Buzz
Snacks play a huge role in our daily routines. For many of us, grabbing an after-school snack is a tradition. Popcorn is essential for any movie experience, and chips are the perfect snack when lounging at home in front of the TV.
Parties aren’t complete without an assortment of finger foods. Even the checkout aisles at most stores are filled with snack options, giving us an easy way to grab something quick before our next meal.
However, some of the most beloved—and delicious—snacks come with a darker side you might not have known about.
10. Cheetos Play Tricks on Your Brain
Having orange-stained fingers is a minor consequence when indulging in this irresistible cheesy treat. Cheetos, the iconic crunchy snack, have been a favorite since 1948, when Frito-Lay introduced them. Nearly 70 years later, these cheese-dusted cornmeal puffs remain a leading brand in the snack industry.
Cheetos didn't achieve their massive popularity by chance.
Food scientist Steven Witherly explains that Cheetos are an example of ‘vanishing caloric density.’ When a food dissolves quickly in your mouth, your brain is tricked into believing no calories are being consumed. As a result, the brain doesn’t signal your stomach that you're full.
This trick allows you to effortlessly finish an entire bag of Cheetos in one sitting due to their light, airy texture. And that's exactly what the makers had in mind.
9. Pretzels Are Soaked in Lye
Those warm, soft pretzels that are perfect for tearing into bite-sized pieces may have been dunked in a caustic substance capable of dissolving glass.
Lye, a substance often used in soap making and drain cleaning, is also an essential part of creating traditional Bavarian-style soft pretzels. Before baking, the pretzel dough is dipped in a solution of water and lye, which helps achieve the characteristic color of the pretzel.
Without a browning agent, the dough would emerge from the oven white. While a combination of hot water and baking soda can also serve as a browning agent, many bakers swear by the lye method for the best results.
Bakers generally use food-grade lye for this process. Although it's manufactured and packaged under strict regulations, food-grade lye is chemically identical to the industrial cleaning solution.
8. Veggie Straws Don't Actually Contain Veggies
Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws are marketed as a healthier option compared to regular potato chips, which has led to a lawsuit. It turns out, however, that Garden Veggie Straws aren't any healthier than Lay's Classic potato chips, despite the images of spinach and tomatoes on the packaging.
John Solak and Jim Figger have filed a class action lawsuit against Sensible Portions, accusing the company of misleading consumers into believing the product was healthier than it actually is. Solak and Figger claim they paid a premium for Garden Veggie Straws because they believed the snack was made from whole vegetables.
The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiffs would never have bought Garden Veggie Straws if they knew the product only contained vegetable by-products, lacking the nutrients and vitamins present in whole vegetables. In addition to seeking financial compensation, Solak and Figger are requesting an injunction to prevent Sensible Portions from misleading consumers with false advertising in the future.
One true statement on the Garden Veggie Straws packaging is that the product contains 30 percent less fat than leading potato chips. This claim holds up when comparing a single serving of Garden Veggie Straws with a single serving of Lay's Classic potato chips.
However, this is the only area where the straws outperform the chips. Garden Veggie Straws actually have more sodium per serving compared to Lay’s Classic potato chips, while the chips provide higher levels of dietary fiber, protein, and essential vitamins.
7. Jerky Is A Carcinogen
Jerky might seem like an ideal option for anyone looking for a protein-packed snack. But you may want to consider seeking your energy boost elsewhere.
The World Health Organization has classified processed meats as a Group One carcinogen, meaning there is strong evidence linking these meats to cancer. Jerky, as a processed meat, is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
Around 34,000 cancer-related deaths each year are attributed to diets high in processed meats. The more processed meat you consume, the greater your risk becomes. Studies suggest that consuming just a 50-gram serving of processed meat daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent.
The exact mechanism by which consuming processed meat raises the risk of colorectal cancer is still unclear, but it is likely connected to the chemicals produced during the meat's processing or cooking. Some of these chemicals are known or suspected carcinogens.
6. Gummy Bears Are More Than Just Sugar And Spice
These chewy, adorable snacks also contain by-products from slaughterhouses. Haribo's Gold-Bears, the original gummy bears, list gelatin as the key ingredient responsible for their signature chewiness on the nutrition label.
Gelatin is a versatile substance derived from animal collagen. In the Middle Ages, it was discovered that boiling animal bones and hides in water created a broth that solidified upon cooling. The process of making gelatin was time-consuming, taking six hours to boil animal parts, and it was only wealthy households with many servants who could afford to make it.
Today, gelatin is produced commercially around the world, which means you don't need to be wealthy to enjoy chewy gummy bears made from boiled animal parts.
