JustErin said:

Stymie said:

I agree with this but really the part I bolded.

You don't think that people will just complain that the government is trying to tell them what they can and can't eat even with shit like this?

I dunno, it's just a really different mindset in the country I live in, I guess.

I don't think so.

Most people don't look so closely at what's in their processed food. "If they're allowed to sell it, it must be okay."

Yeah, not so much.

As far as the large, sugary drinks ban on sales, people are going to grumble, I think like, as someone mentioned before, the ban on smoking in bars/clubs. In the end, they bitched, but they learned to cope.

thekidsgirl said:

The same people who introduced supersized portions of things are probably -behind the scenes- the ones planning to benefit most from their removal.

Get people hooked on large amounts of chemically altered, unhealthy foods. Then downsize the portions, and those who are hooked on them will just buy double as much.

When it comes to worrying about the government dictating what and how much the run of the mill citizen puts in his mouth, save your energy. They already do.

A VERY valid observations!! Well said!!

thekidsgirl said:

The same people who introduced supersized portions of things are probably -behind the scenes- the ones planning to benefit most from their removal.

Get people hooked on large amounts of chemically altered, unhealthy foods. Then downsize the portions, and those who are hooked on them will just buy double as much.

When it comes to worrying about the government dictating what and how much the run of the mill citizen puts in his mouth, save your energy. They already do.

And THERE you have it!

Looks like they're following something slightly similar towards the Japanese model to fight obesity. In some urban parts of Japan they actually have a weight check for workers using company health insurance, with people actually spot checking the weight of employees and trying to use both preventative and corrective measures against an overweight population. It's a combo of preserving the Japanese beauty aesthetic and fighting rising health care costs related to weight gain (both directly tied to the import of American style junk food franchises and increases in weight and diabetes in recent years).

PurpleJedi said:

MacDaddy said:

But why do you think it's crazy?

As far as I'm concerned they could ban all soda's and junk food altogether.

It's crazy because I don't need the government to FORCE me to eat a certain way.

As an adult living in a "free" society, I am aware that eating a greasy cheeseburger is not exactly in my best interest, or that I should limit my sugary drinks intake...but I don't need a LAW to force me. I know it's extreme, but do you want some lawmaker to next decide that sushi is too dangerous and outlaw that? Or that creamy cheese sauces mixed with pasta could draw a fine for the high cholesterol levels?

I would argue for the opposite actually. I would like for the government to allow us to eat, drink, smoke, snort, shoot whatever we want...but with that freedom we'd need to deal with the consequences of those actions as adults.

I understand what you're saying, but I don't think it's really a free choice to eat fast food.

There are back companies behind it who do anything to make you eat there stuff.

If they were honest about what's in your food, you would probaby think otherwise.

Advertisement really makes you do things without you even knowing it, sugar makes you want it more and more...is it really a free choice than?

PurpleJedi said:

MacDaddy said:

But why do you think it's crazy?

As far as I'm concerned they could ban all soda's and junk food altogether.

It's crazy because I don't need the government to FORCE me to eat a certain way.

As an adult living in a "free" society, I am aware that eating a greasy cheeseburger is not exactly in my best interest, or that I should limit my sugary drinks intake...but I don't need a LAW to force me. I know it's extreme, but do you want some lawmaker to next decide that sushi is too dangerous and outlaw that? Or that creamy cheese sauces mixed with pasta could draw a fine for the high cholesterol levels?

I would argue for the opposite actually. I would like for the government to allow us to eat, drink, smoke, snort, shoot whatever we want...but with that freedom we'd need to deal with the consequences of those actions as adults.

but they aren't stopping anyone buy 4 Large sodas at one time are they?

Other countries don't have those huge cups USA has.

I was shocked to see that security guard dude on Supersize Me that had a cup that looked like it could hold about 4 litres of Coke, which he would drink each night on his shift

New Yorkers have to be small to fit into the 175-square-foot apartments they have to live in.

