# Food Fadists - STFU **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037 "2012-06-23T05:33:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/241 "2012-06-28T09:24:37Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Pretty much ANY candy will send my blood sugar zooming up, and then I’ll crash again. It’s not just glucose tablets, or chocolate. Any candy that is not sugar free will do this. And eating sugar free candy won’t fix a low blood sugar episode. Tablets will do the job of sending my blood sugar back up, quickly. However, they are not a substitute for eating a meal. Then you need to adjust your doses. Carbs after a hypo are for stabilising the sugar level and being careful in case the problem is too much insulin in the bloodstream. It most certainly is not a given that the cycle is hypo-\>sugar tablets-\>crash if you don’t eat something else. Even then, go to a sodding shop and buy something, that’s what the rest of us diabetics do. I’m out and about and feel a bit hypo? I have some sugar and then go buy a bag of crisps. Sometimes I allow myself chocolate, FROM A SHOP, instead of the sugar tablets as a treat. This is what properly trained diabetics do. You should try it. You also seem to be still going on about using sugar tablets instead of a meal, something that no one else mentioned and you only seemed to start blabbing about once I called you out for being an ill-prepared diabetic. Frankly all I’m hearing are excuses. You seem to want the world to bend over for you but I’m sorry, that ain’t gonna happen. Life dealt you a shitty hand but it is your responsibility to deal with it. The rest of us have had to. Stop blaming restaurants for using pepper, stop claiming that people are trying to get you to suck on glucose instead of eating, stop trying to find more and more bizarre reasons why you can’t just eat a bloody sandwich. In short, stop blaming the rest of the world for being so damn mean to poor lickle Lynn Bodoni and take control of your life. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/242 "2012-06-28T09:31:02Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Yay for judgemental victim blaming! > > :rolleyes: > > Well aren’t you special. > > I’m an asthmatic with sudden life threatening attacks and you know what? Shit happens, you forget your inhaler, it happens and getting holier than thou about it solves nothing. Nor does Lynn’s attitude of it being the whole world’s fault apart from her. I’m not special, I just take this shit seriously. I’ve been dealing with this for nineteen years and I’m sorry, but some of the stuff that Lynn is saying just boggles the mind of this diabetic, especially since she got so high and mighty about saying what she was taught at diabetic classes, when she freely admits to not even getting the most basic stuff right. So yes, I am reacting to a diabetic being all high and mighty about what a diabetic should do when she openly admits to not doing it right. What a bad man I am. And she’s not a victim. She’s a bloody professional victim. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/243 "2012-06-28T09:32:40Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > So far, the solutions that have been offered are to carry some form of sugar. Which I do. However, that is only going to fix the emergency. It’s not even a real short term solution, because it’s not going to last for even an hour. Well, I’ve been told that I should just not eat out, too. No, the solutions offered kicked off with a meal replacement bar, of which several are designed for diabetics to be low in sugar and high in protein, and some are designed for bodybuilders to be low in sugar and high in protein. Of course, if your sugar is crashing, you’ll need a little more sugar, but the key is to follow it with protein (as you already know, I know.) Heck, forget the processed bars. How about a baggie of dried cranberries, almonds and pecans? Or peanut butter (they sell several brands in little shelf stable single serve containers) and whole grain crackers? Or, if you’re allergic to nuts: cashews and raisins? Dried apples with a stick of shelf stable cheese or beef jerky? A UHT single serve carton of milk… A bit of sugar, a lot of protein, that’s the key to avoiding or correcting a crash, yes? I totally and completely understand and empathize with the desire - even need - to eat what your friends are eating in a setting where your friends eat. Yes, I’d be delighted, too, if more cooking was done on premises by people who knew what they were doing and had the power/motivation/ability to leave out the offending ingredient. But bringing in the blood sugar crashing issue is conflating issues, and exactly the kind of abdication of personal responsibility, aka, “making it everyone else’s problem” that I think triggers a lot of people to react negatively to food problems in other people. If your ship is sinking and you’re frantically bailing, most people are happy to find a bucket and help. But if your ship is sinking and you’re asking why nobody was sensitive to your needs and brought a bucket because you don’t have one on you, you’re going to garner less sympathy. