Can Dogs Eat Banana Chips?

Have you ever wondered if dogs can eat banana chips?

Well, let’s start by saying that if you’re looking for a delicious, healthy, low-carb snack, banana chips make a great option.

So, can dogs eat banana chips?

Made by deep-frying under-ripe banana slices in oil, banana chips are much like other potato chips, except they are made from bananas instead.

Once deep fried you can add your own coatings including salt, spice, or sugar. If purchased in a store, flavoring might also be added.

So while sharing a few of your banana chips here and there is unlikely to cause any harm to your dog, too many chips can cause upset stomach and diarrhea.

But this leads us to ask many other questions about banana chips as well.

• What are the benefits of eating banana chips?
• What variants of banana chips can dogs eat?
• And when do banana chips become harmful to your dog?

Today we will answer these questions and more so let’s not waste another minute!

What Are The Benefits Of Eating Banana Chips?

In order to understand the health benefits, let’s take a look at some of the nutritional components and how those components affect dogs. Banana chips contain:

• Potassium
  • What does it do for your dog? Potassium helps to control brain functioning, nerve impulses, muscle activity, and heart function.
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids
  • What do they do for your dog? Omega 3’s are essential for brain development, vision, and functioning of the central nervous system. They also help to manage inflammation.
• Omega 6 Fatty Acids
  • What do they do for your dog? Omega 6’s are involved in the cellular functioning as well as cell membrane structuring. They are essential for a healthy coat and skin, proper immune functioning, and reproduction.
• Magnesium
  • What does it do for your dog? Next to potassium, Magnesium is the second most abundant substance in your dog’s cells. Magnesium helps to activate enzymes and is required for many metabolic functions. It also helps to regulate the movement of calcium into the muscle cells.
• Phosphorus
  • What does it do for your dog? Phosphorus is essential for healthy bones and teeth. It also helps with energy at the cellular level.
• Vitamin A
  • What does it do for your dog? Vitamin A is needed for a healthy coat and skin. It’s also required for muscle and neurological development. Vitamin A is especially important for pregnant female dogs as it is essential for proper growth.
• Iron
  • What does it do for your dog? Iron is essential for the formation of red blood cells and hemoglobin which carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. It’s also needed for enzyme functioning.
• Fiber
  • What does it do for your dog? Fiber is great for your dog’s digestive tract, helping to aid in digestion. It also helps to manage weight and diabetes.

5 Varieties of Banana Chips:

1. Dried

Dried banana chips are banana slices that have been freeze-dried.

This means that they are flash frozen and then exposed to a vacuum.

When this happens, all of the water within the banana vaporizes which gives them a much longer shelf-life (20-30 years!).

Once frozen, freeze dried banana chips maintain all of the same nutritional components that they did before they were frozen, making them one of the healthiest forms of chip.

Unfortunately, unless you have the specialized equipment to make freeze dried banana chips, you won’t be able to make them at home. These generally need to be purchased from a store.

2. Dehydrated

Like freeze dried banana chips, dehydrated banana chips are those wherein most of the water content is removed.

The main difference is the way they are made. Freeze dried banana chips are made using cold temperatures, while dehydrated banana chips are made using hot temperatures.

Another difference between freeze dried banana chips and dehydrated banana chips is that dehydration causes the fruit to lose approximately 50% of its nutritional value during the heating process.

Dehydrated chips are usually chewier than freeze-dried chips as well.

Finally, while freeze dried chips require special machinery to make, you can make dehydrated banana chips easily at home with a dehydrator.

3. Unsweetened Banana Chips

A lot of banana chips contain added salt, sugar, spices, or flavorings to enhance the flavors.

Unfortunately, when these things are added to the chips, the nutritional value of the chip becomes overridden by the content within and they are no longer considered a healthy snack.

Unsweetened banana chips, however, are banana chips that do not contain any added salts, sugar, or spices.

In other words, they are just plain dehydrated or dried bananas. In return, unsweetened banana chips are considered to be the healthiest option when buying chips of the kind.

4. Organic Banana Chips

Anytime we buy products at the grocery store they are often ladled with preservatives and other ingredients to prolong their shelf-life.

Unfortunately, these things can be dangerous not only to our health, but also to the health of our pets that we are sharing with.

Organic foods do not use any preservatives and are not grown with pesticides. All ingredients within organic banana chips are completely natural and therefore pose no hazards to your health.

