LesserEvil Paleo Puffs, No Cheese Cheesiness — ENGINEERED

Munch or Dump rates LesserEvil Paleo Puffs, No Cheese Cheesiness by LesserEvil ENGINEERED — score 35/90.

Grain-free and vegan, yes. But the 'no cheese cheesiness' comes from stacking cassava flour with three separate tapioca fractions, then faking cheese with nutritional yeast, yeast extract and 'flavor.' It is essentially a refined-starch puff with almost no protein or fiber. Paleo branding on an ultra-processed snack.

Why this verdict

• Refined-starch stack: cassava flour plus three tapioca fractions
• Near-zero protein and fiber despite the better-for-you framing
• Cheese taste faked with nutritional yeast, yeast extract and 'flavor'
• NOVA 4 ultra-processed, 16-ingredient formula

Ingredients (12)

• Organic cassava flour (moderate) — Starchy grain-free flour; the main body of the puff, mostly carbohydrate.
• organic coconut oil (moderate) — High in saturated fat; used to bind the bark.
• organic tapioca starch (moderate) — Refined starch fraction for crunch; empty carbohydrate.
• Organic tapioca native starch (moderate) — A second refined tapioca fraction stacked for texture.
• Organic tapioca solids (moderate) — A third tapioca fraction; the starch stack is the whole texture system.
• Organic nutritional yeast (safe) — B-vitamins and the savory 'cheesy' note.
• YEAST EXTRACT (moderate) — Naturally glutamate-rich flavor enhancer used to boost umami.
• ORGANIC FLAVOR (moderate) — A vague catch-all flavoring — the least transparent item on the list.
• Organic sweet potato powder (safe) — Adds color and a mild vegetable note.
• Himalayan crystal salt (moderate) — Sodium for taste.
• Lactic Acid (safe) — Natural fermentation-derived preservative.
• Organic ground mustard (safe) — Seasoning.

Healthier alternatives

• LesserEvil Organic Popcorn, Himalayan Pink Salt
• Plantain Chips
• Roasted Seaweed Snack with Sea Salt
• POPCORN HIMALAYAN PINK SALT
• Ridge Cut Potato Chips with Sea Salt