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/244 "2012-06-28T09:43:55Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > And while soup with my bread is more of a meal, maybe I’d like some veggies too. I guess I’m not allowed to want any meat, though. What is this mysterious “soup” you’ve encountered that contains neither meat not vegetables? Are you sure you didn’t order a glass of water by mistake? And seriously, stop blaming others for your inability to manage your condition. It’s pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/245 "2012-06-28T14:59:30Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I’m an asthmatic with sudden life threatening attacks and you know what? Shit happens, you forget your inhaler, it happens and getting holier than thou about it solves nothing. I am too, though I wouldn’t describe any attack I have had as life threatening, scary as shit and really really uncomfortable, but that is just me. I almost always have my inhaler on my person. And in those rare instances where I find myself without it and confronted with circumstances that might provoke an attack, I avoid those circumstances. I don’t complain that the rest of the world should change to accommodate my asthma. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/246 "2012-06-28T15:10:16Z")
love tabasco sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/247 "2012-06-28T15:15:40Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > On this note, someone on SC-ETV/NPR this afternoon was talking about how using “acidic” foods “like vinegar” were good for something or other. I nearly drove off the road yelling at the radio. Wait, why were you yelling at the radio? I’m confused. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/248 "2012-06-28T16:34:36Z")
Well if he talks normally the people on the other end aren’t going to be able to hear him. Its a long damn way over the radio waves so you gotta yell. Geez, don’t you people know anything about wireless? ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/249 "2012-06-28T19:52:05Z")
Obviously you’ve never seen an elderly person in the South using a cellphone. Yelling is the only way you know you’re getting through! Sorry, the acid bit \*was \*a bit unclear. I think I accidentally deleted a section of what I was writing before I hit post. I really shouldn’t do homework and post on the Dope at the same time. My posting suffers. 😉 The radio segment was about various common substances that will combat stomach acidity, and the speaker was talking about how you needed to eat acidic foods like vinegar and lemon juice or whatnot to balance your stomach pH. Which makes it sound (to me at least) like they are thinking that your stomach is base. Cue my yelling. From what I could tell, they were going off some weird naturopath stuff that those foods, despite being acidic, make your body more alkaline? Sounded like weird wooey shit to me. I was quite peeved. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/250 "2012-06-28T19:58:16Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > Obviously you’ve never seen an elderly person in the South using a cellphone. Yelling is the only way you know you’re getting through! > Sorry, the acid bit \*was \*a bit unclear. I think I accidentally deleted a section of what I was writing before I hit post. I really shouldn’t do homework and post on the Dope at the same time. My posting suffers. 😉 > > The radio segment was about various common substances that will combat stomach acidity, and the speaker was talking about how you needed to eat acidic foods like vinegar and lemon juice or whatnot to balance your stomach pH. Which makes it sound (to me at least) like they are thinking that your stomach is base. Cue my yelling. > > From what I could tell, they were going off some weird naturopath stuff that those foods, despite being acidic, make your body more alkaline? Sounded like weird wooey shit to me. I was quite peeved. Vinegar is less acidic than stomach acid. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/251 "2012-06-28T20:15:03Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > Obviously you’ve never seen an elderly person in the South using a cellphone. Yelling is the only way you know you’re getting through! > Sorry, the acid bit \*was \*a bit unclear. I think I accidentally deleted a section of what I was writing before I hit post. I really shouldn’t do homework and post on the Dope at the same time. My posting suffers. 😉 > > The radio segment was about various common substances that will combat stomach acidity, and the speaker was talking about how you needed to eat acidic foods like vinegar and lemon juice or whatnot to balance your stomach pH. Which makes it sound (to me at least) like they are thinking that your stomach is base. Cue my yelling. > > From what I could tell, they were going off some weird naturopath stuff that those foods, despite being acidic, make your body more alkaline? Sounded like weird wooey shit to me. I was quite peeved. I remember seeing an episode of the Food Network show “Food Detectives” where they were testing home remedies for heartburn, stuff like chewing gum, drinking milk, sucking on hard candy. One of them was to take a shot of cider vinegar, because allegedly introducing more acid to your stomach will make your stomach produce less acid in reaction. I can’t remember if the vinegar worked (I’m assuming it didn’t) but that might have been the sort of thing they were talking about, rather than saying your stomach is alkaline. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/252 "2012-06-28T20:44:44Z")
