Hot Cheetos are a public health menace

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I had a woman come in for abdominal pain the other day. She accompanied by a husband and 3 small children. I walked into the room after reading the triage note in the computer.

There she was, a woman who had the appearance of someone with unhealthy eating habits. On the gurney was a large, opened bag of hot Cheetos. The family came prepared! The only thing missing was the 20 oz bottle of Pepsi.

Naturally she got a the huge workup, and by all appearances, I'm guessing it was a taxpayer funded one. And while I'm on that subject , why in the world are items like hot Cheetos allowable under the federal food stamp program? Oh, multinational corporation lobbyists of course.

See, I was right, wasn't I? Hot Cheetos ARE a public health menace!

It really does sound like they need to come with a warning label.

Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
It really does sound like they need to come with a warning label.

They should use the line from the article above.

Far easier than addressing the social determinants of health that play a huge role in the "bad choices" people make.

Absolutely. I recently attended a presentation by one of the leaders of the social determinants of health model and I think it's crucial that all healthcare professionals and institutions shift towards this model in order to even begin to get a handle of what role income disparity and poverty is playing in keeping our nation so sick.

The OP is simply gross. I'll start worrying about what people on food assistance programs put in their cart when the majority of my taxes aren't being spent on the military industrial complex and bogus wars overseas. I'll gladly contribute my $30 per year to people who are unemployed, underemployed or are living in a food desert so that they can at least have some autonomy when it comes to their food. That bag of Cheetos or junk food might be the bright spot in what is otherwise a very precarious existence. Until this country stops the corporate welfare and the huge tax cuts for the wealthiest in the country (much of that wealth gained, by the way, through dubious financial maneuverings which are unavailable to the vast majority of the country) my concern about people on assistance being good stewards of tax payor dollars will remain nonexistent. The most vulnerable among us are not the enemy when it comes to how our tax dollars are allocated. What we pay annually towards our fast dwindling social nets is a pittance in comparison to the other spending that occurs with our tax dollars. It's ridiculous that social safety net support is the thing that upsets people the most, but I suppose ignorance and bigotry feels satisfying to some? I just really hate to see it in nurses. We should be better than that.

Frankly, our country would be infinitely better off if everyone was a social justice warrior. The opposite of social justice is complacency with ignorance, bigotry, racism, lack of empathy, misogyny etc. This country is only as strong as the most vulnerable among us. Thank goodness we have SJWs fighting for them.

Who the **** is Lil Xan? Is it pronounced Christian?

...as in Xanax. I'm embarrassed that I know this.

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

I thought the original post was a wry look at a typical ED scenario and a snapshot of society today. I really didn't think the patient and her family themselves were being laughed at. I took this as a vent thread regarding a multifaceted sad state of affairs.

When I'm at work, my compassion is for my patients, regardless of their circumstances. When I'm reading AN, my compassion is for my colleagues, who might be venting about discouraging situations they encounter on a daily basis. I've certainly been slammed for my use of gallows humour. Then I just laugh about being judged by the non-judgmental.

"To purchase a bag of Flamin' Hots is to dance with the devil, to throw one's fears of an inflamed brown eye to the wind in favor of the spectacular, mouth-searing present."

I just love this line.

Was just coming to post the same story. Ya beat me to it! :)

Specializes in M/S, LTC, home care, corrections and psych.
I was wondering the same thing. Seems like there's a bit of stereotyping and judgmentalism going on here.

That Title 19 box being filled out is a dead give away.

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
That Title 19 box being filled out is a dead give away.

But how would the nurse be privy to that information? I was unaware that nurses in the ED have access to the patients' insurance status. And even if they do---who cares? The nurse is there for their 12-hour shift and they are required to give everyone the best care they can whether the patients are uninsured, underinsured, or have a Cadillac plan. It's part of the job. Notably absent from the job duties of a nurse are judgment, stereotyping and "assuming". Just saying.

Just an observation, Do you see your comments as being judgemental? Have you considered this patient presentation as an opportunity to teach what you believe is an unhealthy lifestyle habit/ Just because someone chooses to buy and consume Hot Chitos does not lower their worth to a bottom rung of the worthy ladder. I do apologize because I sound "preachy and judgmental", Someone in an earlier post dealing with substance abuse indicated that encouragement and sometimes conversation are good starting points for change. Comfort foods come in all forms and I believe and practice as a mental health nurse that my first duty after stabilizing a patient/client is to establish rapport while I seize the opportunity to teach and try to bring forward what else is going on that may not be said.

Just food for thought. I apologize for sounding (if I do) judgmental.

Specializes in Trauma RN.

Maybe the OP should consider a different department if things like this are so bothersome. So what if she "looks" unhealthy, poor, or a waste of resources. Those things make her undeserving and therefore she should be mocked, treated badly, and discharged immediately? Instead of worrying about her income and eating habits, why are you not mad about the state of healthcare and how it's almost out of reach for our country's poorest? That the people in poverty have little choice but to go to the emergency room with complaints that people with health insurance would go to the PCP for? That's what upsets me-people living below the poverty line, children, etc that don't have resources to seek better medical treatment and are therefore forced to go to the ER and get treated badly because some of the staff thinks they're "undeserving" of their precious resources that in all actuality cost very little but are ridiculously inflated. Those are the things that make me mad. I also get upset when people are discriminated against, but that's just me.

Specializes in ICU; Telephone Triage Nurse.

A PCT once told me years ago hot Cheetos burn on the way out, as her 8 year old daughter cried on the toilet pooping. Poor little thing. I've often wished for asbestos toilet paper too after indulging in very hot foods (which seem almost impossible to stop eating, even if your better sense screams it). There is something about eating hot foods and endorphins that is difficult to explain.

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