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> my gut health was immediately, noticeably better in Europe Its because a lot of the weird artificial junk that are allowed to be put into your food is illega
by waihtis 2y ago
> my gut health was immediately, noticeably better in Europe
Its because a lot of the weird artificial junk that are allowed to be put into your food is illegal in Europe. Even things like popular sweeteners have been shown to have a negative effect on your gut health.
- hedora 2y agoMost sweeteners also have been shown to cause more weight gain than sugar (they screw up your metabolism). Unless you’re diabetic, there’s literally no reason to consume them.
- cenamus 2y agoI'd like to see a source on that, because (excessive) sugar literally causes diabetes. And of course high sweetener consumption is must be strongly linked with in general high calorie input and overweight people trying to reduce calorie consumption.
- Spivak 2y agoYour first point probably isn't actually true. The research that first connected the two showed that across a population sugar consumption up -> diabetes rates up. But it turns out that when you control for weight the effect of sugar specifically is much much smaller. To the point where if you're a healthy weight your sweet tooth isn't moving the needle.
- Spivak 2y agoOh that's not true at all. First I think they taste better, they're sweet without being syrup-y. Second it allows me to drink a lot of soda, 5+ cans a day adds up when it has calories. I have no expectation that it helps me lose weight, it's just tastier water. It's funny that folks will look down on diet soda but then be fine with tea and coffee and sports drinks like the bubbles make it meaningfully different.
- riffraff 2y ago5+ cans of soda a day seems unhealthy even if it's not caloric, the gas and acid will mess up your stomach. It is not just tastier water.
- Spivak 2y agoGiven that in France "water" means carbonated water and you have to specifically ask for "still water" I can't imagine the gas being that bad for you. Acid I can get behind but soda is by far the least acidic thing I consume on the daily.
- Spooky23 2y agoThe carbonation creates carbonic acid in your teeth. It’s a huge driver of calories. Of the of the issues with diet soda in particular is your tastes favor sweets. I used to drink 4-8 cans of Diet Dr Pepper daily. When I stopped, after a couple of weeks I found my taste preferences to be very different. I’d favor savory more attractive and sweet stuff would seem too sweet.
- loeg 2y agoNo, they have not. The evidence points the opposite way (people lose more weight on non-nutritive sweeteners than sugar).
- SoftTalker 2y agoAlso non-flouridated, non-chlorinated water.
- manoweb 2y agoI lived most of my life in an alpine European village; water was chlorinated and flourinated, more than in my current US location. There was a huge difference in mineral content, US water being almost distilled (1 to 3 French degrees hardness) VS something like 15-20 in Europe
- azinman2 2y agoWater hardness varies by location worldwide, including the US.
- pfdietz 2y agoNon-flouridated is gluten-free, right?
- verisimi 2y agoArtisanal
- sroussey 2y agoThe preservatives in flour / bread / etc are illegal in Europe. My sister is allergic and can’t have any bread in the USA. But can in France and Italy.
- waihtis 2y agoYeah, things like titanium dioxide are considered a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) yet FDA says its safe for use in food. But i guess trust the science and authorities
- pas 2y agoIARC usually says that something has carcinogenic potential, which is almost completely useless information for something that we already ingest in absurd quantities without a cancer epidemic.
- raydev 2y agoPlease share the names of these preservatives.
- 10xalphadev 2y agoDurex and Trustex.
- ara_ohanian 2y ago[dead]
- azinman2 2y agoEurope puts plenty of E numbers in their food (the US just spells it out versus hiding it under a number). There are things illegal in the US that are used in food in Europe. A lot of the time, at least for things like pesticides, the different is country of origin of manufacturer.
- jenny91 2y agoE numbers have very little to do with this. They are just a way to categorize food additives.
- azinman2 2y agoWhat else would you characterize “ weird artificial junk” as?
- literalAardvark 2y agoE numbers cover everything that can be added to food. Some examples would be E164 Saffron, E290 carbon dioxide, E428 gelatin. None of these are anywhere near the "weird chemicals category". You'll find that all euro foods have Es in them, but it doesn't mean they have half-tested industrial food additives in them.
- azinman2 2y agoThose are very selective things you picked. E100–E199: Food coloring, such as turmeric (E100) and paprika (E160c) E200–E299: Preservatives, such as sulfur dioxide (E220) E300–E399: Antioxidants and acidity regulators, such as ascorbic acid (E300) E400–E499: Thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and gelling agents E500–E599: Acidity regulators and anti-caking agents This is pretty much the spectrum. Red 40, aka Allura Red AC aka E129 is illegal in the US, legal in the EU, and carries a warning in the EU. Let’s not pretend that the wonderful world of chemicals and industrialization doesn’t exist in Europe.
- 2y ago
- raydev 2y ago> a lot of the weird artificial junk that are allowed to be put into your food is illegal in Europe What are some examples? A list would be helpful.
- Spooky23 2y agoI don’t follow this too closely, but having been in Europe for a few weeks, the food tastes noticeably better and is often cheaper than the US. One of the things you notice is shorter ingredient lists on prepared food. The ingredients in Italy for McDonald’s French fries are: potato, salt, oil. In the US there’s 7-8 including hydrogenated soybean oil and flavor/color agents. Oreos were similarly different, and arguably better tasting. I believe they regulate flavors and coloring additives differently, and many people feel both of these type of items can be problematic.