What portion is the score based on?

Nutrition figures are given per 100 g, and the scoring applies a serving-size adjustment based on this food's typical portion: 1 cup (30 g). Eating substantially more or less than that shifts the real-world effect accordingly.

How confident is this score?

Based on the measured median for this food category. Because the purine figure is estimated rather than directly measured, read this score as approximate.

Can I eat plain tortilla chips if I have gout?

That is a question for you and your clinician. This page ranks foods on published population-average evidence; it does not account for your urate level, kidney function, medications or overall eating pattern.

How does this compare with other tortilla chips entries?

The database holds 9 tortilla chips variants and this one is 5th of 9, scoring 83. They range from 77 (tortilla chips, other flavors (doritos)) up to 90 (unsalted low fat tortilla chips), so preparation matters more here than the ingredient does — a 13-point spread within the same food.

Plant

Plain tortilla chips

Q: What does a score of 83 mean?

83 out of 100 places plain tortilla chips in the "excellent" band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients. Scores rank foods against each other on average across a population. They are not a personal risk level.

USDA description: Tortilla chips, plain

How plain tortilla chips scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.

Food Index score

Plain tortilla chipsExcellent

0100

Based on a well-supported purine estimate

What moved this score
Starting score	100
Calorie Density	-10
Saturated Fat	-4.2
Nutrient Gaps	-4
Sodium	-3.7
Fiber	+3.4
Magnesium	+2
2 smaller factors	-0.4
Final score	83

Flare risk (acute)100

Long-term (chronic)84

Plain tortilla chips scores 83 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 22.4 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 5.5 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.

Compare with another foodMore tortilla, corn, other chips How scoring works

The underlying data

Nutrition and portions

Nutrition Facts

Amounts per 100 g

Typical serving30 g

Calories472

Total Fat20.7 g
Saturated Fat2.8 g
Sodium328 mg
Dietary Fiber5.4 g
Total Sugars0.78 g
Protein7.1 g

Calcium106 mg
Iron1.5 mg
Magnesium84 mg
Vitamin C0 mg
Folate12 ug

Water2.6 g
Alcohol0 g
Omega-3 EPA0 g
Omega-3 DHA0 g

Common portions

1 chip3 g
1 small single serving bag28 g
1 medium single serving bag57 g
1 large single serving bag85 g
1 100 calorie package20 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.

PointsFactorAffects

-10
Calorie DensityLong-term
472 kcal per 100 g, above the 80 kcal energy-density threshold.
Evidence: Aune D 2014, Eur J Nutr
Long-term
-4.2
Saturated FatLong-term
2.81 g of saturated fat per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Yokose C 2021, Curr Opin Rheumatol
Long-term
-4
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
Long-term
-3.7
SodiumLong-term
328 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: FitzGerald JD 2020, Arthritis Care Res
Long-term
+3.4
FiberLong-term
5.4 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol
Long-term
+2
MagnesiumLong-term
84 mg of magnesium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
Long-term
-0.5
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
Flare risk
+0.1
FolateLong-term
12 µg of folate per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Lyu LC 2017, Am J Clin Nutr
Long-term

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