If you’re looking for healthy Doritos, I might have a solution for you: Reduced Fat Doritos. This is an item commonly sold to schools, but can also be purchased for home.
This article will cover the following topics for Reduced Fat Doritos Nacho Cheese:
Difference Between Reduced Fat Doritos and Oven Baked Doritos
Reduced Fat Doritos vs Regular Doritos
Where to Purchase Reduced Fat Doritos
Reduced Fat Doritos Taste & Texture Review
Reduced Fat Doritos Ingredients
Difference Between Reduced Fat Doritos and Oven Baked Doritos
If you like healthier snack items and like the idea of healthy Doritos, you might remember seeing Oven Baked Doritos in stores. Unfortunately, those were discontinued several years ago.
For those looking to reduce fat in their diet, the Oven Baked Doritos would have been a better option because they had 3.5g of fat per ounce, compared to 5g in an ounce of Reduced Fat Doritos.
However, if you ever tried the Oven Baked Doritos, you might remember they were flat – in thickness, shape, AND flavor. The RF Doritos are not baked, so that little extra fat helps add a bid more air to the chip, as well as adds a little more of that rich mouthfeel.
If you liked the Oven Baked Doritos, the Reduced Fat Doritos would make a great alternative as your healthy Dorito.
Reduced Fat Doritos vs Regular Doritos
There are a few differences between the Reduced Fat Doritos that they sell in schools and Regular Doritos you can find on the shelves of a supermarket.
Fat
Obviously when comparing the two, RF Doritos have less fat. But how much less? Per ounce, here’s the fat content of each:
Regular Doritos: 8g fat
Reduced Fat Doritos: 5g fat
Reduced Fat Doritos certainly aren’t fat-free, but as you can see, they have 37.5% less fat than the regular version.
Calories
With less fat, you would expect less calories too. Here’s the calories of the Reduced Fat Doritos vs Regular Doritos:
Regular Doritos: 150 calories
Reduced Fat Doritos: 130 calories
This is only a 13.3% reduction in calories. Even though there is less fat in the reduced fat version, there are a couple extra grams of carbohydrate (20g vs 18g).
Whole Grain
Reduced Fat Doritos are made with a blend of “whole corn”, which is a whole grain, and “corn”, which is not. The regular version only contains “corn”.
The added whole grain contributes a little more dietary fiber to the RF Doritos (2g) when compared to the regular version (1g).
Look & Flavor
Visually, Reduced Fat Doritos are flatter than the regular version. Not as flat as the Oven Baked Doritos used to be, but still not as light and airy as the Regular Doritos.
The powdered flavor (the best part!) is less on the Reduced Fat Doritos vs Regular Doritos.
You still notice a difference between the two products when eaten back-to-back, but truth be told, the RF Doritos are a perfectly suitable option to satisfy a salty craving.
Availability
The biggest issue with Reduced Fat Doritos vs Regular Doritos is their availability. While Regular Doritos are widely available across retail and foodservice establishments, RF Doritos are harder to find and are only available in cases of 72 individual 1 oz bags.
Schools participating in the National School Lunch Program are not allowed to sell Regular Doritos anywhere on campus, since they do not meet the USDA’s standards. Reduced Fat Doritos were created to meet the need for schools, so they are only available in foodservice sizes.
Where to Purchase Reduced Fat Doritos
Reduced Fat Doritos are not available in standard groceries stores or wholesale clubs (Costco, Sam’s, etc.).
They can be purchased online, on websites such as Amazon, Oriental Trading Company, or Food Service Direct. Note the case contains 72 individual 1oz bags.
Alternatively, you could contact a local school cafeteria to inquire about purchasing a smaller quantity directly from them if it’s something they already buy. Just know that schools are not permitted to sell items to the public at their cost – you would pay the price they charge students. But this would support a local school!
Schools can purchase RF Doritos through their distributor, a vending machine company, or online at School Snack Shop.
Reduced Fat Doritos Taste & Texture Review
When you first crunch into Reduced Fat Doritos, they taste just like Regular Doritos. However, as you continue to munch, you’ll notice a few differences.
The first thing that hits you is that nacho cheese flavored powder. The RF Doritos taste just like the regular version in that sense.
The next thing I noticed was the lack of rich mouthfeel you typically get when eating a Dorito. Since the RF Doritos contain less fat, you will miss some of the richness you are used to with a regular Dorito.
As I continued to chew, I noticed the texture is a little tougher and there were more hard bits in the Regular Doritos Reduced Fat Doritos vs Regular Doritos. The RF Doritos are made with whole corn and corn bran, two ingredients not typically found in Regular Doritos. Both of these will add fiber, but also make the texture more tough.
Reduced Fat Doritos Ingredients
I’ll highlight just a couple ingredients here.
Artificial Color (Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40)
The research on artificial dyes is mixed, but there is a growing body of evidence artificial dyes contribute to hyperactivity in some kids. This finding was reinforced when a recent report found that consuming these dyes caused or worsened hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and restlessness in children.
For parents, just be sure to pay close attention to your kiddos after they consume Doritos that contain these dyes.
Schools need to make a choice when deciding whether it’s worth offering RF Doritos. When you have a school with hundreds of kids, odds are, some of them are sensitive to dyes.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Both the reduced fat and regular versions of Doritos Nacho Cheese contain MSG.
This is a chemical that the Center for Science in the Public Interest recommends companies reduce or eliminate due to the negative reaction that some people get when consuming it.
Cheddar and Romano Cheeses
I honestly didn’t think Doritos Nacho Cheese had real cheese in it! I just assumed it was a cheese-flavored powder.
Apparently, even Reduced Fat Doritos contain real cheese in their Nacho Cheese flavor.
Reduced Fat Doritos Nutrition Facts
Total Fat
As previously mentioned, Reduced Fat Doritos do in fact contain less fat than Regular Doritos, specifically 5g instead of 8g.
Carbohydrates
RF Doritos contain 20g of carbohydrates, compared to Regular Doritos’ 18g. These extra carbs are likely coming from the fact that the carbs or more concentrated since there’s less fat. Two grams of carbohydrates is a very small difference.
Sodium
Reduced Fat Doritos have 200mg of sodium, and Regular Doritos have 210mg.
This difference is small nutritionally, but important for schools. Schools can’t sell items with more than 200mg of sodium, so the regular version are not compliant.
School Uses
Since the item is made from corn, schools can count this item as a grain. Specifically, one bag of Reduced Fat Doritos credits as 1.5oz of grain in the meal program.
It also meets the USDA’s Smart Snack requirements, so the product can be sold a la carte to students. It is also commonly found in vending machines in schools.
Dietitian’s Recommendation
So are the Reduced Fat Doritos healthy Doritos? Eh, not really.
When comparing the nutrition of RF Doritos to Regular Doritos, there are some minor differences in fat, calories, sodium, and whole grains, making them a slightly better choice. However, at the end of the day, the differences are minor.
Both are still snack foods that should be enjoyed in moderation.
Tips for School Procurement
Suggested Specifications
For school nutrition programs looking to procure this item, here is a suggested specification:
Chips, corn tortilla, whole grain, reduced fat, must meet Smart Snack Guidelines, nacho cheese flavor
For more tips on writing specifications, visit my article here.
Comparable Products for “or Equal” Consideration
I haven’t seen a snack food similar to Reduced Fat Doritos in a long time. To my knowledge, one does not exist!
Summary
Reduced Fat Doritos are a school-approved item with minor differences from the regular Dorito version.