5. Green Banana Chips

Green Banana chips are made from Plantains.

These are a type of banana, but they hold a very different flavor profile than the bananas we are used to.

Plantains have less sugar content than bananas, but hold about the same nutritional value. Whether you eat regular banana chips or green banana chips really comes down to personal preference.

Yes.

Freeze dried banana chips are just regular bananas that have been cut into chip size and then freezed using special machinery.

Freeze dried bananas maintain the same nutritional benefits for dogs as regular bananas and dogs will love them because they still maintain the same flavor as well.

With that being said, because you can only purchase these in a store, it’s important that you check the ingredients label before feeding them to your pet.

Many freeze dried banana chips have additional ingredients in them to enhance flavor or extend shelf life, and some of these ingredients can be harmful to our pets.

If feeding freeze dried banana chips to your dog, opt for the most natural kind with the fewest added ingredients.

Yes.

Again, dehydrated banana chips are just bananas that have been dehydrated.

Keep in mind, however, that dehydrated banana chips will not hold as many healthy benefits for your dog as frozen dried ones because they lose 50% of their nutritional components during the heating process.

Also note that the best dehydrated banana chips for your dog are those that you make at home. When made at home,  you can control exactly what goes into or on your chips.

Again, the best way to serve dehydrated banana chips to your dog is natural. Avoid putting on any added salts, sugars, or spices – bland is best.

Yes.

Unsweetened banana chips are the best kind for your dog.

Sweetened banana chips contain sugars and other ingredients that can be harmful to your dog, especially in larger portions.

As we just mentioned above, banana chips are best served to your dog bland, which is exactly what unsweetened banana chips are.

Yes.

When feeding your dog banana chips, organic is always the best option.

Organic banana chips are made from organic bananas, which means that they were grown without the use of pesticides or other chemicals.

It also means that they have no added unnatural ingredients which could harm your dog.

Yes.

Green banana chips are made from plantains which are completely safe for dogs to eat (as long as they have been cooked – which green banana chips have).

Like regular banana chips, plantain chips contain dietary fiber. They also hold anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties that can help to keep your canine in healthy shape.

How Can Dogs Safely Eat Banana Chips?

The key to feeding dogs banana chips is to do so in moderation.

While banana chips can provide a healthy snack for your dog, too many of them can cause digestive issues.

If your dog already suffers from gastrointestinal issues, do not feed them banana chips.

Also, though we have already mentioned this several times, it should be reiterated that you need to be careful when purchasing banana chips from the store.

Banana chips that contain added ingredients like sugars and spices can be dangerous for dogs, especially when consumed in large amounts.

Nutmeg, for example, is a common spice used on banana chips that can actually be toxic to a dog. When in doubt, check the ingredients.

Even better, make your own banana chips at home and then you can control exactly what does or doesn’t go on them.

Again, the key to feeding your dog banana chips is to do so in moderation. Banana chips should never be fed to your dog in replacement of a meal.

They are, however, okay to share as an occasional snack between the two of you.

How to Make Banana Chips at Home:

There are many different ways that you can make banana chips at home but today we’re going to share one of the simplest recipes which you don’t need any special tools for.

Here’s how to make banana chips at home:

You will need:

• 3 bananas (or plantains for green chips)
• Coconut oil
• Slicer

Step 1: Heat oil in a pan and then reduce to medium heat.

Step 2: Slice a banana using the slicer and then pat it dry with a paper towel

Step 3: Drop the banana pieces into the oil, making sure you keep them separated.

Step 4: Once the sizzling noises have stopped your banana chip is cooked

Step 5: Remove the chips and place them in a colander to remove oil

Step 6: Enjoy!

It’s that simple!

Final Thoughts:

In conclusion,

YES, your dog can eat banana chips.

When banana chips are organic and don’t contain any added sugars, salts, or extra ingredients, they can be a healthy and nutritious snack for your canine to enjoy.

Just be sure to maintain moderation, as too many banana chips can cause an upset stomach.

You’ll find more Dog Nutrition Questions in the links below:

References:

1. Banana chips total dietary fiber :  FoodData Central Search Results. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168849/nutrients

2. Your Dogs Nutritional Needs: “How much fiber is good for my dog?” Retrieved from https://www.nap.edu/resource/10668/dog_nutrition_final_fix.pdf