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As a Dutch person (in Holland licorice is pretty popular too), I can tell from personal experience that there should be put a big emphasis on "licorice =>COULD<

As a Dutch person (in Holland licorice is pretty popular too), I can tell from personal experience that there should be put a big emphasis on "licorice =>COULD<= be dangerous". I have had periods where I would easily eat a bag oe more of this stuff on a daily basis and for prolonged periods, without even a single hint of the mentioned symptoms, nor anything else that could be related the claimed underlying problem. I also don't recall anyone else with such problems, other than maybe people with a horrible overall lifestyle combined with a taste for licorice. Very well possible that these are particular conditions (like overall shitty lifestyle and addiction to sugar/carbs) that would make licorice potentially harmful. However, at that point, someone will probably have plenty of other things to worry about. I'm by no means disputing that this stuff can cause serious problems for individual people. But I also know plenty of cases, myself being one of those, where even copious amounts of licorice caused no (discernible) problems whatsoever. That itself should questioning the validity of any claimed toxicity, which might only occur under specific circumstances. One might argue that eating sugary candies all day and maybe little proper nutrients aside, could be more of a "cause" than the licorice itself. Even if compounds inside licorice might exacerbate problems even further.

ponker 6y ago
The demented quantities (of everything) that are very common in the US are probably very infrequent in Holland.
- elmo2you 6y ago
  I get your point and I personally do consider the dietary habits of many Americans outright insane (though it has to be said that many may have not as much "choice" to eat more healthy, since healthy food appears to have become a inaccessible privilege for many). However, I would (in periods) eat up to 500~700 grams of this stuff myself. Not quite what you could call a small amount by any measure. Still, not a single health issue. I'm over 40. What I think is the bigger problem here is a sensationalized and alarmist presentation of an individual case, where supposedly a "medical" explanation is given for how licorice was the culprit. In reality there might be many other (and possibly more significant) factors involved. I think that what pisses me off most here, is that the BCC (hiding under a protective cover of presenting "news", while pursuing more clicks), implicitly (and probably unintentionally) more or less is giving false "medical advice" to readers who just don't know any better (unless they come from a culture where licorice is popular).
  - johnisgood 6y ago
    > healthy food appears to have become a inaccessible privilege for many Is that really the case? I live in Eastern Europe. Unhealthy food is inaccessible privilege for many. Instead I eat stews of legumes, which are healthy, and ridiculously cheap. I never understood this "healthy food is more expensive" thing, it most definitely is not the case here. All sorts of legumes, vegetables, and the ingredients to make healthy food are all very cheap, in comparison to pizza, or junk food, etc. which are expensive and I actually cannot financially live on them.
    - elmo2you 6y ago
      I am also situated in (but not originally from) Eastern Europe. On a personal level I pretty much completely agree with your opinion. However, that might be in part because I like to take time to prepare food and actually know how to cook. One of the things I love most about Eastern Europe, is that cooking is an art that's not yet (completely) lost on the majority of people (or at least not the female half of it). Be that because of traditional values, a taste/love for quality food (and even knowing what good food tastes like in the first place), or merely a direct consequence of poverty, it still is a quality that should never be underestimated. I firmly believe that many in the West literally no longer know what they are missing. While growing up, I definitely got the impression that even basic cooking skills became increasing less common knowledge among younger generations in most of Western Europe (I've heard it's even worse for the USA). Arguably it also deteriorated in Eastern Europe, but certainly not to the same extend. You are right, it isn't just about cost alone. It's also people no longer knowing how to make (healthy) food themselves anymore (or just not from basic ingredient). That said, I myself have been many times in situations (while living in Western Europe) where eating shitty food ended up a lot cheaper than cooking a proper meal. For anyone unable to cook, that will certainly be even worse. While it might be more of a philosophical question/opinion, one could ask to which extend it's about availability (both referring to ingredients and knowledge) and to which extend it's a question of (bad) choices. It could even be argued that it's the relative luxury (even spoiled behavior) that makes people eat shitty. Marketing, time constraints, and probably a number of other factors might also be to blame (to varying degrees). Either way, from the statistics I've seen (which should of course always be treated with skepticism), it does at least appear that the poor part of the (Western) demographic eat significantly more unhealthy than the more affluent part. I have often seen the prices of quality food being used as an argument for that trend. I have to admit, that as someone who can cook a meal out of almost nothing (and at times literally was forced to), I always have mixed feelings about such claims. Still, I did experience myself that living on a budget and cooking from basics was actually a lot easier in Eastern Europe than it was (for me) in Western Europe. It might not have been only about price and availability, but I'm pretty sure that it was a significant factor (for me). A lack of skills sure wasn't a factor in my case. Time constraints neither, since the were the same for me in both situations/locations.

