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"A war on all fats" is a pretty good summary of a lot of popular nutritional messaging in the '90s though. Low fat or fat free was a big selling point on lots o

by topaz0 4y ago

"A war on all fats" is a pretty good summary of a lot of popular nutritional messaging in the '90s though. Low fat or fat free was a big selling point on lots of food packaging, even when it didn't make sense. Magazine articles about how you could cut just a bit more fat out of this or that recipe. I'm 100% in agreement that the reality is more nuanced, including that dietary fats, some more than others, can be harmful to health when consumed in excess. In other words, that it's not just the other extreme from that 90s consensus. I think the GP would agree too (the only hyperbole in their post was a statement attributed to nutritionists of the time). But the war on fat was real, and had a big presence in the culture.

wolverine876 4y ago
> "A war on all fats" is a pretty good summary No, it's pushing hyperbole. It tells the world your emotional position - you think it was a war. Let's try something more factual, that reveals the underlying issues - if we know the facts. Low fat and fat free is still a big selling point. Look at the NYT article on the FDA's plans, for example.
- topaz0 4y ago
  Even academic articles call it that, e.g.: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24911982/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24911982/ from 2007 The first paragraph of the introduction, in case you don't have access: > Since medical research first established a potential link between dietary fat intake, obesity, and cardiovascular disease [1], multiple components of the public health continuum have waged war on dietary fat. That war has generally been successful, not necessarily at preventing obesity or heart disease but at convincing Americans that dietary fat is bad for us.
  - wolverine876 4y ago
    If we search databases we can find many phrases, including in random papers with 5 cites. The language has the same impact no matter who uses it. Don't you see the impact of the Internet and its dialog on our society? Let's do something better.
- tremon 4y ago
  It tells the world your emotional position It doesn't read as if they're describing their own position, emotional or not. It's a characterization of the public messaging surrounding dietary fat. Low fat and fat free is still a big selling point Yes, that's mainly because of aforementioned public messaging.
  - wolverine876 4y ago
    It's a selling point because it has an impact on people's health. > It's a characterization of the public messaging surrounding dietary fat. Hyperbole is characterization, reflecting the author's emotional state.

by topaz0 4y ago

wolverine876 4y ago

> "A war on all fats" is a pretty good summary No, it's pushing hyperbole. It tells the world your emotional position - you think it was a war. Let's try something more factual, that reveals the underlying issues - if we know the facts. Low fat and fat free is still a big selling point. Look at the NYT article on the FDA's plans, for example.

topaz0 4y ago
Even academic articles call it that, e.g.: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24911982/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24911982/ from 2007 The first paragraph of the introduction, in case you don't have access: > Since medical research first established a potential link between dietary fat intake, obesity, and cardiovascular disease [1], multiple components of the public health continuum have waged war on dietary fat. That war has generally been successful, not necessarily at preventing obesity or heart disease but at convincing Americans that dietary fat is bad for us.
- wolverine876 4y ago
  If we search databases we can find many phrases, including in random papers with 5 cites. The language has the same impact no matter who uses it. Don't you see the impact of the Internet and its dialog on our society? Let's do something better.
tremon 4y ago
It tells the world your emotional position It doesn't read as if they're describing their own position, emotional or not. It's a characterization of the public messaging surrounding dietary fat. Low fat and fat free is still a big selling point Yes, that's mainly because of aforementioned public messaging.
- wolverine876 4y ago
  It's a selling point because it has an impact on people's health. > It's a characterization of the public messaging surrounding dietary fat. Hyperbole is characterization, reflecting the author's emotional state.