My son recently came home from his first soccer practice showing off his bright neon orange jersey.\u00a0 \u201cWe might be named the Flaming Hot Cheetos!\u201d he proudly announced. His smile quickly faded as he qualified, \u201cI know, I know, Mom – you don\u2019t like hot chips.\u201d Here\u2019s why he anticipated my reaction.<\/p>\n
I see many patients each week with belly pain in our pediatric clinic. While there are numerous causes of belly pain in kids and teens, over the past 10 years I have counseled more and more kids whose belly pain is triggered or worsened by these snacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHot chips\u201d or \u201cspicy chips\u201d \u2013 brand names of which are now too many to list \u2013 pack the shelves of corner stores and grocery stores alike. I see them offered as snacks after my kids\u2019 sports games, and I see traces of their colored coating under kids\u2019 nails in my clinic. It concerns me both as a parent and a pediatrician that social media has spurred on \u201cspicy chip challenges\u201d, leading some kids to eat them in huge amounts. Some kids even end up in the emergency rooms due to taking in such high levels of capsaicin, the ingredient that makes the chips spicy and can also lead to serious gastrointestinal symptoms.<\/p>\n
While spicy foods have always been known to trigger gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms like heartburn or reflux<\/a>, \u201chot chips\u201d\u00a0 seem to cause even more GI problems for kids than jalape\u00f1os or other naturally spicy foods. The \u201cwhy\u201d isn\u2019t fully clear, and may be related just to the amount they eat at a time. However, spicy chips also include high levels of trans fat and saturated fat to enhance their flavor, which not only makes them less healthy but can worsen GI symptoms too.<\/p>\n Some of the digestive problems these highly processed spicy snacks can lead to are:<\/p>\n Like many processed foods, spicy chips are designed to be addictive. When you eat them, your taste buds trigger pleasure centers in your brain and encourage you to eat more and more. The chips\u2019 blue, purple, orange, and red-colored spice coatings contain many ingredients aside from the capsaicin, which brings the heat. Reading their food labels<\/a>, they contain:<\/p>\n While allowing occasional treats or junk food<\/a> can be an appropriate parenting tactic, encouraging a diet that focuses mainly on whole foods \u2013 things not processed or packaged \u2013 is one of the best ways to promote your child\u2019s health.<\/p>\n As I told my son in the end, if playing on the \u201cFlaming Hot Cheetos\u201d soccer team gets you moving outdoors, I\u2019m excited for the season. But we\u2019ll be bringing orange slices for post-game snacks!<\/p>\n 10 Nutritional Soundbites<\/a><\/p>\n Healthy Eating on a Budget<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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Resources for Parents<\/h4>\n
USDA<\/h4>\n
American Academy of Pediatrics<\/h4>\n