It’s been almost a month now since we first learned of reported illnesses. Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting- well-known unpleasantries that should never be an integral part of one’s diet plans. The alleged culprit? Hang on now… Lucky Charms.
Yes, that most basic yet vital food staple, cherished by many as one of the four major food groups along with Fruity Pebbles, Cap’n Crunch, and Cocoa Puffs (allegedly Hawaii’s favorite cereal), is being doubled-checked by authorities after over 450 reports about folks reportedly feeling ill soon after eating the sweet morsels. So much for being “lucky”… or charms.
Reports with details are available at https://iwaspoisoned.com, an actual website that aggregates comments when people report eating something(s) that made them feel yucky, and that site is now populated with marshmallow-y tales of physically off-putting symptoms noted after eating the marbits (yes, a word concocted when the cereal was concocted back in 1964, combining “marshmallow” and “bits”).
Now there’s nothing funny about food-borne illnesses, of course. But seeing that the alleged culprit here is not poorly-washed lettuce or spinach, undercooked chicken, raw eggs, bacteria-laden sprouts, or tainted seafood- but rather a dry cereal made from oats, corn starch, corn syrup, dextrose, etc.- is rather bizarre.
And I know it’s been a tough, debilitating and weird couple of years, but did you ever think you’d hear about Lucky Charms being a possible health hazard? Again, the jury is still out, but this revelation reminded me that occasionally we all crave food that’s simply enjoyable and fun. One can only consume so many cruciferous veggies, after all. In moderation, of course, sometimes you gotta eat for your mental health, like when pounding down that XL bag of butter-laden popcorn and mochi crunch at a movie, or munching massive malassadas, or scarfing down tri-colored, shave ice (watch for brain freeze).
We understand empirical advice to avoid overdoing it with sugar, salt, alcohol, fat, trans fats, red meat, fried and processed foods, white rice, artificial additives, soda… the list seems endless. Yes, sometimes you just gotta have whatever you prescribe as food for your soul. We know people didn’t pile on that so-called “COVID-19”, as in pounds gained, by noshing on kale, broccoli, and almonds, but sometimes, just sometimes, you just gotta have it. And that’s what makes this mysterious Lucky Charms scenario so potentially unappetizing; like a soggy bowl of, well… you know what.
Think about it.