ZombieKitten said:

PurpleJedi said:

It's crazy because I don't need the government to FORCE me to eat a certain way.

As an adult living in a "free" society, I am aware that eating a greasy cheeseburger is not exactly in my best interest, or that I should limit my sugary drinks intake...but I don't need a LAW to force me. I know it's extreme, but do you want some lawmaker to next decide that sushi is too dangerous and outlaw that? Or that creamy cheese sauces mixed with pasta could draw a fine for the high cholesterol levels?

I would argue for the opposite actually. I would like for the government to allow us to eat, drink, smoke, snort, shoot whatever we want...but with that freedom we'd need to deal with the consequences of those actions as adults.

but they aren't stopping anyone buy 4 Large sodas at one time are they?

Other countries don't have those huge cups USA has.

I was shocked to see that security guard dude on Supersize Me that had a cup that looked like it could hold about 4 litres of Coke, which he would drink each night on his shift

I love how Texans got those big ass cups. Everything is truly bigger over there. New York's trying to be small...by force.

Maybe the only reason these things get regulated is because someone has made the connection to this type of behavior causing more expense in the end that is NOT paid for by the person making those inhalation/ingestion issues. More expenditure and debt in health care, city services, etc.

ufoclub said:

Maybe the only reason these things get regulated is because someone has made the connection to this type of behavior causing more expense in the end that is NOT paid for by the person making those inhalation/ingestion issues. More expenditure and debt in health care, city services, etc.

Even if the connections are not connected? How will this solve anything? lol

Efan said:

Stymie said:

Yes but aren't there things we are perfectly okay with the goverment legislating people on stupidity?

Seatbelt laws, for example. Or motorcycle helmet laws.

I have mixed emotions, because I miss the old days of dirty New York. That was the amazing city I fell in love with, not the cleaned-up Giuliani version with a Disneyfied Times Square. But I don't drink soda anymore, and when I did I drank diet soda, so I don't really have a dog in this fight.

As others have pointed out, you can still buy and drink as much soda as you want, so it doesn't seem like too big a deal to me, all in all.

You miss the prostitutes, and those peep show booths in Time Square, I reckon

PurpleJedi said:

Next step is what? Making it illegal to eat a cheeseburger?

Crazy.

If people can sue McDonalds out of business, they will.

This video explains the ban very well: http://www.nytimes.com/vi...ained.html

[Edited 9/16/12 12:05pm]

Nothinbutjoy said:

This is all smoke and mirrors to divert attention from a multitude of sin.

Once again, instead of regulating large corporations, legislate the individual.

Stop allowing huge food processing/ food growing conglomerates to dump fake additives into foods.

Yes, process foods need some additives, like preservatives for example, but PINK SLIME???

Individuals are responsible for their own choices. Government is responsible for insuring that entities, like private and public corporations, operate in a safe, ETHICAL manner.

Agreed! What a joke. And people are upset about THIS when we have no clue what is in our food and the government allows this???

Edit--be sure to click on some of the linked info. Really eye-opening.

The 6 Most Horrifying Lies The Food Industry is Feeding You

digg

If there's one thing in the world the food industry is dead set against, it's allowing you to actually maintain some level of control over what you eat. See, they have this whole warehouse full of whatever they bought last week when they were drunk that they need to get rid of -- and they will do so by feeding it all to you. And it doesn't matter how many pesky "lists of ingredients" and consumer protections stand between you and them.

#6. The Secret Ingredient: Wood

You know what's awesome? Newspaper. Or, to be precise, the lack thereof. The Internet and other electric media have all but eaten up classic print media, with the circulations of almost all papers on the wane. Say, do you ever wonder what they do with all that surplus wood pulp?

"But Cracked," you inquire, "what does this have to do with food ingredients?"

And we look at you squarely in the eye, then slowly bring our gaze upon the half-eaten bagel in your hand.

Oh, shit ...

