# Stop telling me my food will kill me! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 18, 2002, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722 "2002-05-18T18:41:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/21 "2002-05-20T01:58:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pkbites \* > \*\* > > Fuck, fuck, fuck! My inlaws made me a liar! They insisted we go to the Itallian Community Center Restaurant instead of Fillipos, and ICC doesn’t serve pizza! So I had Talapia instead. (it was excellent!) > So today I had a slice of double cheese pizza from a Kwik Stop. It was pretty bad pizza, but, you know, I’m a stubborn prick and I just had to do it! Fuckin’ food Nazis aren’t telling me what to eat! Even if it kills me! \*\* Bite on, **pk**! I like your attitude. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/22 "2002-05-20T02:25:25Z")
I had Pizza Hut’s “Insider” Pizza (extra cheese, please) for dinner two nights ago, before I read this thread. Oops. It’s a layer of crust, a layer of cheese, a layer of crust, a layer of cheese, then pepperoni. It was absolute DELICIOUS. I love cheese. I love pizza. I can live without french fries, but popcorn is my weakness. And I smoke… Oh well, let the medical examiner figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/23 "2002-05-20T03:13:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Baker \* > \*\*Did anyone here ever read a sci-fi story titled, I think, “With Folded Hands”? right. \*\* Yes: Jack Williamson. Basis for the much inferior novel “The Humanoids” Fenris ---
**Author:** ![BooBoo316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooBoo316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooBoo316)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/24 "2002-05-20T04:06:04Z")
Eat right…Exercise…Die anyway [sub]one of my favorite bumper stickers[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/25 "2002-05-20T12:22:46Z")
Many years ago, I saw a TV programme (it was BBC1’s regional news magazine _Nationwide_, that’s how many years ago it was), wherein it was claimed that various sorts of margarine could give you bowel cancer. "Great, " says I to myself. “I already know that butter gives you heart disease, now I know margarine gives you bowel cancer. So, I have a simple choice… either I eat dry toast from now on, or I stop listening to all these stupid scare stories and just use my common sense.” I chose the latter option, and today I am a happy, and reasonably healthy, fat man. Of course, I may keel over with a massive coronary tomorrow… in which case, I’ll be a dead happy fat man, and I still won’t be covered in dry toast crumbs. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/26 "2002-05-20T13:19:54Z")
Hey, don’t forget about all the foods that keep you healthy. Or at least, are reported to keep you healty, after being considered not healthy, and are later reported to be not nearly as healthy as first reported. Or the foods that were considered healthy at one time, and are now “known” to be, at best, not unhealthy, and will probably be reported in the future to be horrible for you, or the cure for cancer, take your pick. These reports are less consistent than a chimpanzee playing golf, I just ignore them and go on with my life ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/27 "2002-05-20T16:57:24Z")
Minnesota 9 News at Nine is doing a spot tonight about fish you buy in the store (fishsticks, canned tuna, etc). “They are finding high levels of mercury… And some of this you shouldn’t eat AT ALL” was heard while the words “AT ALL” bounced around my screen in huge letters. I’ll be at work when they explain this further, but I’m not interested anyway. I don’t even like fish, I just thought you guys might like to know. So, no more fish 'n chips then? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/28 "2002-05-20T17:41:54Z")
Ach, junk science and alarmism just chaps my ass. If you are finding high levels of mercury in fish, do something about it. Mercury is toxic to humans in almost any amount. I don’t want to hear a news story about how there are high Hg levels in fish, without the accompanying story about how the fish companies are pulling brands right off of supermarket shelves. Either there’s Hg in the fish and it has to get tossed as poison, or there isn’t. Make up your minds. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/29 "2002-05-21T12:50:08Z")
I read the CSPI article on ABCnews, and I liked the part where they were telling you that if you wanted to eat pizza, to order it with half or no cheese and with veggies. Damn it, if I’m eating pizza, I want to enjoy it. If I want healthy, I’ll eat a salad. I’d rather eat pizza only once a year and have a double cheese, double pepperoni extravaganza than eat some pseudo pizza that I can’t enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/30 "2002-05-21T13:27:12Z")
Hey, I’m on your side. When I eat something nasty for me, I want to _enjoy_ it. And I do. The trouble is that: pizza once a week greasy deep fried fish ‘n’ chips once a week burger once a week steak with all the fat once a week getting totally pissed once a week all the sweets, chocolate, popcorn etc that you can eat once a week random other big mound o’ crap once a week makes seven days a week of eating something shitty. Which ain’t so good. It’s not just death you want to be worrying about either. It’s all the deliberating diseases that can be brought on by eating chemicals we haven’t evolved to cope with and an excess of other foods we only evolved to eat a bit of. Who wants to have bowel cancer for a decade? Who wants to develop diabetes? And even forgetting disease and death, you’ll simply feel better (livelier/less lethargic, less depressed, more alert, clearer skin and so forth) if your intake is efficient for the body’s needs. It doesn’t take an Institute of Crap Science to tell you _that_ startling fact. So I say when it comes to fatty food then eat on, if that’s what you want. But I quite appreciate knowing what is and is not good for me, so would like them to keep up the food news, if it’s all the same to you. And if you do all things in moderation, then more power to you! But bear in mind that “moderation” doesn’t mean “pizza in moderation AND burgers in moderation AND” etc. It means _all_ crappy foods _lumped together_ in moderation. It’s an ideal I strive for anyway, sometimes with a lot more success than others. pan ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/31 "2002-05-21T15:50:05Z")
