Plant
Plain popcorn chips
USDA description: Popcorn chips, plain
How plain popcorn chips scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.
Food Index score
Plain popcorn chipsExcellent
| Starting score | 100 |
| Calorie Density | -10 |
| Sodium | -6.7 |
| Nutrient Gaps | -4 |
| Fiber | +3.1 |
| Saturated Fat | -2.4 |
| Magnesium | +2 |
| 2 smaller factors | -0.3 |
| Final score | 82 |
Plain popcorn chips scores 82 out of 100 and sits in the excellent band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients.
Penalties took 23.6 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 5.3 back. Every factor is listed in full below.
Scores run 0–100, where higher means more gout-friendly on average. They reflect relative ranking across foods, not a personal risk level. The same food can suit one person and not another, so use the score as a starting point for a conversation with your clinician.
The underlying data
Nutrition and portions
Nutrition Facts
- Total Fat11.2 g
- Saturated Fat1.6 g
- Sodium586 mg
- Dietary Fiber4.9 g
- Total Sugars0.79 g
- Protein10.2 g
- Calcium148 mg
- Iron1.5 mg
- Magnesium90 mg
- Vitamin C0.20 mg
- Folate15 ug
- Water1.6 g
- Alcohol0 g
- Omega-3 EPA0 g
- Omega-3 DHA0 g
Common portions
- 1 chip1 g
- 1 small single serving bag28 g
- 1 medium single serving bag57 g
- 1 large single serving bag85 g
- 1 cuptypical30 g
- Quantity not specified30 g
Where the purine figure comes from
No direct purine measurement has been published for this food, so the score uses the measured median for its category (tortilla, corn, other chips).
We rate this a good confidence estimate.
How purines affect the score →Nutrition values from the USDA FoodData Central database.
Scoring rationale
Every factor, in full
Each row shows the points a factor moved, what drove it, and the studies behind its weight.
- -10Long-term
Calorie DensityLong-term
438 kcal per 100 g, above the 80 kcal energy-density threshold.
Evidence: Aune D 2014, Eur J Nutr
- -6.7Long-term
SodiumLong-term
586 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: FitzGerald JD 2020, Arthritis Care Res
- -4Long-term
Nutrient GapsLong-term
Provides meaningful amounts of only 3 of the 5 protective nutrient groups (vitamin C, fiber, omega-3, magnesium and folate).
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Zhang M 2019, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +3.1Long-term
FiberLong-term
4.9 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol
- -2.4Long-term
Saturated FatLong-term
1.58 g of saturated fat per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Yokose C 2021, Curr Opin Rheumatol
- +2Long-term
MagnesiumLong-term
90 mg of magnesium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
- -0.5Flare risk
Purine LoadFlare risk
10 mg of purines per 100 g, weighted 0.45x as a plant source and 1.0x for the typical portion: 5 mg effective.
Evidence: Choi HK 2004, N Engl J Med · Kaneko K 2014, Biol Pharm Bull · Zhang Y 2012, Ann Rheum Dis
- +0.2Long-term
FolateLong-term
15 µg of folate per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Lyu LC 2017, Am J Clin Nutr
Keep looking
Similar foods in tortilla, corn, other chips
Cheese flavored corn snacks, reduced fat
Tortilla, corn, other chips · Excellent
Popcorn chips, other flavors
Tortilla, corn, other chips · Excellent
Popcorn chips, sweet flavors
Tortilla, corn, other chips · Excellent
Plantain chips
Tortilla, corn, other chips · Excellent
Soy chips
Tortilla, corn, other chips · Excellent
Tortilla chips, plain
Tortilla, corn, other chips · Excellent
Common questions
About plain popcorn chips
Look up any food's Food Index score
Each score lists the factors that moved it, the portion it assumes, and the studies behind each factor's weight.