4 ms·

A working description might be some combination of: - Synthesized or highly processed versions of or replacements for a normally natural or well established su

A working description might be some combination of: - Synthesized or highly processed versions of or replacements for a normally natural or well established substance; often for the purpose of cost. E.g. high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, rayon, chrome tanned leather, etc. - Synthesized or highly processed substances that promise to provide the advantages of a natural or well established substance but without any of the drawbacks. E.g. sweeteners without calories, waterproofing sprays that promise breathability, anti-stick coatings that don't require the care of cast iron, replacing metal with light weight plastics, etc. For me it tends to come down to two rules of thumb that my life experience has given me: - Highly processed products (particularly food) tend to be unhealthy. - There is no free lunch. If some new material promises to eliminate the drawbacks of an existing material, then it probably has different drawbacks that you don't know about yet.

anonymousab 2y ago
The people posting about chemicals-in-the-food and stuff like that in my area definitely don't see high fructose corn syrup as a chemical - "it comes from corn and corn is grown in fields" is all I ever got out of that discussion - but definitely do see stevia as one. Maybe the definition is more of a regional thing. Or maybe it's just more BS. In any case I don't think it's remotely consistent or concrete.
consteval 2y ago
> There is no free lunch This is just a heuristic, and honestly barely that. It's a belief. Often there really is free lunch, and that's just progress. Sometimes I think people like to pretend otherwise because it's comforting to deny yourself of convenience. Aspartame really is zero calories. And it really is safe. Yes, much safer than sugar. No, it doesn't magically make you gain weight. No, it doesn't cause cancer (feeding rats 500 coke bottles worth of aspartame doesn't count!). Yes, it's less carcinogenic than red meat. From a health standpoint it's better in every single way. Of course taste is another thing all together, and subjective. Point being, yes things CAN just be better.
- harimau777 2y ago
  Heuristics exist because they are useful. It's not possible for an individual to research every new chemical that comes along. Even if they do, they don't have a good way of knowing if the research they are reading is reliable. So they need some rule for dealing with new chemicals.
  - consteval 2y ago
    1. Aspartame is not new 2. Aspartame is safe and there's not a scientist on Earth who claims otherwise. 3. While we may not know NEW stuff, we do know old stuff. Sugar quite literally kills people. An alternative could, AND DOES, save lives.
- klyrs 2y ago
  But low-calorie sugars provide a rationalization for overconsumption instead of changing behaviors. To me, every single one tastes terrible. But worst, they send a confusing signal to your gut because the taste of sweetness naturally corresponds to easy calories, but when they don't arrive, you don't get satiated. This dovetails with the rationalization, significantly contributing to the obesity epidemic. Free lunch what?
  - consteval 2y ago
    Claiming zero-calorie sweeteners, which by definition cannot contribute to weight gain as it's impossible, are "contributing to obesity" is a BOLD claim. I'm talking science-shattering hundreds of studies disproving bold. Listen, you can't just make things up. Just because you feel as though something is too good to be true doesn't mean it actually is. This is like those people who think Ozempic makes your eyes melt and stuff. The problem is in capitalistic society "pain is gain" is ingrained since you left the womb. People often have trouble conceptualizing that you can get good results without suffering. People actually ENJOY the suffering because they think it directly translates into good stuff for them and their life. It's not a healthy, or rationale, way to operate. Ensuring your own misery out of a desperate need to prove yourself and your work ethic is just self-destructive behavior. Sorry to be the one to tell you.

anonymousab 2y ago

The people posting about chemicals-in-the-food and stuff like that in my area definitely don't see high fructose corn syrup as a chemical - "it comes from corn and corn is grown in fields" is all I ever got out of that discussion - but definitely do see stevia as one. Maybe the definition is more of a regional thing. Or maybe it's just more BS. In any case I don't think it's remotely consistent or concrete.

consteval 2y ago

> There is no free lunch This is just a heuristic, and honestly barely that. It's a belief. Often there really is free lunch, and that's just progress. Sometimes I think people like to pretend otherwise because it's comforting to deny yourself of convenience. Aspartame really is zero calories. And it really is safe. Yes, much safer than sugar. No, it doesn't magically make you gain weight. No, it doesn't cause cancer (feeding rats 500 coke bottles worth of aspartame doesn't count!). Yes, it's less carcinogenic than red meat. From a health standpoint it's better in every single way. Of course taste is another thing all together, and subjective. Point being, yes things CAN just be better.

harimau777 2y ago
Heuristics exist because they are useful. It's not possible for an individual to research every new chemical that comes along. Even if they do, they don't have a good way of knowing if the research they are reading is reliable. So they need some rule for dealing with new chemicals.
- consteval 2y ago
  1. Aspartame is not new 2. Aspartame is safe and there's not a scientist on Earth who claims otherwise. 3. While we may not know NEW stuff, we do know old stuff. Sugar quite literally kills people. An alternative could, AND DOES, save lives.
klyrs 2y ago
But low-calorie sugars provide a rationalization for overconsumption instead of changing behaviors. To me, every single one tastes terrible. But worst, they send a confusing signal to your gut because the taste of sweetness naturally corresponds to easy calories, but when they don't arrive, you don't get satiated. This dovetails with the rationalization, significantly contributing to the obesity epidemic. Free lunch what?
- consteval 2y ago
  Claiming zero-calorie sweeteners, which by definition cannot contribute to weight gain as it's impossible, are "contributing to obesity" is a BOLD claim. I'm talking science-shattering hundreds of studies disproving bold. Listen, you can't just make things up. Just because you feel as though something is too good to be true doesn't mean it actually is. This is like those people who think Ozempic makes your eyes melt and stuff. The problem is in capitalistic society "pain is gain" is ingrained since you left the womb. People often have trouble conceptualizing that you can get good results without suffering. People actually ENJOY the suffering because they think it directly translates into good stuff for them and their life. It's not a healthy, or rationale, way to operate. Ensuring your own misery out of a desperate need to prove yourself and your work ethic is just self-destructive behavior. Sorry to be the one to tell you.