Activity: Fake Vomit

Talia with her creation

On SCOPE's Grossology episode, you saw Talia make fake vomit. Here's how she did it. Watch the clip.

CAUTION : This activity involves making fake vomit that looks so real it might make people produce some of the real thing. Use it responsibly (or just to freak people out).

What you need

• Apple sauce
• Unflavoured gelatine
• Powdered Cocoa
• Porridge oats
• Bran cereal with sultanas in it
• Cooked diced carrots
• Adult to help
• A frying pan

What to do

1. In a frying pan, heat about a cup of apple sauce for 5 minutes on a low to medium heat.
2. Then stir in a couple of packets of the unflavoured gelatine.
3. Add four or five pinches of coca powder, and mix thoroughly.
4. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
5. Sprinkle the porridge oats, bran cereal with sultanas and cooked diced carrots over the mixture and stir them in.
6. Taste if you dare.

What's happening?

The scientific name for vomit is emesis. It's basically half-digested, soggy food that has been ejected by your stomach. When you have an upset stomach and your body knows it has to get rid of its stomach contents, a button is pushed in a part of your brain called the emetic centre. This reverses the normal direction that the food flows - and you vomit!

Vomiting is such a physical process, that small chunks of your stomach wall can come off and come up with everything else. These are often mistaken for carrots, which is why there is a myth about carrots making you sick, or always being in your vomit.