The Horror:

What do they do with all the cellulose wood pulp? They hide it behind a bullshit name and make you eat it, that's what.

Getty
The best part of waking up, is wood pulp in your face!

And everybody's doing it. Aunt Jemima's pancake syrup? Cellulose. Pillsbury Pastry Puffs? Cellulose. Kraft Bagel-Fuls? Fast-food cheese? Sara Lee's breakfast bowls? Cellulose, cellulose, goddamn cellulose.

Schuym1
Et tu, Hot Pockets?

It turns out that cellulose can provide texture to processed foods, so food companies have taken to happily using it as a replacement for such unnecessary and inconveniently expensive ingredients as flour and oil. As the 30 percent cheaper cellulose is edible and non-poisonous, the FDA has no interest for restricting its use -- or, for that matter, the maximum amount of it that food companies can use in a product. It is pretty much everywhere, and even organic foods are no salvation -- after all, cellulose used to be wood and can therefore be called organic, at least to an extent.

But the worst thing about cellulose is not that it's everywhere. The worst thing is that it is not food at all. Cellulose is, unlike the actual, normal food items you think you're paying for, completely indigestible by human beings, and it has no nutritional value to speak of. If a product contains enough of it, you can literally get more nutrients from licking the sweet, sweet fingerprints off its wrapper.

That loaf and the chopping block have an equal wood content.

#5. Zombie Orange Juice

Quick, name the most healthy drink your nearest store has to offer. You said orange juice, didn't you? It's what everybody makes you drink when you get sick. Hell, that shit must be like medicine or something. And the labels are always about health benefits -- the cartons scream "100 percent natural!", "Not from concentrate!" and "No added sugar!"

Getty
"Less than four thumbs per gallon!"

And why not believe them? When it comes to making the stuff, orange juice isn't sausage. You take oranges, you squeeze oranges, you put the result in a carton, with or without pulp. End of story, beginning of deliciousness.

But what if we told you that "freshly squeezed" juice of yours can very well be a year old, and has been subjected to stuff that would make the Re-Animator puke?

Tropicana's bottling room. Not pictured: Anything orange.

The Horror:

Ever wonder why every carton of natural, healthy, 100 percent, not-from-concentrate orange juice manages to taste exactly the same, yet ever so slightly different depending on the brand, despite containing no additives or preservatives whatsoever?

The process indeed starts with the oranges being squeezed, but that's the first and last normal step in the process. The juice is then immediately sealed in giant holding tanks and all the oxygen is removed. That allows the liquid to keep without spoiling for up to a year. That's why they can distribute it year-round, even when oranges aren't in season.

Amazon Fresh
Thanks to science, we can enjoy screwdrivers from Christmas to the 4th of July.

There is just one downside to the process (from the manufacturers' point of view, that is) -- it removes all the taste from the liquid. So, now they're stuck with vats of extremely vintage watery fruit muck that tastes of paper and little else. What's a poor giant beverage company to do? Why, they re-flavor that shit with a carefully constructed mix of chemicals called a flavor pack, which are manufactured by the same fragrance companies that formulate CK One and other perfumes. Then they bottle the orange scented paper water and sell it to you.

And, thanks to a loophole in regulations, they often don't even bother mentioning the flavor pack chemicals in the list of ingredients. Hear that low moan from the kitchen? That's the Minute Maid you bought yesterday. It knows you know.

Getty
"Braaaaaaaains!"

#4. Ammonia-Infused Hamburger

Any restaurant that serves hamburger goes out of its way to reassure you how pure and natural it is. Restaurant chains like McDonald's ("All our burgers are made from 100 percent beef, supplied by farms accredited by nationally recognized farm assurance schemes") and Taco Bell ("Like all U.S. beef, our 100 percent premium beef is USDA inspected, then passes our 20 quality checkpoints") happily vouch for the authenticity of their animal bits. Their testaments to the healthiness and fullness of their meat read out like they were talking about freaking filet mignon.

