Several schools have either banned or considering banning Flamin’ Hot Cheetos for nutritional reasons.
Are schools crossing the line when it comes to what students are allowed to eat?
In the last several months, schools around the country have begun banning the snack food, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The ban is based upon the food’s lack of nutritional value as Rita Exposito, an Elementary School principal in Pasadena, Calif. explains, “We don't allow candy, and we don't allow Hot Cheetos. We don't encourage other chips, but if we see Hot Cheetos, we confiscate them -- sometimes after the child has already eaten most of them. It's mostly about the lack of nutrition.”
The amount of fat in a 1 ounce bag is 11 grams and the salt intake in the same 1 ounce bag is a whopping 250 milligrams. Some experts believe that certain processed foods can trigger responses in the brain that can cause them to become addicted to snack food. Clinical psychologist Ashley Gearhardt says, “People react differently to a processed food than they do to foods found whole in nature. “
As shown by the amount of views in the YouTube video “Hot Cheetos and Takis” and the number of pages created on Facebook, the snack is super popular among teenagers. Sophomore Zian Garcia says, "Personally I have been eating them for years, and I cannot stop. I just have this urge to eat them."
What do you think? Are schools in their rights or being ridiculous?
