In addition to cherries, weasels and corn, you can now add potatoes to the list of things that pop.

In the never-ending quest to find snack foods that are not only healthier for us, but actually resemble snacks we normally eat and don't taste like salted styrofoam (the search for WMDs was more successful), I came across Popchips.

Popchips is a line of all-natural potato chips with half the fat of regular chips (about 4-5 grams per serving), no saturated fats, no trans fats and no cholesterol. Sure you can get similar numbers from baked chips, but some baked chips taste, well, like salted styrofoam. If you're lucky.

Popchips are made without frying or baking. Like the name implies, they take potatoes, apply heat and pressure (without any oil), and pop them into crispy chips. Then they add all natural seasonings like sea salt, parmesan and garlic, and barbecue. (FYI - a small amount of heart-healthy safflower or canola oil is added with the seasonings.) No preservatives or artificial anything is added.

The chips look and taste like regular fried chips, except they are thicker, aren't greasy and have a slightly puffy texture - just like you'd expect from something that's been popped. Bad if you're a chip traditionalist, but great for handling dips and salsas.

www.popchips.com