Healthier Cheetos Were Not on My 2026 Bingo Card. But Here We Are.
I did not have "Cheetos will be made healthier" on my 2026 bingo card. Yet, here we are, right out of the New Year's gate, and that seems to be what's happening.
The other day, I was walking through Walmart in Nacogdoches, and I came across this display:
Needless to say, I am a Cheetos - and Doritos - fan. I haven't met many people - scratch that - I haven't personally met ANYONE that isn't a fan of Cheetos. Whether it's a nostalgia thing, or whether they're just fans in general, the people that I've spoken with like Cheetos.
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Naturally, I wanted to know what this was. The bags didn't have the traditional colors that you usually see, which was the first eye-opener for me. Second, I had no idea what "Simply NKD" meant. So, I did some research.
Apparently, PepsiCo, the owner of these brands has decided to make the original snacks a bit healthier. How are they doing that? According to the PepsiCo website, they've taken out the artificial dyes and flavors. This means a colorless, stripped-down version of the original chips, or "naked" version. (I guess removing the vowels and creating "NKD" makes it easier to market to entire families? I'm not sure.)
When I got home and opened the bag, this is what I saw:
I will admit, I was a little iffy about the Cheetos not having the iconic orange color that I grew up getting all over my fingers. However, the taste is exactly the same. I will say this: I haven't tried the Doritos, so I don't know if the experience is the same, but the Cheetos taste just like the traditional ones.
So, next time you go to the grocery store, you may want to keep an eye out for these, because they are officially here in Deep East Texas.
Yes, There WAS A Cheeto Fashion Show and You're Going To Love It!
Gallery Credit: James Rabe