5 ms·
It doesn't, but at least in the US it might seem so because society makes it as hard as possible to get hooked on heroin and tobacco (prohibition, restriction &
by hx87 10y ago
It doesn't, but at least in the US it might seem so because society makes it as hard as possible to get hooked on heroin and tobacco (prohibition, restriction & taxes) and easy as possible to get off of it (rehabilitation programs), whereas the ingredients that cause obesity (e.g. corn) are actively subsidized by the government and promoted by a large portion of the medical establishment. I'd bet that if the US government were actively subsidizing tobacco and opium farmers and processors, addiction to those drugs would be seen much more as a lifestyle choice.
- ue_ 10y ago>whereas the ingredients that cause obesity (e.g. corn) Pardon my ignorance, but isn't corn just a vegetable? Are we talking about the same corn (sweetcorn) or something else? My intuition tells me that such a vegetable can't be "bad" for you, though that's probably because I eat it as part of my "vegetable" section of my diet. Is this vegetable really in the same ranks as cane sugar, salt, sweeteners etc.?
- DanBC 10y agoThe US uses lots of HFCS - high fructose corn syrup. Partly this is because government subsidies make it a very cheap ingredient. Some people think HFCS is particularly bad, worse than other sugars.
- hx87 10y agoUnprocessed corn isn't exactly bad for you--yes, it is a cereal and thus has large quantities of carbohydrates, but it has plenty of fat, proteins and fiber as well. It's when the corn gets processed, and the fat, proteins, and fiber get removed that it starts being unhealthy. In the end it's the American preference for sweet, bland foods that causes most of these problems.