4 ms·
What should public health have done differently?
by object-a 2mo ago
What should public health have done differently?
- hattmall 2mo agoTreat junk food like cigarettes
- bobthepanda 2mo agoUnfortunately in most countries the blocker is politics, not the desire of public health officials to do anything. See the current US admin going after vaccines while declaring open season for peptides.
- p_j_w 2mo agoPeople have tried. Any time the government tries to do anything a substantial portion of the electorate throws a childish hissy fit and tries to make out that the Bolsheviks are coming to make their fries less tasty for no good reason.
- apparent 2mo agoWhat's interesting is that it's different parts of the electorate that get upset. When Republicans wanted to make junk food/soda ineligible for food stamps, Dems got upset. And when Dems wanted to tax large sodas, Republicans/libertarians got upset. I think the former makes much more sense than the latter, since it is literally being funded by the govt. That's a reasonable first step, or possibly only step, especially considering that most people on food stamps are also on govt-funded/subsidized healthcare (meaning taxpayers will end up footing the bill when they require expensive treatments resulting in part from an unhealthy diet).
- llm_nerd 2mo agoThis is a pretty insincere take.
- apparent 2mo agoFeel free to elaborate on my alleged insincerity. Was I insincere in noticing that there are partisan patterns at play, or insincere when pointing out that the govt should have more control over govt-run/taxpayer funded programs, as opposed to transactions between private parties? I am sincerely curious to know your opinion.
- llm_nerd 2mo ago[flagged]
- apparent 2mo agoHow does any of this make my comment insincere? Even if I agreed with it, I wouldn't understand how it proves your original accusation. I also don't love your injection of flame-bait racial comments, which probably violate HN guidelines.
- apparent 2mo agoReplying to your edit: Amazing that you again allege insincerity, with zero evidence. You then go on to make false claims about what I said and avoid the obvious point that my problem is not with the historical figure that you quoted, but the fact that you injected race into a conversation that was about food. As for whether you violate the HN guidelines, the number of your recent comments that are greyed out tends to indicate that I'm not the only one who thinks you're out of step here.
- weberer 2mo agoYou obviously do not know what the word "sincere" means. Please look it up before posting further.
- to11mtm 2mo agoAnd have a real conversation around Corn syrup. Even today, a Soda with 'real sugar', at least for me, is far more satiating for thirst or a 'quick sweet treat' than the same brand/'flavor' using corn syrup, that includes both the big chains as well as the local names. If I drink a soda with sugar in it, I usually wind up wanting water after. If I drink something with corn syrup, I usually just want more of whatever I just had.
- brokensegue 2mo agoIs there evidence supporting the idea that sugar is more satiating? My understanding was that they were equally unhealthy
- tacon 2mo agoNo, the evidence is that there is no significant difference in satiety. HFCS is 55% fructose / 45% glucose, while sucrose is 50% fructose / 50% glucose.
- brokensegue 2mo agoyeah that was my understanding. for some reason corn syrup is vilified. the real problem there (as I understand it) is corn subsidies.
- 4d4m 2mo agoDing ding ding. HFCS is a tax we all pay for no reason anyone in the general populace actually wants.
- to11mtm 2mo agoWell, There's at least this as a start... https://nutrition.org/sugars-created-equal-lets-talk-fructose-metabolism/ https://nutrition.org/sugars-created-equal-lets-talk-fructos... Not saying Sugar itself is much better, however, yes, there is research indicating that the two are metabolized differently, so that difference in composition should be considered.
- object-a 2mo agoWhat is junk food? For example — are cheeseburgers and French fries junk food? What about when you make them at home, or at a fancy restaurant without artificial ingredients? Is it certain additives? If McDonalds makes a happy meal without additives, is it no longer junk food? What does treat them like cigarettes mean? Tax them? Ban them within 15 feet of a building entrance? Put warning labels? Is giving or selling French fries to children a crime? Does this apply to food made at home?
- ultrafro2 2mo ago(to all the boolean questions): yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
- wackget 2mo agoMost of the time when people try to define healthy food vs. junk food in a fair and unbiased way, the line gets drawn at "whole foods" vs "processed foods". A typical burger meal is definitely processed food because the meat is processed mechanically and mixed from different sources (usually with added fat); the bun is made from refined flour and refined oils; and the fries are thinly-cut potatoes blanched and fried in more refined oils. (Not to mention a whole bunch of chemical additives which are the norm rather than the exception; and "hyperpalatability" tweaks which means the food is formulated to taste unnaturally good.) You could perhaps argue that a home-made burger meal made using whole cuts of meat, a lean wholemeal bread dough, and potatoes roasted in animal fat could count as a healthy/whole food meal, but it would taste different to the typical hamburger meal we all associate with fast food. Fast food also has an enormous marketing industry behind it which pushes it in unhealthy volume, with maximum convenience, and at (until recently, at least) affordable prices.
- object-a 2mo agoWhy does grinding the meat at home make a huge difference vs grinding it in a factory? Depending on the cut you choose, the condiments you add, and the portion size, a hamburger at home could be Lot less healthy than a McDonald’s burger. McDonald’s patties don’t have any fillers afaict. The point is that “junk food” is a pretty amorphous and vague category. If you want to enforce portion or calorie restrictions you can do that, but it would have to be way more encompassing of a regulation than targeting “junk food”
- mpalczewski 2mo agothis is exactly right. We've got this society that readily accepts unpleasantness as what you need to do to get ahead(I'll question that but it's beside the point). People regularly accept suffering of all sorts. However, ask someone to eat a boring meal. that's a hard no. So, you've got large parts of society that won't accept that perhaps they shouldn't eat like children.
- Lagoon3384_SWE 2mo agoI basically sustain on junk food but my BMI is 19. I am a 35 year old male.
- BoingBoomTschak 2mo agoTax fat people. No, I'm not joking. Especially in countries with some sort of socialist health system.