Worried Mom Blames Cheetos and Takis for Leading Teen Daughter Into Surgery: ‘She Was Eating...’

If the human body were a company, the gallbladder would be the Department of Decision Making and Judgement, as Acupuncture Today puts it. Traditional Chinese Medicine calls this organ a “container of courage” as it bubbles with qi, the vital gaseous energy. This intense life energy makes your belly inflate like a balloon each time the hunger monster growls inside, the Cleveland Clinic describes. After you feed and satisfy this monster with all those pizzas, burgers, and cakes, the gallbladder department gets activated for the next task: digesting fats.

Sitting just below the liver, the organ stores, concentrates, and cradles bile inside it until it has acquired sufficient power to digest all the fats. The process goes on and on. For some people, this process of squeezing and digesting fats is a bit tricky. Sometimes, a body is too sensitive to hot and spicy foods, making it challenging for the gallbladder to fulfill its job. This is exactly what happened to the daughter of Rene Craighead, a mom from Memphis, Tennessee. Her daughter, also named Rene, ate too many spicy chips, which led her to visit a doctor. Craighead shared her story with CBS affiliate WREG-TV. 

The 17-year-old Rene, she said, was a junkie for hot and spicy chips such as Frito Lay’s Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Every week, at least four packets of chips got inside her tummy. “She loves them. Every time I go out, she says, ‘Bring me back some Hot Takis, bring me back some Hot Chips.’ And I, stupid, because I want to make her happy, so I brought them back. She was eating big bags and would take them to school with her,” Craighead described to WREG-TV. The young girl had always been a fan of these hot, zesty chips, but this time, she started experiencing clearly worrisome symptoms. A recurring bout of stomach pains led Craighead to rush her daughter to a doctor. Upon testing and diagnosis, the doctor revealed that Rene would need to get her gallbladder removed.

“I was surprised that my daughter was sick like that,” the mom told the outlet. Doctors told her that one of the major causes of her illness was these spicy, hot snacks. According to PEOPLE, the mom also shared a video on Facebook showing a doctor advising people to avoid eating these titillating foods. The video has since been deleted. “The gallbladder problems can run in the family, or the diet she was having. High fats, fried foods, that kind of diet can make your gallbladder irritated. And it’s not just fast food,” the doctor said.

“And sometimes it just happens, it calcifies and gets a big old stone. Certain drinks can do that to your kidneys, like Cokes. A high amount of calcium can do it,” the doctor added. After getting jolted into this rude awakening, Craighead set forth to share the lesson with everybody else. Meanwhile, the chip companies clarified that their chips are absolutely safe to eat, unless someone has a specific allergy or sensitivity to their spices and ingredients. Buchanan Public Relations, which represents Takis, told Newsweek.

"We assure you that Takis are safe to eat, but should be enjoyed in moderation as part of a well-balanced diet. Takis' ingredients fully comply with U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations, and all of the ingredients in each flavor are listed in detail on the label. Always check the serving size before snacking." Frito-Lay, the maker of Cheetos, also responded to PEOPLE, saying,  “At Frito-Lay, we aim to delight our consumers, and food safety is always our number one priority. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos meet all applicable food safety regulations, as well as our rigorous quality standards. That said, we realize some consumers may be more sensitive to spicy foods than others and may choose to moderate consumption or avoid spicier snacks due to personal preference.”