I think rules like this can be useful. I'm also wary of new things, as in freshly popular materials, like a new type of coating on non-stick pans. Another "rule

I think rules like this can be useful. I'm also wary of new things, as in freshly popular materials, like a new type of coating on non-stick pans. Another "rule" is that the more processed something is, the more removed it is from the original thing, then it probably lost its useful quality, no matter how much it resembles the original thing. Regarding artificial vs natural, looking for natural stuff can be a good rule of thumb, but the "appeal to nature" is a logical fallacy for a good reason. Lots of natural things are bad for us, and because we already live in a pretty artificial environment, other things need to be adjusted too, because natural ways sometimes only work in natural environments. Substitutions, like diet coke, can also be a trap. When the premise is that I can just do away with harmful X, by substituting it with Y, and have basically the same thing, then I'm always watchful. Usually there's no free lunch.