Cheetos: The truth behind the delicious cheesy snack

Have you ever been in a relationship where you make up and break up over, and over again, until one day, you simply cannot take the heartache any more…

This describes my unfortunate, ongoing relationship with Cheetos, and in my case it was usually heartburn that would strike when I cheated on Cheetos with his smokin’ hot cousin, Flamin’ Hots, but, I digress. I have decided to resign, once and for all, my throne and title as “Cheeto Queen” (seriously, my nickname among close friends and family became the Cheeto Queen, how sad is that) Since my resignation, I’ve taken the time to analyze what exactly these “things” are.

So, for any of you who have spent your life pondering what exactly makes up the little cheese munchkins, I am here to share with you what I have found. Unfortunately, despite what I am about to write below, I cannot say that I will forever disown the Cheeto name, though I certainly will not be indulging as I once did, for there is a reason I waited to do this investigation after I felt I would no longer be eating them!
Cheetos Ingredients [with annotations by (the former) Cheeto Queen  ]

Enriched Corn Meal- Here we can presume the term “enriched” means “to make better; to add to the nutritive value of corn meal by adding vitamins and nutrients”. And they certainly have added a few ingredients, but how much nutritional value does it honestly add? GMO

Before we get into the enriching ingredients, Corn Meal itself is ground up dried out corn kernels, and is what makes up the main “body” of the Cheeto.  Cornmeal is gluten free! And now for the ingredients that enrich:

• Ferrous Sulfate (aka Iron III Sulfate)- it’s iron, we need it for healthy blood…
• Niacin-(Also referred to as Vitamin B3)- Now, this one seems obvious. B3 is part of the B vitamin complex which is necessary to convert our food to energy, as well as for healthy skin, and digestive functioning…BUT! My research has shown that vitamin isolates which are synthetically made (which is anything that doesn’t come from an actual food source, and though I am not 1000% sure it did not, the following vitamin isolates give me reason to believe this is also synthetically made!) are no more real vitamins than O’Doul’s is a real beer
• Thiamin Mononitrate- ( also referred to as Vitamin B1) Another one in the B-Vitamin family, which is, again, normally healthy…yet “when it is synthesized it becomes a solid salt such as thiamin hydrochloride or thiamin mononitrate ” and neither of these are naturally occurring in nature or the human body (uh oh!). In fact, they are normally made from Grewe diamine (a coal tar derivative) processed with ammonia and other chemicals [1]. Nothing like a little tar to add a boost to your day! Mmm!
• Riboflavin- ( referred to as Vitamin B2)- though once again, probably a synthetic isolate…we saw what the last one was made of…
• Folic Acid- Synthetic Isolate of Vitamin B9. Vitamin B9 occurs naturally in the body and nature as Folate or pteroylglutamate, folic acid is a chemically created version of Folate [1]

So, perhaps the “enriched” corn meal is not as enriched as they would like to have us believe…Though I cannot say I’m surprised the Cheetos manufacturer doesn’t go out of their way to add natural healthy ingredients to what is a naturally unhealthy snack

Next ingredient on the label…
Cheese Seasoning- An ingenious concoction of sorts that tricks your brain into tasting delicious cheese, when in reality you’re probably eating something that has a similar chemical makeup to rats poop. Hungry yet? I’m only joking, I think. Now for the moment of truth, it’s time to find out what exactly makes up the Cheetos Cheese Seasoning…

•  Whey- This is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained
•  Cheddar Cheese- Chedddaaaarrrr (Goofy Movie, anyone?)
•  Canola Oil- Oil from Canola seeds… simple enough!’ GMO
•  Maltodextrin- polysaccharide (aka complex carbohydrate) made from starch that is used as a food additive.. traditionally adds a bit of sweetness to foods  GMO
•  Salt- ‘nuff said
•  Whey Protein Concentrate- Mainly composed of Beta-lactoglobulin and Alpha-lactalbumin which help to build muscle; whey proteins are ones that are found in whey, obviously. And whey protein concentrate has some of these good proteins, but also can contain a lot of fat and lactose, up to around 70% in volume [2]
• Monosodium Glutamate-also known as MSG… this little flavor enhancer has managed to develop quite the controversy in the food community. It is traditionally a cheap way to achieve a desirable taste by mimicking the flavor functioning of the glutamate amino acid which occurs naturally in foods (so basically a genetically modified ingredient…yes one of those). However, not suprisingly, food companies have been working to hide the name MSG from consumers if it is in products because there have been outburst of reports claiming that MSG, is the source of brain damage, endocrine disorders, behavior disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and other adverse reactions [3]
•  Natural Flavors-The definition of natural flavor under the Code of Federal Regulations is: “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional” (21CFR101.22).

Riiiggghhhttt…What did I just read again??? A natural flavor  is anything derived from a food , simply put, and a way for Cheetos to keep part of their recipe secret! (Queue Evil Laugh)

• Artifical Flavors- Anything derived from things other than food, simply put. Namely, these are chemicals that are used to create smells and tastes of real food, and they are often used to cut back on costs of manufacturing the food

Artificial flavors sample list (not necessarily the ones in Cheetos, but probably) benzyl isobutyrate, ethyl acetate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate (petroleum derivative), methyl benzoate (petroleum derivative), hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone.

• Lactic Acid-In your body it is critical for generating energy during exercise! In food, it is placed in as a preservative…keeps the Cheetos nice and fresh year after year! This is an unfortunate side effect for someone like me, who actually thoroughly enjoyed stale Cheetos! : o
•  Citric Acid-That stuff in fruits and veggies! Adds flavor and acts as a preservative
•  Artificial Color (Yellow 6)- Because we all know we wouldn’t eat Cheetos if they were the nasty pale uncolored thing they look like when you suck all the Cheese Seasoning off! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, try it..it is not a pretty site! Though, all jokes aside, it is a lovely synthetic dye produced from petroleum [4], and who the heck knows what else..I’m afraid to look too much into it, quite honestly

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