% DV)
Dietary Fiber - 3g (10% DV)
Sugars - <1g
Protein - 6g
Vitamin A - 0%, Vitamin C - 0%
Beta Carotene - 0%, Calcium - 0%
Iron - 8%
Ingredients Green Peas, Wheat Flour, Glucose, Palm Oil, Salt, Wasabi, Artificial Colors (FD&C Yellow#5, FD&C Blue#1) MSG

They look a lot better than most snacks, and sound pretty tasty :)

Richard

That blend of Yellow#5 and blue#1 is really tempting.

Food dyes can trigger adverse reactions in sensitive individuals. I generally try to avoid them, although most processed foods do contain them.

mmmmm MSG....

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/msg.html

I'd say they're a bit more healthy for you than other snack foods. There are better (pretty many calories, and the other stuff already mentioned), yes, but if you like them, eat 'em. I had them once, and there was a BIT too much horseradish on for me. I usually get them without the horseradish.

Food dyes are harmless, as is MSG for the vast majority of people.

But 230mg is a lot of sodium in just 30g. I think a 200g packet of potato crisps has something like 600-800mg, and they're pretty salty.

The dried peas remind me of my university days in Japan.

Through poor financial planning, I ended up without any money and had to survive on instant ramen and dried wasabi peas for more than two weeks.

Japan is perhaps the worst place in the world to be broke.

By the end of the two weeks, I was so weak that I could barely get out of bed. My dear friend found me pressed into my futon bed with barely enough energy to move. He rescued me with some more nutritious food.

When I got my strength back, I went out and got a couple lucrative jobs and never could eat instant ramen or wasabi peas again.

I guess the point of the story is that wasabi peas and instant ramen aren't very whole foods. The malnutrition can sneak up on you. Even though you are eating, you don't get enough nutrition to lead a normal active lifestyle.

You're reading labels--that's great!

I guess you've noticed the protein content (6 grams) calories (120) and fiber (3 grams.)

As a "snack food" eaten in moderation, I think wasabi peas are a major improvement over Cheetos.