McDonalds
Above: Gourmet as balls.

And aside from the rare E.coli outbreak, the meat is clean. It's how they get it clean that's unsettling.

The Horror:

Ammonia. You know, the harsh chemical they use in fertilizers and oven cleaners? It kills E.coli really well. So, they invented a process where they pass the hamburger through a pipe where it is doused in ammonia gas. And you probably never heard about it, other than those times that batches of meat stink of ...returns it.

Carol Guzy
If your Big Mac ever tastes like pee, this is why.

The ammonia process is an invention of a single company called Beef Products Inc., which originally developed it as a way to use the absolute cheapest parts of the animal, instead of that silly "prime cuts" stuff the competitors were offering (and the restaurant chains swear we're still getting). Consequently, Beef Products Inc. has pretty much cornered the burger patty market in the U.S. to the point that 70 percent of all burger ...de by them. Thanks, ammonia!

[Edited 9/16/12 12:57pm]

Genesia said:

It is not the job of government to save people from their own stupidity.

New Yorkers...enjoy the fascism you voted for.

Thank you.

People have every right to make personal choices about their health and well being. There are upteem things that industry do to containimate our soil and air that cause cancer. Let the goverment do something about that. Oh wait, that's different. People in the U.S. are so full of shit.

TD3 said:

Genesia said:

It is not the job of government to save people from their own stupidity.

New Yorkers...enjoy the fascism you voted for.

Thank you.

People have every right to make personal choices about their health and well being. There are upteem things that industry do to containimate our soil and air that cause cancer. Let the goverment do something about that. Oh wait, that's different. People in the U.S. are so full of shit.

Exactly. But of course when it comes to things that really matter in how things cause people to die, they only think it's what we do with it. It's almost as if they wanna punish us for eating and drinking what we want. That's not the America I was born into. Why are some okay with this? Even all the info presented here don't really make sense as to why this was passed...

TD3 said:

Genesia said:

It is not the job of government to save people from their own stupidity.

New Yorkers...enjoy the fascism you voted for.

Thank you.

People have every right to make personal choices about their health and well being. There are upteem things that industry do to containimate our soil and air that cause cancer. Let the goverment do something about that. Oh wait, that's different. People in the U.S. are so full of shit.

This law does NOT affect your personal choice. You can still buy and drink as much sugary soda as you want.

sexton said:

TD3 said:

Thank you.

People have every right to make personal choices about their health and well being. There are upteem things that industry do to containimate our soil and air that cause cancer. Let the goverment do something about that. Oh wait, that's different. People in the U.S. are so full of shit.

This law does NOT affect your personal choice. You can still buy and drink as much sugary soda as you want.

Then there's really no point in this law if that's the case.

KidaDynamite said:

sexton said:

This law does NOT affect your personal choice. You can still buy and drink as much sugary soda as you want.

Then there's really no point in this law if that's the case.

DUH?

Timmy84 said:

ufoclub said:

Maybe the only reason these things get regulated is because someone has made the connection to this type of behavior causing more expense in the end that is NOT paid for by the person making those inhalation/ingestion issues. More expenditure and debt in health care, city services, etc.

Even if the connections are not connected? How will this solve anything? lol

Oh, it's got to be connected. It's incredible how horrible American health and fitness is in general and how skewed consumer tastes have gotten to ingesting/using products that could be causing so many health issues and death.

There's so many things that happen to people physically with their health and appearance as they grow older thats likely due to their bad habits, and most believe mistakenly that the changes are a natural part of aging, when in fact, they are probably not!

It's kind of how kids are with parents. In a sense if you depend on a government and corporations which most all of us do... you are by definition a dependent or a childlike entity in some regards. Helpless in some ways, yet offended with rules from those organizations taking the time to actually try to save your life, ease your life, or protect it in some convoluted way.

TD3 said:

KidaDynamite said:

Then there's really no point in this law if that's the case.

