Monday, January 19, 2015

Health Education needed?

I confess that I was playing Jewish Mother with my doctor's receptionist--I told her that the best thing she could do for her health would be to give up soda:  "It rots your teeth, rots your bones, makes you fat and gives you diabetes."  But I was a bit taken aback by her response--she literally gasped, and looked at me as if I'd just handed her a death sentence.  Seriously, is the general public understanding of such health basics as "sugar (especially in high-fructose-corn-syrup form) is bad for your health" so poor that what I said should even have been surprising?

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Seriously, is the general public understanding of such health basics as "sugar (especially in high-fructose-corn-syrup form) is bad for your health" so poor that what I said should even have been surprising?"

Considering that the jury is out on whether HFCS is worse than other forms of sugar, yes, even your understanding of health basics is poor.

Wed Jan 21, 11:45:00 AM 2015  
Blogger Shira Salamone said...

Maybe so, but what's so un-obvious about the rest of my statement: "sugar . . . is bad for your health"? I don't think one needs a PhD in nutrition to understand that.

Sun Jan 25, 12:19:00 PM 2015  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's just that your hyperbole is so silly as to be untrue. Sugar doesn't cause diabetes. Excess weight can cause insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and ultimately (possibly) diabetes. But sugar by itself does not. Sugar in moderation -- like all things, including soda -- is fine. If she drinks two cans of soda a day, is otherwise fit and active, I'd say more power to her. It's not nutritious, but so what? It's dispensing simple minded, unnuanced advice that causes many people to ignore good advice.

Mon Jan 26, 01:23:00 PM 2015  
Blogger Shira Salamone said...

And you don't think that drinking 300 empty calories a day--that's what's in 2 12-ounce cans of soda-- has a good chance of causing the excess weight that can cause insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome?

Mon Jan 26, 07:09:00 PM 2015  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No, not necessarily. It might, but if the person is otherwise moderating calories and is engaging in exercise etc, then no, two cans of soda is no big deal. If the person is overweight and sedentary, then yes. But it's all situational. I gave up sugar substitutes because I felt that the sugar I put in my coffee was less detrimental to my health than the substitutes, which were causing issues. I've been losing weight even with those added calories in my 3 cups a day, so sugar (and here is the key) IN MODERATION isn't detrimental to my health.

When the health police issue incorrect, abstention oriented advice, people ignore it because they can't imagine a world without whatever it is they're told not to eat.

Wed Jan 28, 01:26:00 PM 2015  
Blogger Shira Salamone said...

Point taken. But I still think that 1 can or bottle of soda per day is more than enough--there's a lot more sugar in soda than most people put in their coffee or tea.

Congratulations to you on giving up artificial sweeteners. One of the good things about our new office is that there are no vending machines there, which will force the boss to ditch the daily diet soda and switching to tea. Yay!

Wed Jan 28, 06:43:00 PM 2015  
Blogger Shira Salamone said...

I spoke too soon--there are vending machines on the next floor. Oh, well, at least the candy machine sells roasted peanuts.

Thu Jan 29, 01:52:00 PM 2015  

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