9 Healthiest And Unhealthiest Potato Chips For Your Party

Despite the lovely display of appetizers and signature cocktails at your party, some guests have less-than-appreciative palates. No matter how many tantalizing treats you may create, the "grazers" at your party, the ones who constantly go between chatting and chewing, are scanning the food table for a treat they can take on the go. The go-to snack that transcends all preferences and tastes? The potato chip.

Click here for the 9 Healthiest and Unhealthiest Potato Chips (Slideshow)

Simple in design and flavor, the plain salted potato chip has been a staple at parties since they were invented. Serving chips is as simple as opening a bag and pouring them into a wide bowl, so the potato chip is perfect for filling up that last-minute empty space on the serving table. And in fact, when they're eaten at the recommended serving size, the popular junk food isn't a completely terrible snack to get you through a few hours before a bigger meal. The unfortunate thing about potato chips is that practically no one can have just one, or even just one handful.  

The addictive qualities in potato chips are not hard to understand. They are greasy, salty, and practically paper thin — so naturally we go back for seconds (or 15ths, but who is counting?). We get sucked into mindlessly eating them, even at parties, and before you know it, we've consumed half a day's calories in chips alone. Don't think it is possible? While many of the chips we examined seem to have the same calorie count at first glance, the number of chips in a serving size can drastically change your caloric intake. For instance, a serving of Ruffles, 12 chips, is equal 160 calories. But compare this to another brand like Lay's, which allows you 15 chips for 160 calories, and it's easy to see that not all chips are created equal.

But even so, grabbing three handfuls of them brings you nearly to 500 calories. And that is without the dip! So to help you party smarter, we ranked a selection of potato chips from unhealthiest to healthiest so you can satisfy guests without compromising their health completely.