DUH?

I'm assuming that they must not be hurt enough by the ecomony up there in New York if they want to ban something that is sold in a larger quanitity at a cheaper price. When the large size is banned, do you think they are going to lower the price of the smaller sizes so that it equals out to the price of the larger size when you buy two or three of the smaller sizes? Hell no, it's going to cost a LOT more when you buy several of the smaller sizes and you're going to need to because 16 ounces ain't shit, especially on a summer day when it's over 100 degrees outside. Oh, well it's not about price? Well, it should be because price is the most important thing when you're struggling. So if it's not about price then what else could it be.....oh I know, it's about sticking your nose in someone else's business and trying to tell them how much they can drink.

It's very simple, if you don't want more than 16 ounces then don't buy more than 16 ounces. But it's none of your business if someone else wants more than 16 ounces and they want it at an affordable price. Fuck that buying two or three smaller sizes, that costs more money.

Shanti0608 said:

PurpleJedi said:

When I was a teenager, one of the best parts of summertime was heading to 7-ELeven on a hot day and buying a SUPER Big Gulp, mixing 3 or 4 different sodas in one.

As of turning 40, I can honestly say that I've had maybe 2 Big Gulps in the past 2 years, and I'm sure I didn't even finish drinking the whole thing. This even though I have a 7-Eleven across the street from my office (which I visit daily).

Gluttony is an evil that our society has to deal with, but not through legislation IMO.

I think it comes down to ppl being responsible for their actions and their health. It is weird how Americans react to things like banning a big gulp. You should see the size of a large coke that you get from Mc Donalds in the UK. It is the size of a small here. I guess in this country ppl believe bigger is better.

I guess because in America we have had everything big and it being available on every corner, we think our liberties and and rights are being stripped if we can't get a Big Gulp anymore. You can still walk in to a 7-11 and buy 2 liter bottles of coke, right?

This reminds me of a discussion I had with my mom recently. She was telling me that the new washing machines in the US were no longer going to have the hot setting. She was outraged and said this country was not longer free.

I told her the entire time I was in the UK I washed my clothes in 30C (86F) because that is what most washers there are set to and the detergents were designed to clean in cooler waters.

This country is spoiled and now struggling with the consequences of being spoiled like bad health and damage to the environment.

Just my 2 cents.

[Edited 9/14/12 8:08am]

You can buy a 2 liter in the convenience stores but they're not cold so unless you're going home, it's not going to suit your needs. If you're on the go in a car, you would need a cup and some ice. Yeah, they sell cups of ice but they are very small. You would have wreck trying to constantly pour the drink into the cup multiple times and the ice would melt more and more each time you fill the cup up.

I've seen the fountain drinks in fewer and fewer convenience stores down here though because they taste so horrible and watered down. Everybody down here buys 20 ounce Cokes from the cooler. When we buy fountain drinks down here, we usually buy them from fast food windows when we get a supersize meal. Hardly anybody buys the drink alone because they cost too much. It's cheaper to get the hamburger, fries, and supersize drink, than it is to buy them separately. Now, if you go inside to eat, that's a different story altogether because only a fool would buy the extra large drink when they eat inside because the drinks come with free refills. Money is too tight down here and we all know the ways to get more for our money. And believe me, when that 100 degree heat kicks in down here, you can drink a 16 ounce drink VERY fast with one swallow and still feel like you're dying of thirst.

Stymie said:

AsherFierce said:

They actually think that banning large sodas is gonna curb obesity. Screw the multiple big macs and in n out burgers. It's them sugary soft drinks.

I know that me giving up soda caused me to drop at least 20 pounds. I was drinking at least three 20 ounce Pepsis a day.

