When I was growing up, Cheetos were my favorite snack. We had those value packs that included various Frito-Lay products in the house at all times. As an adult, I was more likely to indulge in potato chips and onion dip than Cheetos, but when I was diagnosed with celiac I was relieved to find out that Cheetos were indeed gluten-free.
Shortly after I started eating gluten-free, I figured out (with the help of a gluten-eating friend) that MSG didn’t like me anymore. I’m sure I ate more than my fair share of the additive without issue for years. However, it’s common for people who start eating clean (consuming mostly whole foods and items made with real ingredients) to react to additives that didn’t bother them before. It was unfortunate when I found out that Cheetos had MSG in them. Eventually, a healthier version of Cheetos came out, but they were not the same as the original version for obvious reasons.
Frito-Lay Cheetos are still gluten-free and there are many Cheetos-type products on the market that are labeled gluten-free that don’t contain MSG. I’ve tried most of them and haven’t been blown away enough to purchase any of the products again. So, naturally, when I noticed the gluten-free (or ‘g’ symbol) on something that looked like Cheetos at Trader Joes, I threw the bag in the cart. It wasn’t until after I got home that I found out that the product was marked as reduced fat or something to that effect.
Not surprisingly, the Baked Cheese Crunchies were not very good. They tasted a little like low-fat Cheetos. The snack was dry and not very cheesy, despite the very Cheetos-like color. It’s a good thing that overall the snack is fairly healthy, but if something doesn’t taste good, it’s not for me. Life is too short to eat food you don’t like whether you can eat gluten or not.
I’m actually glad that the Trader Joe’s snack didn’t appeal to me. After a previous shopping trip where I’d picked up multiple bags of chip-type snacks, my husband asked if I was planning on opening a 7-Eleven store. Yes, I need another snack food like I need a hole in the head. Gluten-free chips and snacks are not hard to come by these days. Some are labeled gluten-free and some are not but either way, there is definitely something to appeal to everyone.
“However, it’s common for people who start eating clean (consuming mostly whole foods and items made with real ingredients) to react to additives that didn’t bother them before.” Do you have a any scientifically-valid evidence to back up this claim? This smells like BS to me…