Baked snacks, ranging from baked crisps to baked fruit, have become a significant part of the modern snacking landscape. But how healthy are they, really? This article explores the health implications of baking as a cooking method, comparing it to other methods like frying and grilling. It considers the nutritional changes that occur during baking and addresses common misconceptions about baked snacks.
The Rise of Baked Snacks
You might think of breads and pastries when you think of 'baked' snacks. Now, however, baked snacks are expanding to include all sorts of things, from baked crisps to baked fruit. The snacks market has seen a surge in baked alternatives, such as baked crisps, as consumers seek healthier options. But does this baking have any affect on the health of these products? If so, how significant is it?
Baked Fruit: A Healthier Way to Consume Fruit?
Baked fruits are a very different way to consume fruit compared with fresh fruit. Not only is the texture and taste different, but the presentation is more like a packet of crisps than fresh fruit. The key to the product, however, is not the packaging but the health content. How much does the baking process change the healthiness of the fruit?
There are pros and cons to baking, suggested Sophie Medlin, dietician for the British Dietic Association for London. “Baking fruit, especially at high temperatures, can cause some of the vitamins and minerals to be lost,” she told FoodNavigator.
Baking, she suggested, is much better than boiling for retaining nutrients. Furthermore, "baking fruit can cause some nutrients to be more easily available to us by breaking down some of the cell walls and releasing the nutrients, making them easier to access and absorb.”
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Some nutrients can be lost in the baking process. “Vitamins and healthful plant compounds like polyphenols are very sensitive to heat meaning they can be denatured and lost. If fruit is baked at a low enough temperature however, this shouldn’t cause significant losses.”
Medlin stressed that this should not dissuade consumers from eating baked fruits, as they still come out ahead of many other snacks in the health department. “Baked fruit still contains useful nutrients as well as fibre and will be much healthier for you than other dessert or snack options so it shouldn’t be discounted just because a few of the nutrients have been reduced.”
Baked Crisps: A Better Choice Than Fried?
Baked crisps are an alternative to the traditional fried crisps. Some key crisp brands have produced baked versions of many of their most popular flavours. But are baked crisps a healthier alternative?
“Baked crisps will have less oil than their fried counterparts and the temperature will be lower in cooking, meaning the oils are healthier,” Medlin told us.
However, she stressed that this does not make them ‘healthy’. “Unfortunately, baked crisps are still an ultra-processed food so not something that should be consumed regularly.”
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That the processing of a food product is inherently linked to its ‘healthiness’ is hotly debated, but it’s widely acknowledged that overconsumption processed foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) is linked to poor health outcomes. According to Medlin, as a general rule baked crisps still contain the same amount of salt as other crisps, and could even contain more flavourings with more processing to make them tasty.
While vegetable crisps are often perceived by consumers as a healthier alternative, this is in fact not the case. While potato crisps are higher in protein and vegetable crisps higher in fibre, the overall health content does not differ that much between them, nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed recently told FoodNavigator. Both, for example, are high in saturated fats and salt.
The Nutritional Impact of Baking
Various heat-utilizing techniques are employed in the commercial processing of foods. Of these, baking is the major one. Destruction of one or more nutrients often occurs during the baking process. This adverse effect on nutrients is more intense in the crust portions since the interior (crumb) of most baked foods rarely approaches the oven temperature.
Nutrient Retention
While any type of cooking naturally reduces the nutrients in food, frying reduces the most nutrients while absorbing fat from the oil. Baking, however, enhances some nutrients and makes the protein in some foods easier to digest, making it a better and healthier way of cooking food than frying. Baking fruit can cause some nutrients to be more easily available to us by breaking down some of the cell walls and releasing the nutrients, making them easier to access and absorb.
However, it is important to note that some nutrients, such as vitamins and healthful plant compounds like polyphenols, are very sensitive to heat, meaning they can be denatured and lost. If fruit is baked at a low enough temperature however, this shouldn’t cause significant losses.
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Baking vs. Frying: A Clearer Picture
When foods are deep fried in oil, high temperatures cause starches to form Advanced Glycation End Products, or AGE’s. Most deep fried foods are coated in breading made of starch while the food being fried may itself be starch, like french fries. These starches meet with the high temperatures required to deep fry them, then react to form carcinogens. A study published by “Molecular Nutrition and Food Research” linked AGE’s to a variety of diseases, including diabetes. Some foods deep fried in restaurants are cooked in partially hydrogenated oil. Partially hydrogenated oils, or trans fats, are cheaper to produce, last longer without spoilage, and withstand high temperatures during cooking, making it a highly desirable staple for restaurants to utilize. Oil heated to the high temperatures associated with deep frying starchy foods produces yet another negative effect: oxidation. Oxidized oils are thought to cause many possible health problems including damage to the lungs, kidneys and heart. Palm oil in particular was studied in research published in “Plant Foods for Human Nutrition” in 1999 showed oxidized palm oil adversely affected plasma, free fatty acids and an increased risk of high blood pressure, arterial thrombosis and atherosclerosis.