I started buying the diet soft drinks years ago when they advanced on the taste and started making a lot of them taste like the real thing. I can't tell the difference in Coke Zero and real Coke and there's a certain Pepsi brand (not the one that says "Diet Pepsi") that tastes like real Pepsi. I love them. They taste like the real thing and have no calories. When my mother was still living, I tried to get her to drink Coke Zero but she said she had drank Diet Coke for so long that she actually preferred the taste of it over real Coke. Oh well, I guess everyone has their own taste buds.

PurpleJedi said:

Efan said:

Agreed.

I agree as well.

So why don't we rate healthcare premiums based on lifestyle, same as they do life insurance???

They already charge smokers more. I know they take more out of each of my paychecks than they do with nonsmokers. But they constantly go up on the insurance on everyone including the nonsmokers and every time we get a raise, the insurance goes up. Those bastards just want to make big money and they want to get us fighting and pointing fingers at each other instead of pointing the finger where it really belongs....on their greedy asses.

Genesia said:

CarrieMpls said:

According to the article, the ban doesn't include diet sodas.

But why not? The acid in those will rot your teeth. And a lot of people react to non-caloric sweeteners (like aspartame) as if they were sugar.

That's what is so ridiculous about this. It's not based on science or reason. They're simply doing it because they can. And the sheeple just go along with it.

Pretty soon, we'll have the Dietary Stasi all over the damn place.

Oh, the diet drinks will be coming next just like with smoking. There was a nonsmoking section, they weren't satisfied with that because they said the smoke went across the room. There were even complete separate smoking rooms in some restaurants and some bitched because it was near the restroom and they could smell it as they walked down the hall past it (poor thang), then there was one restaurant that had the smoking section outside on the patio and once the fall or spring weather kicked it, then the nonsmokers wanted to be out there. Now there are some that don't even want you to smoke OUTSIDE on the premises whatsoever. They're not worried about their health, they get off on control. Even with the electronic cigarettes that have no smoke whatsoever, some bitch complained about my coworker in a restaurant and said that even though there's no smoke, it "promotes smoking". Hell, it's not promoting smoking because smoking these days, is considered to most people as "uncool". The image is not what it used to be. What it really is, is that panty waisted bitch just hated the sight of it whether it affects her or not and wants to control someone else's life. I've seen people that hate the sight and concept of soft drinks altogether, whether it's regular or diet. They don't want them and don't want you to have them either.

7 Side Effects of Diet Soda

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/photos/7-side-effects-drinking-diet-soda#0

Sorry, I don't know how to make the links clickable so you have to copy and paste it.

KidaDynamite said:

7 Side Effects of Diet Soda

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/photos/7-side-effects-drinking-diet-soda#0

Sorry, I don't know how to make the links clickable so you have to copy and paste it.

The side effects will just have to be there because I'm not giving up soft drinks altogether. Just about everything these days has something wrong with it. Life's too short to be lived with no pleasure whatsoever.

vainandy said:

KidaDynamite said:

7 Side Effects of Diet Soda

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/photos/7-side-effects-drinking-diet-soda#0

Sorry, I don't know how to make the links clickable so you have to copy and paste it.

The side effects will just have to be there because I'm not giving up soft drinks altogether. Just about everything these days has something wrong with it. Life's too short to be lived with no pleasure whatsoever.

You ain't never lied.

KidaDynamite said:

vainandy said:

The side effects will just have to be there because I'm not giving up soft drinks altogether. Just about everything these days has something wrong with it. Life's too short to be lived with no pleasure whatsoever.

You ain't never lied.

They even talk about WATER of all things these days. All these folks for the last 15 or so walking around with these bottles of water. I be damned if I'm going to waste hard earned money on something that comes out of the sink for free. I think a lot of them do it because it looks "trendy". Hell, I think some of them buy one bottle and then fill up from the sink over and over just so they can look "trendy". I have never bought water and never intend to but somebody gave me some bottled water once and I promise you, I couldn't taste the difference. Somebody even told me once that tap water was unhealthy because it goes through the metal pipes so it's not really clean. Hell, I've had dicks in my mouth, you think I give a damn about some water touching a damn pipe?