tonight on "nightline" -- flaming hot controversy, these bright red salty snacks have inspired facebook fan pages, even a junk food rap. but now they're causing a backlash in america's schools. tonight, why salt may be a bigger health threat to your kids than you realize. cheap chic, move over martha stewart, oprah's top designer nate berkus says he can transform any room into a luxury nest for a lot less cash than you might think. plus, the korean music craze selling out arenas worldwide from girl bands to gang nam style. pop stores are not born but made, what it takes to survive

k-pop boot camp. good evening, i'm terry moran. tonight, a spicy, crunchy snack with such a following among america's kids and some schools are considering banning them. they're called flamein' hot cheetos and movement to turn them into lunchroom contraband is part of a growing concern over how much salt kids are eating and the serious health problems that could result. abc's linsey davis brings us inside this controversy. >> reporter: in the battle over high-calorie, high-salt snacks and school kids, the latest target -- flamein' hot cheetos, spicy orange curls so popular people even have facebook fan pages for them.

and there is also this video with more than 3 million hits on youtube. but now, their extreme popularity has the bite-size crunchy snacks under assault. officials in school districts from california to illinois are trying to get them banned. >> if children want to bring in snacks that are high in fat, high in calories that's their choice, they can do that but we won't provide those kind of foods. >> the cheeto epidemic is major. >> reporter: a teacher featured on a video talking about how problematic they are. >> flaming hot cheetos probably the biggest problem we have. >> reporter: another teacher in new mexico st. implord parents not to let their kids bring them to school. >> i don't have her bringing a family size bag, i know she'll eat them all railroad they it contains 26 grams of fat and

contains a quarter of the sodium you're supposed to eat in the entire day. and it's sodium, also known as salt, that has nutritionists increasingly worried. >> if i were to say is there a lot of sodium in the food that you eat would you have any idea what i'm talking about? >> yes. >> yes. >> a lot of my food has soy sauce. >> reporter: most adults have 2300 milligrams in day about a teaspoon but researchers found adults and children are consuming on average an alarming 3400 milligrams of sodium a day, about a third more than they should. and salt is found in a lot of places much less obvious than a bag of chips. bread, salad dressing, most of the items in the frozen foods aisle, even ice cream. >> it's in the like kids are picking up salt shakers, this is in their lunch meat, for example. >> and in a lot of food you doeblt think is salty or tastes salty, either. >> reporter: one of the most popular bag lunches for kissed.

>> when ask you parents what do they pack a lot of will say, good old turkey sandwich. >> reporter: it packs a punch of more than 1,000 milligraps of sodium just in one sandwich. >> we'll trade that for an english muffin, that will cut the sodium significantly from the white bread. we'll swap out the deli meat for a chicken breakfast that's been grilled or baked. >> reporter: registered die television cynthia sass suggestion parents ajucht the children's diet now. too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure and type ii diabetes. >> mustard saves sodium. >> reporter: a lot. the turkey sandwich has 65% more than this chicken sandwich but will the kids eat it? does this look better than the school cafeteria food? we put a panel kifds at this ymca in new york city to a taste test. on the red plate higher salt turkey sandwich, on the blue

plate, lower salt chicken sandwich. >> this is good. >> a lot better than the peanut butter honey. >> reporter: you like that? >> it's good. >> reporter: 10-year-old theodore wasn't fooled for a minute. >> i think that would have more salt on the white bread because mayo has more salt than other condiments. >> reporter: but this was all about taste and if they would actually eat the low salt option. what do you think? you seem to be enjoying both. >> i think both of them are great but the blue, it has this really good, zesty taste with the mustard and the chicken. it's amazing. i love it. >> reporter: everyone who liked red better raise your hand. three. blue? okay. three -- you like blue better. it's a tie. with the group split over which lunch they liked better we moved on to some of their favery snacks like cheetos.

frito-lay who makes and bags them with cartoons on front tells abc news they're committed to responsible and ethical marketing practices not to market to kids 12 and under. we swap the original flavor cheetos. 250 milligraps per serving. with these lightly salted potato chips. oh, 85. >> big difference. >> about a third. we're talk same aisle of the supermarket, same category of food. not talking about going from the chip aisle to produce aisle. and we change this. >> 240 milligraps of sodium versus 35 milligrams of seed yum. >> reporter: a few more snacks. on the red plate, lightly salted chips and koch lat kisses. blue plate, the higher sodium snacks, cheetos and cookies. >> less saltier than usual. >> reporter: the kids weren't tricked. detecting our lightly salted chips right away.

>> you might feel like it doesn't have salt. >> reporter: and some assume something sweet wouldn't also be salty. >> i don't think kisses have salt in there at all. i don't think -- i think just sugar and chocolatey flavor. >> reporter: in the end when it came to the sandwich or snack sometimes they actually preferred the reduced salt option. >> i love chocolate. i love everything here. so, i'm in love with it. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm linsey davis in new york. >> the salt deability, thanks to linsey for that. >> a big makeover for little cash. nate berkus tell ts us how to spruce up any room without breaking the bank. music: "make someone happy" music: "make someone happy" ♪it's so important to make someone happy.♪ ♪it's so important to make someone happy.♪ ♪make just one heart to heart you - you sing to♪

