# Do snack foods have ingredients that make **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 4, 2001, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snack-foods-have-ingredients-that-make/79742 "2001-09-04T21:11:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Miss\_Pippi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Miss\_Pippi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Pippi)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snack-foods-have-ingredients-that-make/79742/1 "2001-09-04T21:11:53Z")
you become addicted to that particular snack food? My son tells me he learned in school that foods like Pringles and Lays chips have an ingredient that makes you want to eat the whole box or bag and then makes you want more later. I think this may be true since I can’t quit buying and eating Triscuits. As dry and flavorless as they are I’m hooked and have to buy two boxes at a time. If I thought that I was being “forced” to eat them I’d be a little upset. If I’m eating them just because I like them then that’s different. ---
**Author:** ![Tedster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snack-foods-have-ingredients-that-make/79742/2 "2001-09-04T23:24:29Z")
There’s quite a bit of an additive called sodium chloride in many snack foods. It makes people drink more soda as well. ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snack-foods-have-ingredients-that-make/79742/3 "2001-09-04T23:28:01Z")
Some snack foods have even more addictive substances. such as fat, sugar, and chocolate. I’ve also heard of things called magic brownies… ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snack-foods-have-ingredients-that-make/79742/4 "2001-09-04T23:31:27Z")
Might be something to do with sugar as well. A friend of mine told me that Australian brewers intentionally make their beer relatively sweet by international standards so people will drink more of it. I can’t help thinking there is some truth to this: if I bring home a six pack of a _good_ European beer, I find that after one or two bottles, I don’t want any more. If I buy a six pack of Aussie beer, I’ll drink the whole thing at one sitting. Pretty weird, given the fact that I don’t like the Australian product as much. I guess the same applies to junk food. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snack-foods-have-ingredients-that-make/79742/5 "2001-09-05T01:46:31Z")
**Tedster** already said it, salt, but MSG - **monosodium glutamate** is specifically used as a flavor enhancer. ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snack-foods-have-ingredients-that-make/79742/6 "2001-09-05T03:36:52Z")
_off-topic a bit_ **Miss Pippi** , may I suggest a trip to your nearest Super Wal-Mart, where you can pick up Great Value brand imitation Triscuits, for a bargain price. Very close to the real thing. - A fellow Triscuit addict. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Pippi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Miss\_Pippi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Pippi)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snack-foods-have-ingredients-that-make/79742/7 "2001-09-05T19:26:19Z")
dqa thanks for the heads up on the Wal-Mart brand. I know the real thing is a bit expensive considering how many boxes I buy. I’ll give them a try. Of course I should just kick the Tricuit habit. Tricuits and Pepsi One are making up my whole diet lately. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snack-foods-have-ingredients-that-make/79742/8 "2001-09-05T20:08:09Z")
This reminds me of something an anthro professor brought up in a class I had a long time ago. He mentioned an article (or possibly a book–too lazy to look it up right now) referring the “hegemony of sugar.” Basically, it made a dietary study of people about one or two hundred years ago and compared them today. Dramatic difference–we eat waaay more processed sugar than we really need or should. The article (or book :rolleyes: ) went on to talk about how sugar is dominating our markets and lifestyle. Interesting. Soda drinks, in particular, are bad offenders when it comes to the OP. Does Mountain Dew really need to have bromeinated vegetable oil and so much salt in it? And what’s up with the huge openings on the cans that force you to gulp more at once? Bastards! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gabbyhayes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de0a6/32.png) [@gabbyhayes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gabbyhayes)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-snack-foods-have-ingredients-that-make/79742/9 "2001-09-05T20:18:13Z")
but you beat me to it. mountain dew has that crap in it to make it feel smooth going down. If you try to chug most soft drinks, they’ll vesuvius right back up again and your throat will swell shut, but mountain dew (and mello yello and surge) just sit there in your gut. That’s why mountain dew has that big opening, by the way, so you can drink it in a single gulp. Once in the mediterranean our ship’s fresh water became contaminated by salt water. The only thing that didn’t taste salty was coca cola from the vending machine (the old fashioned kind, with the paper cup, where the coke is created on the spot from syrup). It didn’t quench your thirst, though. The salt in the water kept you thirsty. But it tasted like normal coca cola. Ran out of quarters fast that day.