Some people have heartburn because they have too much stomach acid, and those people find relief with Tums and baking soda and the like. Some people have heartburn because they have too little stomach acid, and those people find relief with vinegar or, my favorite, pickle juice. The test is to sniff a jar of pickles when your belly aches. If it smells good, take a swig of the juice. You’ll know PDQ if you’re hypo- or hyper-acid. (If it smells disgusting, put the jar away and go nibble on a basil leaf.) ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/253 "2012-06-28T21:31:16Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > I am too, though I wouldn’t describe any attack I have had as life threatening, scary as shit and really really uncomfortable, but that is just me. I almost always have my inhaler on my person. And in those rare instances where I find myself without it and confronted with circumstances that might provoke an attack, I avoid those circumstances. I don’t complain that the rest of the world should change to accommodate my asthma. I’ve collapsed and had to be revived in the ER with epinephrine shots and nebulizer etc. And while I don’t complain or blame the rest of the world, I am tired of people who poo poo accidents and show their superiority because they have had their inhaler/glucose tablets/insulin and syringe surgically inplanted so they never have an accident etc. It is just nasty judging and solves nothing, akin to berating someone who got an STD for not using a condom and relating how they have never had unprotected sex in their life etc. I’m an adult now and do always have a rescue inhaler available and on my person, but accidents happen and there is no point in feeling superior. When I was a teenager and already had a shitty social life and the choice was not going on a road trip to the beach because I forgot my inhaler I often made the stupid choice, and I knew it and someone tut tutin’ me is a waste of time. A locally famous fashion designer who was a type 1 diabetic forgot her insulin and decided to go on anyway because she had a big show, she collapsed and died. Calling her stupid and irresponsible doesn’t solve a thing, I’m sick of it. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/254 "2012-06-28T21:45:42Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I’ve collapsed and had to be revived in the ER with epinephrine shots and nebulizer etc. And while I don’t complain or blame the rest of the world, I am tired of people who poo poo accidents and show their superiority because they have had their inhaler/glucose tablets/insulin and syringe surgically inplanted so they never have an accident etc. It is just nasty judging and solves nothing, akin to berating someone who got an STD for not using a condom and relating how they have never had unprotected sex in their life etc. > > I’m an adult now and do always have a rescue inhaler available and on my person, but accidents happen and there is no point in feeling superior. When I was a teenager and already had a shitty social life and the choice was not going on a road trip to the beach because I forgot my inhaler I often made the stupid choice, and I knew it and someone tut tutin’ me is a waste of time. > > A locally famous fashion designer who was a type 1 diabetic forgot her insulin and decided to go on anyway because she had a big show, she collapsed and died. > Calling her stupid and irresponsible doesn’t solve a thing, I’m sick of it. May I remind you of this: > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > However, the glucose tablets are a short term fix, meant to stop the episode in a few minutes, and I’m supposed to follow this up by eating some protein and fat. The glucose will hit my blood very quickly, but it will also be processed quickly and if I don’t have a longer acting food in my system, then I’m going to have another damn episode. I’m amazed at all the people who claim to be diabetic who don’t know this. It’s one of the first things I was taught in diabetes education classes. That’s where the high and mighty started. And I reacted as someone that admits to not always carrying sugar and expects the world to bend over backwards to accommodate them, yet acts like that … well, they just don’t have a case. And yes, (directing this now towards) Lynn. You expect the world to bend over backwards for you. And frankly, this talk of how no one will accommodate you is just bullshit. As a student I worked in McDonalds and many a time I prepared fries without salt (wipe down the fry station, add fries, put in bag, then salt for the others) or burger orders from the utterly basic (pattie, no salt and nothing else) to the weird (Mac no meat, throw in just about anything else to make it some kind of weird salad sandwich) without blinking. This idea that you can’t find ANY food that satisfies your myriad of different ailments is absolute grade A codswallop. This claim you have that no restaurant will provide you with the food you need, when I know that I have done such things many, many times in a cheap fast food joint, leads me to just think you are making it all up. I’m sorry, but I think you are full of shit - and considering how often you post about you taking a shit on this forum that is a pretty fucking remarkable state of affairs. