Ariel Huape
April 22, 2019
BCH010
Section 021
Food Label Analysis Project
Baked Hot Cheetos by Frito Lay
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition label
Serving size
- The serving size of the product is one (1) package, because in reality this is the amount a regular person would consume
- Prior to updated nutrition labels, the serving size was a more complicated 34 pieces, or 28 grams
- The older serving size made it more difficult to accurately measure nutrition facts because no person will count out 34 cheetos or measure 28 grams
- The serving size of one package is a better reflection of the amount of calories, fat, and salt present in the bag
calories
- The serving size of one package makes it easier to calculate the calories present since it is 1 whole package, meaning if you eat the entire bag, you will consume 120 calories
- The total calories appears in a larger and bolder font than in older labels
- The new, updated labels got rid of the section "calories from fat", because the type of fat is more important than total amount of fat
- 120 total calories is moderate to the toal of 2,800 recommended calories for a moderately active male in my age group
Fats
- 1 package contains a total of 4.5 grams of fat for 6% of the DV
- It contains 0.5 grams or 4% of saturated (solid at room temperature), or unhealthy fat, and 0 grams of Trans fat
- The rest of the fat comes from healthier polyunsaturated fat and monosaturated fat with 2.5 grams and 1.5 grams, respectively
FATS
cholesterol
CHOLESTEROL
- This particular hot cheeto brand does not contain any cholesterol :)
- It plays a role in forming and maintaining cell membranes and structures.
Sodium
SODIUM
- This product contains 200 mg of sodium, or 9% of the Percent Daily Value
- Sodium is the highest of % DV present in the product, however it still is only 200 mg
- sodium is essential for life and regulates your body's fluid balance
Total carbohydrates
- Total carbohyrates are by far the most abundant substances in the product with a total of 17 grams
- Although there are 17 grams, however, the % DV is only 6%
- Dietary Fibers are 1 gram and 4% of the DV
- Total sugars are less than 1 gram
CARBOHYDRATE
Protein
- Each serving of baked hot cheetos contains 2 grams of protein
- protein is extremly important for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood
PROTEIN
footnote
- Baked hot cheetos contain small amounts of healthier vitamins and minerals
- 0.7 mg (4%) of iron
- 130 mg (8%) of calcium
- 110 mg (2%) of potassium
footnote
conclusion
Conclusion
While hot cheeto potato snacks are not exactly healthy in the first place, baked hot cheeto snacks claim to "contain 50% less fat than regular cheese flavored snacks" and "65% less fat than regular potato chips". Nevertheless, they are still quite unhealthy, containing many empty calories and large amounts of sodium. The chips will not be particularly harmful in moderation, however the problem lays in their small serving size, where it is quite easy to consume far more than one bag easily. In moderation, this food, although unhealthy, should not cause you any huge problems. I eat a bag maybe once every two weeks, at most.
most abundant ingredients
Most abundant ingredients
Ingredients are listed in nutrition labels in descedening order of weight, there are more of the first few ingredients than the last
- The three most abundant ingredients in baked hot cheetos are:
- enriched corn meal, made from dried maze and is necessary in order to make potato chips
- vegetable oil, which is a bit healthier because it is generally lower in saturated fat and higher in polyunsaturated fat in comparison to other oils
- salt, which is one of the most commonly used ingredients in the entire world, and whom too much of is unhealthy
Rest of the ingredients
- sea minerals, a type of salt
- sugar, also almost impossible to avoid
- artifical colorings, mostly reds
- hydrolized corn protein, the hydrolized part means corn protein was boiled in water
- onion powder, for flavor
- cheddar cheese, along with whey resulting in the warning that the product contains milk products
- maltodrexin, used as a thickener or filler in order to increased volume of processed food
- whey protein concentrate, a byproduct of cheese production
- garlic powder, for flavor again
- dairy products, such as buttermilk, lactic acid, and skim milk
- sodium diacte, a colorless solid used as a seasoning
- disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate found in potato chips