Cinnamon Warning: 5 Other Dangerous Food Challenges
The cinnamon challenge made national headlines after a number of teenagers presented to ERs with collapsed lungs, but it's been on the minds of bored YouTube aficionados for years. It's the only food challenge to appear on the American Association of Poison Control Alerts, but it's not the only food challenge to gain a following on YouTube. Here are a few others you don't want to try at home.
1.Chubby Bunny
An expanding marshmallow between graham crackers and chocolate is a treat, but an expanding marshmallows in your mouth could be a choking hazard. This challenge involves eating a handful of marshmallows and saying the words "chubby bunny." The marshmallows "may create a larger mass that can obstruct the airway," said Dr. Christina Hantsch, a toxicologist at Loyola University Health System in Chicago who sees many kids in the ER.
2. Eating Baking Soda and Vinegar
Remember making erupting volcanos out of baking soda and vinegar and a dash of red food coloring for the science fair? Brave experimenters have tried to make a volcano out of their stomachs, resulting in a lot gas, spitting up, and vomiting up vinegar, which is basically an acid and something you don't want in your lungs.
3. Sprite and Banana Challenge
A strange, strange mix. When was the last time you washed a banana down with...soda? This challenge involves eating two of three bananas then drinking a can of Sprite. Bananas are so easily digestible that they leave no space for the gas-filled Sprite. The result? More choking and vomiting.
4. Snorting Cayenne / Chili Pepper
This one actually has some basis in - well, not science exactly. But many practitioners of holistic medicine believe that snorting cayenne pepper can relieve cluster headaches. Teens who are lining up rows of cayenne and chili pepper power, though, aren't looking for pain relief. And the oils in the pepper can cause the inside of your nose to burn painfully.
5. Milk Gallon Challenge
An old classic that predates the YouTube age, this challenge involves what it sounds like: chugging a whole gallon of milk, in less than a minute, without vomiting. It's almost physically impossible: your stomach's gag reflex will be triggered before you finish, and you will vomit. For some reason, this one won't go away. It was featured on the TV show Jackass in 2000, then on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in 2009.