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/255 "2012-06-28T21:53:43Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I’ve collapsed and had to be revived in the ER with epinephrine shots and nebulizer etc. And while I don’t complain or blame the rest of the world, I am tired of people who poo poo accidents and show their superiority because they have had their inhaler/glucose tablets/insulin and syringe surgically inplanted so they never have an accident etc. Sorry. I think you got the wrong idea from my post. It wasn’t meant as a comment on the seriousness of your situation, only meant to point out that my much less serious situation still has me almost always packing my inhaler and actively avoiding situations that are triggers if I do not have it. The comment about expecting the rest of the world to change to accommodate my asthma was aimed at Lynn and her expectations of restaurants regarding pepper. My apologies that I didn’t make that clear. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/256 "2012-06-29T00:11:25Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Yay for judgemental victim blaming! > > :rolleyes: This is completely tangential, but this isn’t what victim blaming means. As much of a martyr as Lynn is acting in this thread, she is not actually a victim. It’s hard enough to have it taken seriously as a concept without people applying it incorrectly to random mean comments on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/257 "2012-06-29T02:24:35Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If you live where I do during the long winter when there is essentially no pollen in the air many people find their OAS goes away, only to reappear in the spring (though some unfortunates suffer regardless). If you live in, say, Southern California there may be sufficient pollen always in circulation to make OAS a year round affliction. I lived near the Canadian border for many years and it didn’t make any difference - neither did washing fruit/veggies. Cooking seems to be the only thing that makes them safe. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/258 "2012-06-29T02:36:49Z")
Well, then, should you ever have a chance to dine in my household (unlikely, I know) I will make sure anything in the way of vegetables or fruit offered to you is sufficiently cooked for you to avoid problems. You know your reactions best. I try as best I’m able to accommodate the needs of my guests. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/259 "2012-06-29T04:30:04Z")
Now I don’t give a rat’s ass about most of this thread. But. > [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Heh. Lightning kills about 50-60 people in the US each year. In a population on 300 some odd million. It’s rare as fuck, but it does kill more people than peanuts do. That’s my take on the peanut threat in a, um, nutshell. Do try to not make up shit. [Stats.](http://www.aaaai.org/about-the-aaaai/newsroom/allergy-statistics.aspx) > [@](#): > > food allergies cause approximately 150 to 200 fatalities per year, based on data from a five year study of anaphylaxis in Minnesota from the Mayo Clinic.33 > Fatal food anaphylaxis is most often caused by peanuts (50-62%) and tree nuts (15-30%).34 In comparison lightning killed [26](http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/story/2012-01-09/lightning-deaths-storms-weather/52504754/1) people in 2011. Meanwhile about 9500 annual hospital admissions due to food allergies, mostly peanuts and tree nuts. An order of magnitude larger than lightning strikes Yes there are MANY who hop on-board food fads and self label or alternative provider label as having food allergies or sensitivities and other crap. They deserve at least to be mocked if not Pittted. And a hundred or so deaths and less than 10,000 hospitalizations is not exactly up there with AIDS (100X more deaths annually) or even the 600 to 800 annual deaths from bicycle accidents, but then again it is 10X as many deaths as [Salmonella causes](http://www.cdc.gov/features/dsFoodborneOutbreaks/) a year and even _all_ foodborne infectious diseases cause 1/8th as many deaths and hospitalizations. It is not insignificant. Bottom line: making up shit to preemptively dismiss those with real allergies and real risk of death is just bad form. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![mister\_nyx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@mister\_nyx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mister_nyx)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/260 "2012-06-29T04:34:32Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Meanwhile about 9500 annual hospital admissions due to food allergies, mostly peanuts and tree nuts. An order of magnitude larger than lightning strikes Since you came up with this new figure to compare, how many hospitalizations are there annually for lightning strikes? You didn’t cite that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037.md?page=14)