Like any red-blooded American, I freaking love Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. There is no stronger addiction than the one for these chips. Once you start eating them, you cannot stop. Trust me, I’ve tried. Now, we all realize that these chips are horrible for us, but does this deter us? No. But, maybe it should.
Doctors Say
Dr. Martha Rivera, a pediatrician at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles, told KABC-TV in a report that she sees around five to six cases of kids with gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) daily, after they’ve eaten spicy foods, or say, wolfed down a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. She reports that they are being set up for ulcerations, erosions, and possibly even peptic ulcer disease.
In regards to the fiery red coloring of this snack, Dr. Kathleen Berchelman says that if one sees red in their stool after eating, it’s probably not blood, but from the red coating on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. However, in order for that to happen, you’d have to eat quite a lot, and that’s a sign of over-eating. Eating red food shouldn’t turn your stool red unless you eat copious amounts of it.
Stomach Pains for Days
Symptoms of gastritis include burning pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, and even vomiting. Particularly, the coating of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos could be the cause, possibly changing the stomach’s pH, according to Dr. Robert Glatter, who spoke with ABC News.
Moderation will be your best friend when it comes to eating these little pieces of heaven, so maybe stick to one small bag, not a giant one.
Nutrition
Should we talk nutrition? Ugh, fine. These chips are pretty unhealthy. Like I said, they and can even make your poo red. For a middle school boy, this might be amazing and quite amusing, but for the rest of us, well…not so much. (In other cases, red stool can be a serious sign that you need to go to the hospital.)
And with 160 calories, 250 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of fat, and 1.5 grams of saturated fat in a serving, we might want to control our obsession. Just a tiny bit.
Children Beware
Children seem to be the main victims here. Most reports point to children having the stomach issues, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos were even banned in some schools.
Frito Lay, the parent company of Cheetos, said that it is “committed to responsible and ethical practices, which includes not marketing our products to children age 12 and under.”
So let’s keep the Cheetos eating to the big kids. We do it the best.
Eat the Damn Chips
All in all, just beware of over-eating. But you should be OK to eat the Cheetos. They are amazing and spicy and will be nicer to you than any boy ever has.