Beyond the controversy over whether the hero of Eva Longoria’s film, Richard Montañez, really invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, we have to ask ourselves if a product that is making our community sick is worth applauding. Let’s ask ourselves, do we have to recognize a person who boasts of inventing a snack that is leaving thousands and thousands of Latinos with obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure every year?
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, like other snack foods, are generally considered to be unhealthy. While they may be tasty and enjoyable to eat, they are not a nutritious choice for regular consumption. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are high in calories, unhealthy fats, sodium, and artificial additives, and they lack significant amounts of essential nutrients.
The main ingredient in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos is cornmeal, which is processed and fried. The bright red color comes from artificial food dyes like Red 40. The seasoning on the chips often contains various spices, salt, sugar, and artificial flavors.
Regularly consuming high-fat and high-calorie snack foods like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos can contribute to weight gain, an increased risk of developing chronic health conditions such as obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
According to previous studies, obesity rates tend to be higher among Latinos compared to some other ethnic groups in the United States. The prevalence of obesity can vary among different subgroups within the Latino population, such as Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cuban Americans.
When it comes to diabetes, Latinos also face higher rates compared to some other ethnic groups. According to the American Diabetes Association, in 2018, the age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in Hispanic/Latino adults in the United States was approximately 13.0%.
Furthermore, Black and Hispanic young people are targeted with marketing strategies that appeal to their age and have cultural relevance. For example, in our recent report, we found multiple campaigns—many of which utilized youth-oriented platforms such as TikTok and Instagram—that featured hip-hop and Latinx stars as spokespeople for products such as Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Doritos, Sprite, and Oreos.
Such efforts contribute to diet-related health disparities affecting communities of color, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
The staff at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN, took part in an unusual taste test. Doctors brought in several varieties of spicy snack chips such as Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Takis.
“We had a taste testing with all my residents and students just so they’d know what they taste like because we’re seeing it all over the place,” says Cary Cavender, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist at the hospital.
The chips are dusted with a fiery red powder that brings about 100 kids a month to their specialty clinic with complaints of agonizing stomach pain, and sometimes blood-red vomiting and what often looks like slimy, blood-streaked stool. Doctors say it’s actually just red from the food coloring in the chips, but it can scare parents, especially if they don’t know what their kids have been eating.
They tend to see this problem in school-aged kids and teens, Cavender says, though he’s treated a 2-year-old who ate several bags after getting them from an older sibling.
“Kids who come into our clinic with abdominal pain, heartburn, maybe reflux, generally that’s become one of the first questions we ask them, is if they have been eating hot chips?” Cavender says.
A check of the FDA complaint database for food reveals that the agency has received about two dozen reports over the last 15 years of children and adults who’ve needed medical treatment for stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting after eating spicy snack chips. That’s probably just a fraction of the number of people with similar complaints, though, since most people — and even most doctors — don’t know how, or don’t bother, to file a complaint with the FDA.
So, we must ask ourselves: Hero or villain?
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