Beanitos Pinto Bean & Flax Chips

Beanitos Pinto Bean & Flax Chips
Photograph Copyright 2013 by Kelsey Wyatt

Flax is something that has been touted as a type of "super food" in recent years and a number of manufacturers who have been making health food have been attempting to include flax in their ingredient list so as to suggest that their food is going to help fight everything from heart disease and diabetes to breast cancer and weight gain. While most of the studies suggesting such results are in their infancy, it's likely safe to say that flax is something that certainly won't harm anyone.

And it's a rather handy ingredient to have in any gluten-free meal that is made in such a way that it's supposed to mimic a type of food that would ordinarily have regular wheat flour in it. Since flax is something that isn't just touted by gluten-free advocates, but which is also seen as a healthy part of a natural diet, flax-laden entrees are starting to appear on many store shelves even if a store doesn't have a dedicated health food or organic section.

Beanitos Pinto Bean & Flax Chips
Photograph Copyright 2013 by Kelsey Wyatt

Most chips contain some sort of wheat flour in them even if they're a corn-based chip (it's usually in whatever coating goes onto the chips to flavor them) and so even purchasing a bag of corn chips can result in problems because just about everything has some wheat flour in it. 
Fortunately for Beanitos Pinto Bean & Flax Chips, they are not only wheat-free, but also include a hefty amount of natural and healthy ingredients so the chips are probably something that would attract more than just the gluten-free crowd.

Of course, the big question is whether someone might enjoy the chips whether they need to eat gluten-free products or not. And the one thing that might prevent total enjoyment of these chips is that they're not really just "cheddar cheese" flavored. They would definitely be more accurately labeled as "nacho" flavored as they do have a zest to them that is rather unexpected. It is just this writer's opinion that something labeled as "cheddar' shouldn't taste.... spicy.

So the best way to think about these chips (well this particular flavor anyway) is that they're a grainy sort of bean-like nacho chip. They have a kick to them and even seem to be somewhat dry (only way to describe them) so after you have a few handfuls, you might want to chug a giant glass of water. They seem to be a decent snack if you eat about a dozen of them, but going any further seems to lessen the overall taste as they're fairly dry.

Beanitos Pinto Bean & Flax Chips
Photograph Copyright 2013 by Kelsey Wyatt

The biggest attraction for these chips is likely that they're completely full of all sorts of healthy ingredients (the text on the bag goes far in suggesting this as they seem to be corn free, soy free, potato free and are even kosher... among many other positive attributes). These chips definitely taste as though they're made of pinto beans. It's almost like you're eating nacho flavored pinto beans in chip form.

Which might be more acceptable if the bag would lead one to believe that the chips were actually spicy and not just a mild cheddar flavor. If you're not a fan of spicy chips, you probably won't prefer this flavor of Beanitos (the company makes more than one flavor).

Beanitos Pinto Bean & Flax Chips Report Card

What They Did Well:

There are a ton of gluten-free chips out there that all have different flavors and these chips actually provide a rather unique taste experience. They're not a corn or potato chip and are actually very "beany." Something worth trying if you'd like a different chip-eating experience. They're also filled to the brim with all sorts of healthy elements (beans are quite healthy regarding their nutrients) and so as a snack, they're probably one of the best things you could munch on.

Beanitos Pinto Bean & Flax Chips
Photograph Copyright 2013 by Kelsey Wyatt

What could Improve:

These are nacho flavored! Don't let the bag convince you that it's just cheddar in there. They are spicy and crisp and can be mildly overwhelming in large quantities. 

They're also somewhat dry (yes, I know chips are always dry, but these seem excessively so... perhaps it's just a lack of grease like potato chips tend to have) and this can wear on the taste buds after a few chips. Best eaten in small quantities or as part of a meal and not the main component.