By Adamaris Reyes ’19
For a long time it seems like Takis and Cheetos have become our go to snacks, whether that’s after school, at home, or even sneaking them into movie theaters. But these chips aren’t only known for their taste and spiciness, they’re also known for being banned at schools, causing illness to minors, and even death–okay maybe not that extreme, but you get the idea, right? Although this may sound crazy, just think about how many times you consume either Takis or Cheetos, and the amount that you eat without knowing really what these processed “snacks” do to you.
When it comes to these snacks it’s really hard to say no to them, especially when you see them in almost every grocery store there is, and not to mention the buy two bags for one dollar sale. Tempting right? Of course! And that’s why people love them. On a recent survey, students at Pritzker were asked to explain why they like either Takis or Cheetos. Marisveidy Arellano, a Sophomore, preferred Takis because, “Takis has one of the crunchiest texture and feeling […] it’s also spicy sometimes, so that makes me feel good.” Another Sophomore, Eric Garfias, also shared his opinion, but about Cheetos. He had mentioned, “I would choose Cheetos because I like the flavor that they have more than Takis. Cheetos in a way are more expandable to different toppings like cheese, Takis are too, but I feel like they might be limited because of the shape or flavor.” All in all it seems like everyone has something good to say about why they love these chips. But these chips, however, have a dark character to them, and yet this doesn’t stop anyone from munching on those tasty, crunchy, and spicy “delights.”
Specifically on one of the ABC News stories, a twelve year old boy named Andrew Medina ended up in the emergency room after he was facing, “Stomach pain on and off for weeks before seeing a doctor.” This was because he was eating a great majority of “spicy chips”, like Cheetos, in a short period of time. Ever felt that weird stomach pain after eating Takis or Cheetos? Well, Dr. Robert Glatter, “an emergency room physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York,” mentioned that “flavoring coating the chips and snacks is what might be causing the stomach pH to change, rather than just the spiciness of the snacks.” So if you’re that type of person that likes to go extra hard on your chips by adding hot sauce, you might want to reconsider doing that. Another news source also states that when it comes to Cheetos or Takis they seem to be everywhere in middle school, to make matters worst the amount of spiciness and acidity cause stomach aches by “increasing stomach’s acidity” That’s why it’s no surprise that schools across the country have decided to ban hot chips.
Everyone knows how much it kinda stinks that chips aren’t allowed at Pritzker. But we are yet to realize that Pritzker might be saving and informing us about those tempting processed foods. I mean sure, once in awhile you want something salty to go along with your sandwich or school lunch; but let’s take a moment to think about how hard it can be these days to develop healthy habits. Besides chips, food in general surrounds us every single day, but if we at least try to slow down on eating unhealthy chips like these, we become one step closer to staying healthy. It’s not really something impossible, take for example a Junior, Nanette Perez, she stated on the survey that although she enjoys the taste and flavor of Cheetos, “I limit myself, I eat them once a month, [and] try to stay in shape.” So whenever you open any bag of chips, just remember that they aren’t exactly the ideal healthy “snack,” so try to limit yourself with how many times you consume them and the amount you eat.