ponker 6y ago

The demented quantities (of everything) that are very common in the US are probably very infrequent in Holland.

elmo2you 6y ago
I get your point and I personally do consider the dietary habits of many Americans outright insane (though it has to be said that many may have not as much "choice" to eat more healthy, since healthy food appears to have become a inaccessible privilege for many). However, I would (in periods) eat up to 500~700 grams of this stuff myself. Not quite what you could call a small amount by any measure. Still, not a single health issue. I'm over 40. What I think is the bigger problem here is a sensationalized and alarmist presentation of an individual case, where supposedly a "medical" explanation is given for how licorice was the culprit. In reality there might be many other (and possibly more significant) factors involved. I think that what pisses me off most here, is that the BCC (hiding under a protective cover of presenting "news", while pursuing more clicks), implicitly (and probably unintentionally) more or less is giving false "medical advice" to readers who just don't know any better (unless they come from a culture where licorice is popular).
- johnisgood 6y ago
  > healthy food appears to have become a inaccessible privilege for many Is that really the case? I live in Eastern Europe. Unhealthy food is inaccessible privilege for many. Instead I eat stews of legumes, which are healthy, and ridiculously cheap. I never understood this "healthy food is more expensive" thing, it most definitely is not the case here. All sorts of legumes, vegetables, and the ingredients to make healthy food are all very cheap, in comparison to pizza, or junk food, etc. which are expensive and I actually cannot financially live on them.
  - elmo2you 6y ago
    I am also situated in (but not originally from) Eastern Europe. On a personal level I pretty much completely agree with your opinion. However, that might be in part because I like to take time to prepare food and actually know how to cook. One of the things I love most about Eastern Europe, is that cooking is an art that's not yet (completely) lost on the majority of people (or at least not the female half of it). Be that because of traditional values, a taste/love for quality food (and even knowing what good food tastes like in the first place), or merely a direct consequence of poverty, it still is a quality that should never be underestimated. I firmly believe that many in the West literally no longer know what they are missing. While growing up, I definitely got the impression that even basic cooking skills became increasing less common knowledge among younger generations in most of Western Europe (I've heard it's even worse for the USA). Arguably it also deteriorated in Eastern Europe, but certainly not to the same extend. You are right, it isn't just about cost alone. It's also people no longer knowing how to make (healthy) food themselves anymore (or just not from basic ingredient). That said, I myself have been many times in situations (while living in Western Europe) where eating shitty food ended up a lot cheaper than cooking a proper meal. For anyone unable to cook, that will certainly be even worse. While it might be more of a philosophical question/opinion, one could ask to which extend it's about availability (both referring to ingredients and knowledge) and to which extend it's a question of (bad) choices. It could even be argued that it's the relative luxury (even spoiled behavior) that makes people eat shitty. Marketing, time constraints, and probably a number of other factors might also be to blame (to varying degrees). Either way, from the statistics I've seen (which should of course always be treated with skepticism), it does at least appear that the poor part of the (Western) demographic eat significantly more unhealthy than the more affluent part. I have often seen the prices of quality food being used as an argument for that trend. I have to admit, that as someone who can cook a meal out of almost nothing (and at times literally was forced to), I always have mixed feelings about such claims. Still, I did experience myself that living on a budget and cooking from basics was actually a lot easier in Eastern Europe than it was (for me) in Western Europe. It might not have been only about price and availability, but I'm pretty sure that it was a significant factor (for me). A lack of skills sure wasn't a factor in my case. Time constraints neither, since the were the same for me in both situations/locations.