5. Takis Can Damage Your Stomach Lining
Takis are small, rolled corn chips available in various flavors. The spicy varieties have gained tremendous popularity, particularly among children. However, this growing obsession is leading to visits to the hospital, and some school districts have even banned certain spicy snack brands.
People are rushing to the emergency room with gastritis after consuming snacks like Takis. Gastritis refers to the inflammation or erosion of the stomach lining, with symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, and a burning sensation in the stomach.
Twelve-year-old Andrew Medina from Los Angeles visited the doctor due to abdominal pain, describing it as feeling like a bruise. He also admitted to eating 20–30 bags of spicy chips every month.
Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency room physician, believes the seasoning on spicy snacks disrupts the pH balance in the stomach, leading it to become overly acidic and causing pain. Some children experience such intense stomachaches that they arrive at the hospital doubled over in agony.
4. French Fries Are Worse Than You Think
With their high sodium and fat content, french fries were never considered a health-conscious snack. However, they also contain a substance known as acrylamide. Discovered in certain foods in 2002, acrylamide has been flagged as a serious concern for humans due to its cancer-causing effects in lab animals.
Acrylamide is not present in raw potatoes, but forms when they are cooked at high temperatures, such as during frying. Studies have found that french fries contain higher concentrations of acrylamide compared to other foods.
The amount of acrylamide increases when cooking is done for longer periods or at higher temperatures. This means that frying potatoes creates more acrylamide than boiling or microwaving them. Additionally, crispy brown fries contain more acrylamide than those that are golden yellow.
Both the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer classify acrylamide as a probable human carcinogen. While there are regulations concerning acrylamide in materials that come into contact with food and drinking water, no regulations exist for its presence in food itself.
3. Popcorn Can Harm Your Lungs
Popcorn is one of the oldest known snacks. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of popcorn being made as far back as 6,700 years ago in Peru. Back then, people would cook popcorn by resting a cob on hot coals or heating it directly over a flame.
In modern times, microwave popcorn has made it easy to enjoy this snack without needing to build a fire. Anyone who has ever popped a bag of popcorn in the microwave is familiar with the irresistible smell it creates.
The buttery flavoring that gives microwave popcorn its enticing aroma contains harmful chemicals. Breathing in these chemicals has been shown to cause lung damage. Workers at microwave popcorn factories have developed a condition known as “popcorn lung” after prolonged exposure to the chemical vapors. This condition results in damage to the smallest airways of the lungs, causing them to narrow and making it more difficult to breathe.
It’s not just factory workers who are at risk of popcorn-related lung damage. Wayne Watson from Colorado developed “popcorn lung” after consuming two bags of microwave popcorn daily for a decade. After being diagnosed with lung damage, Watson took legal action against the popcorn manufacturer and retailers that sold the product.
In 2012, Watson was awarded $7 million. He now avoids eating two bags of popcorn a day, opting instead for the occasional stovetop-prepared popcorn.
2. Be Mindful of Your Cheese Sources
Cheese is a beloved snack in many forms—whether it’s string cheese packed for lunch, block cheese sliced for crackers, or shredded cheese melted over chips to make nachos at home.
Certain cheeses are made with an enzyme known as rennet, which helps curdle milk during the cheese-making process. This enzyme can be found in the fourth stomach of young calves and other milk-fed young mammals.
Natural calf rennet is a by-product of veal production. To obtain rennet, calves must be slaughtered before they are weaned. Older calves, which have eaten grain or grass, do not contain the same levels of the enzyme in their stomach.
It is believed that rennet was discovered by ancient Egyptians by accident. They stored milk in containers made from animal stomachs, and the enzyme naturally caused the milk to separate into curds.
For those who avoid eating meat for ethical reasons, this lesser-known fact about some cheeses can come as an unpleasant surprise.
1. Fruit Snacks Are No Better Than Candy
Fruit snacks are often advertised as a healthy source of vitamins. Many labels boast that they contain real fruit and offer the daily recommended dose of vitamin C. However, these snacks don't quite measure up to the nutritional value of fresh strawberries or bananas. When you compare them, fruit snacks resemble candy more than they do actual fruit.
Fruit snacks are lacking in dietary fiber, a crucial nutrient that fresh fruits provide. Just two small pouches of Welch’s Fruit Snacks deliver the same amount of calories and sugar found in a pack of Starburst candies.
Welch’s Fruit Snacks are currently facing a class action lawsuit, accusing the company of misleading labels. Plaintiff Lauren Hall argues that the packaging promises more nutritional value than the product truly offers. Hall points out that sugar makes up 40 percent of each serving, and as much as 60 percent of Welch’s Fruit ‘n Yogurt Snacks.
It remains uncertain whether this lawsuit will lead to fruit snacks being relocated to the candy aisle.
