Think chips have to be a guilty pleasure reserved only for cheat days? Think again.

I was in search of a healthier option to pair with my favorite guacamole recipe when the folks at Corazonas reached out to see if I’d like to check out their line of cholesterol-lowering crisps (wait, isn’t that an oxymoron?!).

Well, as it turns out, these puppies are infused with something called plant sterols, which have been shown in more than 140 clinical studies to help fight heart disease by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol.

In fact, researchers from The University of Canada recently published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showing that people who followed a “Portfolio Diet” consisting of foods like oatmeal, almonds, soy protein, eggplant and plant sterols lowered their LDL levels by almost 13 percent over a six-month period (as compared to those who followed a low-fat diet and experienced only a three percent reduction).

But how do they taste?

Great, actually. They’ve got the same crispness of your usual tortilla chips, but without the usual grease that hits your gut (and your waistline) after the fact. And they’re available in three flavors – Lightly Salted, Squeeze of Lime and (my personal favorite), the zesty Black Bean & Cheese pictured here.

Now this doesn’t mean you can eat the entire bag in one sitting (everything in moderation, people!), but Corazonas tortilla chips do fall into the Portfolio eating plan and offer an impressive 18g of whole grain and 3g of fiber in each serving.

Now that’s some smarter snacking you can really take to heart!

Thanks to the folks at Corazonas for providing samples for review; all opinions are my own.