Snacks I’ve Ditched: Cheetos Baked

I had originally thought that the “Baked” version of these snacks would be a healthier take on them that could give me the chance to go back to them and enjoy it properly once again as I did when I was younger and didn’t care not knew much of what I was eating aside from the fact that it tasted good.

Time has taught me a lot but I can’t help but fall prey of the cravings of nostalgia whenever I see one of these snacks that I used to eat so frequently.

Nevertheless, I had stopped eating them a long time ago and recently my workplace started distributing them as a snack for the workers. I took the chance and grab a bag to taste how different and healthier they may had been. I admit I didn’t read the ingredients until after I was already eating them.

I decided to ditch it because of one specific ingredient common in all of them:

Yellow 6 (Also known as Sunset Yellow FCF or E110 in Europe): Synthetic dye derived from petroleum.

Red 40 (Also known as Allura Red AC or E129 in Europe): Synthetic food dye derived from petroleum.

These are recognized as safe by the FDA (but we will have a talk about this another day…) but it has a set limit on how much can be used in products… wonder why?!? It doesn’t take away that if the limit is 1, the company puts 1 per package, and the average user eats 10 bags, consuming 10 times the recommended amount in a daily, weekly, monthly basis…

These dyes have already been subject of debate since there are studies that connect them with allergic reactions and hyperactivity in sensitive individuals. Since this is a snack meant for children, I think it’s even worse.

In the case of Europe, these products must have a warning label and studies suggested how certain food dyes might increase hyperactivity behavior in some children.

Personally, I’m not eating anything that comes from petroleum, independently of how safe it may be. I’m already trying to use a s little plastic as possible, since the microplastics is another topic that is haunting my thoughts since a while back now.

That aside, reality is that these snacks doesn’t offer anything in nutritional value. 120 calories with 4 grams of fat, 0.5 of which are saturated, barely 2 grams of protein vs the 20 grams of carbohydrates, a single gram of dietary fiber, and complemented by 250 milligrams of sodium. While it still better than the regular version, it’s still a very unhealthy choice.

Now, let’s talk about alternatives since sometimes it’s not just about removing something from the diet but getting something different and better to substitute it:

SkinnyPop - Air-popped porpcorn that is low calorie, non-GMO, and free form artificial ingredients and dyes, while still offering a variety of flavors to satisfy the cravings.

Biena (Roasted Chickpeas) - High protein and high fiber snacks. No artificial flavors nor dyes.

Blue Diamond - Healthy almond snack full of healthy fats and proteins with different flavors to choose from.

Is it a perfect substitution? No.

Is it a perfect snack alternative? Maybe. Probably no.

Is it better than consuming Cheetos? Definitely!

Hope this helps anyone willing to do the change or searching for some info on the matter.

#snackingstruggles #snacksareoverrated #grosssnacks #snackalternatives #snacksforeveryone #snackingishealthy #healthylifestyle2024