Cheetos Are Not Poison
2012
I was having some fun on Facebook about a friend who loves Cheetos and made a tongue in cheek comment about her proving Cheetos must be addicting because of the amount she consumes. It was no surprise when someone came along all dark shroud like and posted a link to a study that proved sugar was more addicting than cocaine because when rats were given sugar water and a SYRINGE FULL OF COCAINE they preferred the sugar water every time.
The conversation went like this:
The conversation went like this:
FB Post: I was talking to Monty about online discussions about food choices and children and how inevitably someone compares KFC, Doritos, Cheetos, Snickers bars, Skittles, etc. to poison or cocaine. He said, "That's Godwin's Law. Or in your case Chester's Law."
Now I know there is a name for that thing that happens in online conversation.
Monty: Chester's Law made me laugh.
Me: Chester that poison peddling pimp.
Me: I think Savannah is living proof that Cheetos aren't poison. Although, she might not make a good case for them not being addicting. ;) That girl loooves her Cheetos! Then again, she'll throw down on a salad when there are Cheetos's in the house so...
Cue in Debbie Dower music:
Anonymous: That's because increasingly, the evidence shows that processed food is as addictive, or more so, than street drugs.
http://frugivoremag.com/2011/12/new-data-confirms-processed-foods-are-as-addictive-as-most-drugs/
Here's a link to the actual study, showing the changes in brain chemistry when fed candy and processed foods: http://www.foodaddictionsummit.org/docs/Lenoir_Serre_Article.pdf
Monty: It's all the fashion to tag "addiction" on just about everything these days. However, equating sugar with cocaine is a bit dramatic (I love sweets but I don't require more and more sugar to satisfy my "needs" and I don't suffer the unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal). The study finds that rats prefer the taste of saccharin water over intravenous cocaine. Wow, me too! But, in any case, thanks for the wet blanket. :)
Anonymous: I'm not saying I buy it! I think it's probably a lot easier to keep kids from sweets than it is to keep a heroin addict off drugs. I'm just saying that's why everyone keeps comparing the two -- because the science says they're very similar. I have no idea if it's good science or not, or whether it's true. But it's the "in" concept right now -- that Cheetos are a gateway drug to the hell of obesity. Or whatever analogy you want to use!
Now I know there is a name for that thing that happens in online conversation.
Monty: Chester's Law made me laugh.
Me: Chester that poison peddling pimp.
Me: I think Savannah is living proof that Cheetos aren't poison. Although, she might not make a good case for them not being addicting. ;) That girl loooves her Cheetos! Then again, she'll throw down on a salad when there are Cheetos's in the house so...
Cue in Debbie Dower music:
Anonymous: That's because increasingly, the evidence shows that processed food is as addictive, or more so, than street drugs.
http://frugivoremag.com/2011/12/new-data-confirms-processed-foods-are-as-addictive-as-most-drugs/
Here's a link to the actual study, showing the changes in brain chemistry when fed candy and processed foods: http://www.foodaddictionsummit.org/docs/Lenoir_Serre_Article.pdf
Monty: It's all the fashion to tag "addiction" on just about everything these days. However, equating sugar with cocaine is a bit dramatic (I love sweets but I don't require more and more sugar to satisfy my "needs" and I don't suffer the unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal). The study finds that rats prefer the taste of saccharin water over intravenous cocaine. Wow, me too! But, in any case, thanks for the wet blanket. :)
Anonymous: I'm not saying I buy it! I think it's probably a lot easier to keep kids from sweets than it is to keep a heroin addict off drugs. I'm just saying that's why everyone keeps comparing the two -- because the science says they're very similar. I have no idea if it's good science or not, or whether it's true. But it's the "in" concept right now -- that Cheetos are a gateway drug to the hell of obesity. Or whatever analogy you want to use!
I get it because I used to be there. Or rather somewhere in the ballpark of there. I didn't read studies that equated sugar water to syringes full of cocaine because that's just nuts. But I was scared of Austin eating things like Cheetos so I limited them.
Limiting candy and chips and soda didn't help Austin listen to his body to figure out what felt made him feel good and what made him feel bad. Instead it created great desire in him to have candy and chips and soda and LOTS of it whenever he could get his hands on it.
I love this quote from Sandra Dodd, ""Just because there is no one truth doesn't mean there are no things that are better or worse. There are MANY bad things. Some people like to choose sugar as their devil, and build a little religion around vanquishing that Satan."
I love this quote from Sandra Dodd, ""Just because there is no one truth doesn't mean there are no things that are better or worse. There are MANY bad things. Some people like to choose sugar as their devil, and build a little religion around vanquishing that Satan."
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