Baking requires little or no oil. The oil that is necessary to deep fry food is well-absorbed by the breading or coating that normally covers deep fried foods. Each tablespoon of oil adds 120 calories and 14 grams of fat to your food, and deep frying has to be done at high temperatures which excludes the use of healthy monounsaturated fats like olive oil.
Baking vs. Grilling: Another Angle
Decades ago, nutrition experts urged people to step away from frying their food and instead switch to grilling or baking proteins like chicken, pork, fish and beef. But when it comes to grilled vs. baked, which option is really healthier for you? Roasting is usually a method used for cuts of beef or pork, while baking in a pan is used for fish or chicken.
Overall, baking and roasting looks to be the healthiest way to prepare meats and vegetables because those methods come with fewer health risks than grilling. Both grilling and baking/roasting in an oven are high-heat methods that can cook meats and vegetables quickly and safely. And both are typically healthier than deep-frying foods, which can add more fat, calories, unhealthy oils and other ingredients that are not good for your heart health. While it may come down to taste and personal preference, there are some differences when it comes to grilling vs. baking, and which is healthier.
While tests have shown there’s minimal loss of nutrients like Vitamin C while cooking meats in an oven, other research has shown that cooking meats in an oven at high temperatures for more than a half hour can lead to a loss of about 40% of the B vitamins that the food originally contained. These are lost when juices are released from the meat.
Certain chemicals known as HCAs and PAHs can form in or on meats that are grilled over an open flame, according to the National Cancer Institute. What does this mean for those who eat these meats? Studies have shown that beef, poultry, pork and fish that has been grilled can all produce these chemicals. When eaten, these can trigger changes in a person’s DNA, which can then increase the risk for developing certain kinds of cancers.
Here’s a breakdown on these chemicals:
- Heterocyclic amines (HCAs): These form when meat is cooked at high temperatures, especially in meat cooked at more than 300 degrees. Meats that are well-done, grilled or barbecued all have been found to have high concentrations of HCAs.
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): These form when juices or fat from cooking meat drip into a fire or onto a hot surface, creating smoke and flames. The smoke, which contains the PAHs, then clings to the meat’s surface.
It's important to note that grilling and baking typically involve some kind of marinade, sauce or basting liquids. Steak sauce, butter, oil, barbecue sauce and even vinaigrettes are popular go-to items to add moisture to grilled or baked foods. While these can all impart great flavor, they also add fat, sugar and extra calories to any grilled or baked dish.
Practical Tips for Healthy Baking
With baked food, you can eat delicious food while keeping healthy. Just remember to cook at the right temperature and length of time for each dish. You must also have the right oven to cook delicious healthy meals. Preparing and eating the right food is one key to living a healthy lifestyle. The right food does not need to be bland, though. Eating food baked in a good quality oven is beneficial for your health. Baked food also tastes good, so it’s not like you’re missing out on delicious dishes. You can still enjoy good food while observing a healthy lifestyle.
Simple Baking Recipe
Here is a healthy and simple baking recipe: In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Spoon batter into a ziplock bag and snip off the corner. Bake at 375° for 11-12 minutes. Let cool for a couple minutes, then remove to cooling racks.
Other Healthy Cooking Options
There are many healthy cooking options besides baking or deep frying, but when given the choice, baking is much healthier. Other good-for-you options include foods that are steamed, pan fried with non-stick spray, roasted or grilled. Instead of relying on fat to impart flavor, use marinades and herbs to spice up your meal.
- Stir-frying: An excellent way to cook food quickly and efficiently, as long as you use microwave-safe containers.
- Roasting: A slow but simple way to cook food in the hot, dry air of the oven.
- Steaming: Although this is a fat-free cooking method, nutrients, such as vitamin C and folate, are lost in the water.
- Grilling: Healthier than frying, although these methods do cause nutrients to be lost as food is exposed to high temperatures. Try marinating food with ingredients such as lemon juice, herbs and spices to boost the flavour without adding fat.
- Air-frying: Air-frying is becoming an increasingly popular method of cooking due to it being a healthier alternative to frying. Compared with the amount of oil used when frying foods, the amount used in an air-fryer is practically nothing, resulting in less fat and fewer calories. They work by circulating hot air to cook the food, which creates a fried finish with little to no oil. This method of cooking can also lead to food retaining more of its nutrients. A variety of food can be cooked in an air-fryer, making it a versatile method of cooking.