“Deliberating diseases”??? **Vile bacillus** : OK, this fat bastard’s arteries are clogged, his immune system’s shot to hell, I say we finish him off now! **ChairCancerCell** : Is that on the agenda for this week? I thought the first item was the working conditions for the cholesterol plaques… **Revolting Arterial Gunge** : That was my understanding of last week’s minutes, certainly, but I’m afraid my working party’s report has been delayed; could we possibly table the matter until after the quarterly report on blood alcohol levels…? **Vile bacillus** : You guys are wimps! We can have this fat git in a wooden overcoat by Tuesday, guaranteed! **ChairCancerCell** : Order. Very well, we’ll proceed to item 2, ahhh… the ongoing Dandruff and Eczema Policy Studies Group. **Repellent Scaly Patch** : Thank you, Mr ChairCancerCell. We’ve had something of a mixed few months. On the one hand, itching and general suppuration have risen a gratifying 35%; on the other, we’ve received protests from the Genital Louse section that this has reduced the subject’s, um, “pulling power”, to the extent that they haven’t been able to export anything further than his right hand for months. **Rancid Blobby Thing** : If I may interject… the continuing RSI Project should be reducing even that target area over the next year or so. We aim to immobilise the subject’s wrist completely by no later than 2005. **ChairCancerCell** : But what impact will that have on the traditional art of nose-picking? **Vile bacillus** : Never mind his wrist! We can immobilise the whole of him, right now! **ChairCancerCell** : Order, please. **Vile bacillus** : You people are _idiots_! Nothing _ever_ gets done in committees! Screw this; I’m going to lurk in a sewer. _[Storms out]_ **ChairCancerCell** : Make a note to dock his attendance allowance. Now, about the nose-picking… ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/32 "2002-05-21T16:43:30Z")
You bastard **Steve** … ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/33 "2002-05-21T17:04:39Z")
It was a tough decision. “Should I respond in kind to **kabbes** ’s eminently reasonable and well-argued post? Or should I go for the cheap laugh with a skit on the typo?” I agonised over it for, oooh, picoseconds. ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/34 "2002-05-21T18:43:28Z")
Looks to me as if you have the **Wright** approach. And it was really kind of you – especially in the Pit – to call using the wrong word a typo. \*\*(Bet you’ve never heard that clever pun on your name before.) \*\* :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![cleosia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@cleosia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleosia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/35 "2002-05-21T19:08:01Z")
And now they say chocolate is bad for you. No, not because of the caffeine and sugar and fats, but because of lead that gets into it in the processing. Yeah, like anybody’s going to give up chocolate because of a little lead poisoning! > [@](#): > > If you think movie popcorn is good now, you should taste it with the evil coconut oil on it; you’ll be ruined for life. We make our own popcorn at home in a popcorn pot that has a bar that you turn to keep the popcorn popping evenly. It’s the perfect thing for adding in sweet whipped butter (I prefer mine unsalted). Damn the cholesterol, full speed ahead! ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/36 "2002-05-21T21:23:41Z")
It’s all genetics baby My grandfather just passed away at age 98. He had chewed Copenhagen since he was 10, drank a 12 pack of Old Style per week (sometimes more), ate real butter on _everything_, ate red meat at almost every meal, and drank whole milk all the time. He did have a heart attack, though, and the doctor told him he would never work again and would be lucky to live another 5 years. That was in 1952. My grandmother (his wife) is also 98 and has similar dietary habits (minus the Copenhagen and Old Style) and is in good health. Her favorite snack is beef fat fried in melted butter, and she cooks only with lard. None of that sissy vegetable oil crap for her. I feel sorry for you mere mortals who have not inherited my superior bloodlines and must watch what you eat. Moderation and variety is the key. Too much of just about anything is bad for you. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/37 "2002-05-24T09:11:03Z")
To me, when I saw that article in my newspaper, i just rolled my eyes and went on my merry way. Are dopers really supposed to be surprised that pizza is high in fat? But wait, it had Tomato sauce! which is suppsed to be good for a body.` And it goes without saying, that you do not always have to get pepperoni on it. I am told some people actually put vegetables on their pizza pies. I am the first to admit that i do not eat enough vegetables. I am trying, and also eat gardenburgers, sweet potatoes, water chesnuts, and baby corn. I hate these CSPI people for the annoying, whiny, hysterical alarmist fuckwits that they are. anya"playing in traffic" marie ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/38 "2002-05-24T09:57:42Z")
Shoot Messenger Don’t The Rearrange! Be happy! ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/39 "2002-05-24T11:57:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > \*\*Shoot > Messenger > Don’t > The > > Rearrange! Be happy! \*\* Clearly your message, (Given the stupidity of CSPI and their fucked up “message”) is Shoot the messenger! Don’t Rearrange! Be Happy! A lesson we’d all do well to learn. If people started taking potshots at the hysterical assholes at CSPI _every_ time they opened their yaps, maybe they’d stop and we could enjoy life without their bad science interfering, thus causing great happiness! Words of wisdom, my friend! Words of wisdom! Fenris ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722/40 "2002-05-24T13:27:24Z")
Well, I have to admit that you make a powerful argument… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-me-my-food-will-kill-me/109722.md?page=3)