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with the economy still lingering in the slump, home redecoration doesn't always top the list of priorities but one designer is out to prove with a little effort and a little cash, you can transform your home on a budget. nate berkus rose to fame as oprah's go-to design guy and now take page from martha stewart's play dpl dl book, telling juju chang how you can revamp your home at recession prices. >> these were bracelets that i bought in south africa. >> reporter: at home, designer nate berkus surrounds himself with things he loves. they go up here. >> still too big for you. >> reporter: things that hold meaning. >> framed note from oprah, first note she ever wrote me. actually a mini suitcase. >> reporter: right alongside the priceless artifacts swanky,

affordable home furnishing that the 41-year-old home makeover guru and former oprah protegee designed himself for target. >> a price everybody can afford. from the bedding to the duvets, jewelry for the home. >> reporter: people would say it's cheesy or you're selling out? >> can you tell the target piece on this table? >> reporter: which is the target piece? >> this is from target. part of my collection. >> reporter: in his new book the things that matter, nate illustrates the simple design philosophy that no matter how much money you have, the objects in your home should tell your story. should we all become hoarders? >> no. i have a theory about this, if you don't know what's in your home, then by my definition that is bordering on hoarding. if you appreciate what is in your home you can be a minimalist and love everything in your space. >> reporter: he recently

transform his new york apartment into a work of art worthy of next month's "architect duras"a digest." >> juju read this -- i don't like the styrofoam container. >> reporter: he was always thinking about design even as boy growing up outside minneapolis sharing eye room with his brother. as a young child arranged and rearranged the room. >> i shared the room with my brotheren a ruined his life. he was like a normal child who didn't want to put his laundry awayen a would stage fits and have like breakdowns and finally just clean up after my brother every day, too. >> best job i ever saw. >> reporter: berkus became famous helping oprah transform homes on her talk show for ten years. >> he isn't here. although that is a really hard thing for me. >> reporter: but the infamous tsunami that struck the coast of

sri lanka that changed his life forever. nate was on vacation with boyfriend when the wave hit. >> we felt the water surge again and he looked at me and said it's not over. and i felt his hand slip away. a and-sorry. >> reporter: nate reached deep into his psyche to find the heart of a survivor. you lost the love of your life. >> that implies i'll never have another. the term survive means to not only have had that experience but to open yourself, open your heart and mind and moving forward. in the world. and i think that honors his memory. he would not want me to be pining away for him as the only love of my life. >> reporter: what did you learn about yourself in. >> i said if i witnessed something i would be in the corner shaking but i functioned, i was giving medical treatment, helped clean wounds and die off things that really shocked me that i had that in me because i

never thought i would be that guy. >> reporter: nate not only survived, he seemed determined to thrive. he was an early supporter of the help and worked to turn it into an oscar nominated movie as one of its executive producers. >> i read probably three or four books a week. i read the book before it was published and i thought this is a great story. this is exactly what i would like to be affiliated and connected with. i was so proud of the movie, i am work on a second film based on a novel. >> reporter: he was dabbling in hollywood, and hosting "the nate berkus show" out of new york which ran daily for two seasons until it was canceled earlier this year. people think the show was cancelled, that must have been hornl for you. >> no, i don't think i was well-suited to that. i love television, i believe in the power of television but i would like to do it in a way that is much more edited, much more focused.

>> reporter: but for now he's focusing his energy on building his empire off-screen. do you see yourself dethroning martha stewart one day? >> i wouldn't be sitting here with you if it weren't for martha stewart, she was the first person that really empowered people with ideas and got everyone in the country fascinated by design. that to me is all of the stuff swirling out there, who will destroen oprah you know what? no one. >> reporter: you could never come to my house. because it's so messy and not perfect like yours. >> here is the thing, i don't judge other people's homes. >> reporter: and yet, in look for love, nate admits he's pretty picky. >> bad taste in stuff. >> reporter: you would never date a guy with bad taste? >> well -- no. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm juju chang in new york. >> he's honest. his book "things that matter" on sale tomorrow. thanks to juju and just ahead, from the madness of gangnam style, to the all-girl pop

craze, inside the star factory where these korean music supergroups are made.

>> from colorful girl bands to goofy video stars, this summer's on slat of gangnam style is any indication korean pop is poised to make a huge splash in america and for every platinum selling supergroup there are millions of wanna be stars and one show biz boot camp where the lucky few get a shot at pop greatness. we go inside to see if we got what it takes. >> reporter: korean viral sensation psy has trotted to the

top of american charts. his "gangnam style" video garnering more than 400 million hits. but psy is just the leading edge of the south korean pop invasion. a wave of supergroups with infectious hooks and sleek moves. the hottest acts, a nine-member girl group called girls generation with chart-popping hits and multiple languages, lucrative endorsement deals and millions of hits on youtube. by like generations of american super bands these groups are born so much as built. ♪ want to know all my secrets >> reporter: starting in kind of boot camp run by korea's largest record company sm entertainment. every week hundreds wanna be stars flock to global casting calls to sing. and dance for a chance at k pop

stardom. those lucky enough to be discovered sign long-term contracts and spend years in a trainee program. learning discipline, perfecting every pitch, mastering every move. >> see how it goes. >> reporter: this is the first time cameras have been aloud inside the hit factory for a crash course in idol training. to test my own k pop potential, first stop, the recording studio. ♪ ♪ i decided long ago never to walk in anyone's shadow ♪ >> reporter: turns out it's not as easy as cakaraoke. next, with these salve >> jimmy: teens it's clear that hip-hop is not my forte. the most challenging class? a lesson in korean. chicago native john shows me how

it's done. that hurts. for the lucky handful of successful trainees they are cast number one of the signature supergroups. ♪ everything >> reporter: a huge rollout like hollywood block busters. sales now topping 3 p billion a year, this purposely packaged k pop poised to become one of south korea's biggest exports. for "nightline," in seoul. >> thank you very much for that. make sure to tune in to a special id edd is tomorrow latest after president obama and republican challenger mitt romney once again go head to head in the second presidential debate. thanks for watching abc news. check in for "good morning america" they're working while you're sleeping. "jimmy kimmel" is up next. see you here tomorrow.