What do you think of Olestra?

I bought fat free Pringles yesterday and surprisingly they have just 70 calories for 14 chips!...their trick is Olestra. I saw the same ingredient on Low fat Ruffles chips....does any one know more about Olestra...a quick google search showed that it can cause abdominal cramps and loose stools...oops I read this too late..but fortunately I did not feel either of these symptoms....but maybe because I have just had 2 servings of the chips yet (not both today though, 1 yesterday)

What do others think about it?

I buy and eat the fat free pringles and the fat free ruffles and I have never experienced those symptoms. I have heard some bad things about olestra, but have never had any bad experiences myself. im glad you posted this though, because im curious if anyone has actually had that happen to them from those chips.

Hmm nope, never had those side effects but I'm not a fan of Pringle's.
They have MSG in them so i avoid them.
Plus they don't taste good (just my taste buds) and when i eat them, i then get addicted for some psycho reason and can't stop eating them.
So i just don't eat them lol.
Plus they aren't anything real, they're just made up from powders.
It's odd...

Te he he sorry, not trying to bash your product or anything.
^^ Those symptoms might only appear if you were eating a pack a day for a prolonged amount of time.
*shrug* plus some people are just more sensitive to things then others :)

I try to stay away from "frankenfoods" as much as I can.  There are things that are supposed to be perfectly healthy for you, e.g. hydrogenated oils, that turn out (whoopsie!) to have caused all kinds of terrible diseases and deaths.

My thinking is that if you don't need to have it, and you certainly do not need pringles or other or other foods that are so unbelievably processed, why eat it just because you can shoehorn it into your daily calorie limit?  Calories are one thing, nutrition is another.  With that 70 calories you could have a couple of large carrots, a medium apple, 2.5 cups of cooked broccoli, nearly a cup of blueberries, etc.

Personally, I'd feel much better and more satisfied after having a big helping of veggies or fruits than I did after having a tiny portion of salty, greasy, processed grossness.  Maybe that's just me though.

Since olestra is a fat substitute it acts like a fat, meaning that fat soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K will bind with it. Unfortunately since olestra is not absorbed by the body those vitamins are lost, check out this website for more information

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/heal th_psychology/olestra.htm

Personaly I wouldn't touch olestra if you paid me.

Before I started and learned about eating healthy, I was one of those people that deluded myself into thinking that "low fat" equals healthy, and once ate most of a can of Pringles w/ olestra in it.  My intestines paid me back with a vengance that evening.

Maybe eating them in a normal portion size wouldn't be a big deal, but I don't touch the stuff anymore.  If I'm going to treat myself to potato chips, I'm going with the real thing (but not overboard, of course).

thanks for all your answers...I am thinking that they r really not worth it...and I was doing good without any chips all this while...so I can go back to that...I agree mikelane....veggies and fruits are much more filling and I would feel good about eating them..santonacci....im sorry that the chips gave you trouble at the same time I'm glad I have a lesson here..If I do feel like having chips....I guess I'll go for wheat thins/crackers...restless_girl..its ok..im not a big Pringles fan either and try avoiding the not so real 'real thing'  all the time.

thanks a ton!

i like them :D i very rarely eat them, so i'm sure they won't harm me any. they usually do make me crap, but i don't mind, and i only have one serving when i have them too. maybe eating more would be bad.

i like them. mmm

i bought a bag today and had a serving with hummus. it tasted great. i think if it doesn't make me sick i can have them a few times a week. they will keep me from eating the real thing, which is always around my house because of my roommates. i think most things are ok in moderation. no doubt fruits and veggies are better, but an occasional splurge seems ok to me.

i'll let you guys know if i poop my pants later tonight.

Original Post by raynsong:

i'll let you guys know if i poop my pants later tonight.

hahahahahaha that made me laugh out loud!  i wish your digestive system luck.

i used to love the sour cream cheddar ruffles.. something like that.  i haven't had them in like 2 years though.  anyways they never upset my stomach and  would eat half a bag or more.
maybe thats why i am not currently buying them =0

so far i had about 1.5 ounces each day two days in a row and no problems.

i'm not going to buy it frequently, obviously it's awful for me. it's nice to have a treat now and then though.

I've never had problems with it and I probably go through one bag of Light Original Ruffles a month at most.  I think it tastes just fine and it hasn't given me the runs so far.  Moderation is key as with nearly everything.