Simply. We always start with the natural goodness of USA farmed whole beans, then we carefully sort, wash, and cook the beans in small batches. Next we combine them with whole-grain rice to create special dough. Then it’s shaped and cut into chips, which are baked and then flash-fried in sunflower oil and finished with a light dusting of sea salt or natural seasoning.

It’s no secret that beans are loaded with health benefits—high in fiber, protein, and carbohydrates—but are sadly underused in the typical U.S. diet. In addition, beans are naturally low-glycemic and gluten-free. Recent medical and nutrition research suggests that a low glycemic diet that is high in healthy fiber contributes to good health and can help curb obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease!

Some snack manufacturers produce chips that claim to be “bean chips”. But we invite you to carefully read the ingredients of these other bean chips. Usually you’ll discover that beans are a supplemental ingredient and that corn or potatoes are the main ingredient. The bottom line is that it’s hard work to make a bean-based chip that also tastes great. It took us over three years to get the Beanitos formula just right and we continue to innovate and improve our craft. The result? Great tasting chips made from beans instead of corn, wheat, or potatoes!

We are proud that Beanitos are gluten-free. They contain no gluten ingredients, and they are made on dedicated gluten-free lines. We also send Beanitos out to third-party labs for gluten-free verification and consistently report less than 3 parts per million gluten (<3ppm). This level is virtually undetectable and exceeds the proposed U.S. gluten-free standard of <20ppm. It also exceeds the Canadian gluten-free standard of <5ppm. According to the National Association for Celiac Disease (www.celiaccentral.org), 1 in 133 people have some form of gluten intolerance or celiac disease. So it’s not surprising that Mintel, a market research company, reported in 2010 that gluten-free is one of the fastest-growing and most important food categories.

The glycemic index was developed in the 1980s by Dr. David Jenkins at the University of Toronto and it is the scale that measures how much a food impacts blood-glucose levels. Beanitos are low-glycemic because they’re made from beans that are packed full of nutritional value without any simple sugars. Unlike corn or potatoes - beans take longer to break down into glucose to give you energy and this means a low glycemic value and more stable blood-glucose levels. Most other chips which are commonly made from corn and potatoes, are high-glycemic foods that can cause unwanted spikes in blood glucose levels.

Yes, Beanitos are laboratory tested by Glycemic Index Laboratories Inc -- an accredited independent third party -- and are certified for low glycemic ratings:

• » Beanitos Original Black Bean Chips have a GI (glycemic index) of 33
  and a GL (glycemic load) of 3
• » Beanitos Chipotle BBQ Black Bean Chips have a GI of 42 and a GL of 4
• » Beanitos Simply Pinto Bean Chips have a GI of 44 and a GL of 4
• » Beanitos Better Cheddar Pinto Bean Chips have a GI of 43 and a GL of 4
• » Beanitos Restaurant Style White Bean Chips have a GI of 37 and a GL of 4
• » Beanitos Nacho Cheese White Bean Chips have a GI of 37 and a GL of 4