Are any crisps good for you?

Last week it was revealed that we are buying fewer crisps and savoury snacks than ever because of worries about their ingredients. Nutritionist Angela Dowden investigates and finds the good, the bad and the very bad...

The Good

Walkers Salt and Shake: 24g (multipack) bag: 127 calories, 8.2g fat, 0-0.8g salt

Just potatoes, vegetable oil, and salt in a separate sachet. One pack has nearly a fifth of a woman's recommended daily intake of saturated fats and an eighth of a man's. But, as part of a balanced diet, these are one of the healthiest savoury snacks, as you can regulate the salt. Skipping salt altogether is a revelation - you actually get to taste real potato.

Twiglets: 30g (multipack) bag: 115 calories, 3.5g fat, 0.8g salt

Made with wholewheat so they are a good source of fibre - with 3g in a 30g pack (women need about 16g fibre per day). They also supply B vitamins from the yeastextract coating (12 per cent of the recommended daily allowance of folate - the healthy-heart-and-pregnancy vitamin) and 13 per cent of the recommended amount of niacin (for energy release).

Jonathan Crisps: 35g bag: 176 calories, 10.2g fat, 0.4g salt

Additive-free crisps cooked in their jackets (so they are a third higher in fibre than standard crisps) and with a lower salt content than the norm. They are cooked in peanut oil so are high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

Golden Lights: 21g (multipack) bag: 93 calories, 3.8g fat, 0.5g salt

These are a concoction of "potato solids and potato starch". But for a slimmer they are better than crisps, and as they are cooked in sunflower oil they are low in cholesterol-raising saturates.

The Bad

McCoys Flame Grilled Steak: 50g bag: 258 calories, 15.3g fat, 1g salt

Ridged potatoes, and a big bag - result: lots of fat and calories. Cooked in vegetable oil with quite a high content of saturated fat - which means one packet supplies more than a third of a woman's guideline daily intake of these cholesterol-raising fats (and 23 per cent of a man's).

Quavers: 16g (multipack) bag: 84 calories, 4.8g fat, 0.5g salt

Made with potato starch and just 0.1 per cent cheese powder plus flavouring and monosodium glutamate (msg) flavour enhancer. But a low-calorie snack with a reasonable salt content. Unsuitable for vegetarians.

Wheat Crunchies: Crispy Bacon 50g bag: 246 calories, 12.8g fat, 1.5g salt

A high-calorie snack made with refined (lowfibre-wheat. It contains starch, flavour enhancers, and a quarter of the adult daily recommended safe salt intake per pack.

Hula Hoops: 34g (multipack) bag: 177 calories, 10.5g fat, 1g salt

Processed potato, vegetable oil and salt plus msg flavour-enhancer. They are 31 per cent fat and contain 1g salt - twice the salt you would find in a same-size bag of crisps. Flavoured versions such as beef are higher in additives than ready salted.

And the Ugly

Walkers Max Paprika 55g bag: 289 calories, 18.2g fat, 1g salt

Ridged potatoes and a big bag means excess quantities of fat, calories and salt. The paprika flavour has artificial sweetener, flavouring and flavour enhancer. Each bag contains 38 per cent of a woman's guideline intake of saturates, and 25 per cent of a man's.

Nik Naks 34g bag: 195 calories, 13.4g fat, 1g salt

Aimed at kids, but this maize snack (with 39 per cent fat) has a third of a six-year-old's daily recommended salt intake and is very strongly flavoured, though disturbingly moreish - probably because of the high content of flavour enhancers, flavourings and saccharin sweetener.

Pringles Texas Barbecue: 50g serving (quarter of a large tube): 272 calories, 18g fat, 0.8g salt

Dehydrated potatoes, cornflour and vegetable oil with loads of additives. These supply the most calories per gram of any savoury snack. You also can't stop eating them.