# The Center for Hysteria in the Public Interest says Ice Cream is Unhealthy! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 25, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882 "2003-07-25T14:47:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RAWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@RAWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/1 "2003-07-25T14:47:44Z")
Who funds these people? They want us to stop eating ice cream, Chinese food, French food, Mexican food. They come out with hysterical outrage about 4 times a year, telling us if we eat truckloads of the same food, we’re gonna die. [Coronary in a Cone](http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/71/81312.htm) And, I was planning on eating ice cream and Chinese food all weekend, too. Doorknobs :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/2 "2003-07-25T15:00:09Z")
Apparently we all _don’t_ scream for ice cream… ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/3 "2003-07-25T15:01:03Z")
Those turkeys are the same ones who called fettucine alfredo a “heart attack on a plate” and named it one of the foods you should never eat, not even once. Apparently the concept of moderation has never occurred to these rocket scientists. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/4 "2003-07-25T15:07:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Munch \* > \*\*Apparently we all _don’t_ scream for ice cream… \*\* No we scream _from_ ice cream. E.g.: “AAACK! Help! Call 911! I ate ice cream, I’m gonna die! AAAAAH! Save me from the chocolate swirl!..” ---
**Author:** ![RAWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@RAWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/5 "2003-07-25T15:18:45Z")
They also want warning labels on [hot dogs and grapes](http://www.cspinet.org/new/200307171.html) and want to pull gel candies from the shelves so our poor selves will stop choking to death. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/6 "2003-07-25T15:33:18Z")
From Duke’s link > [@](#): > > Companies Urged to Label Food Choking Hazards \ ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/7 "2003-07-25T15:41:18Z")
Now, you all, just calm down. They just want to _help_ us since we obviously have no control over our actions. The way to do this is simply by removing every possible risk from our lives. OK, I’m being a little sarcastic (but not much). Ow! I just got carpal tunnel syndrome from typing this! Why didn’t someone warn me? ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/8 "2003-07-25T15:48:31Z")
I’m just wondering how they’re going to print the warning labels on all those grapes. ---
**Author:** ![RAWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@RAWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/9 "2003-07-25T15:51:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by masonite \* > \*\*I’m just wondering how they’re going to print the warning labels on all those grapes. \*\* I know, I keep choking on those little stickers they put on apples. They didn’t warn me to take them off before eating.😃 ---
**Author:** ![jeevmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@jeevmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeevmon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/10 "2003-07-25T16:04:27Z")
This [article](http://reason.com/0307/fe.js.the.shtml) provides a useful antidote to the ravings of CSPI. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/11 "2003-07-25T16:12:16Z")
Ummm… Has MSN been ‘borrowing’ stories from The Onion again 😕 ? Acrobats with hard hats, bans on fettuccine… I swear this is gonna be the end of us :mad: [fumes at the idiocy of it all] ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/12 "2003-07-25T16:15:00Z")
Ice cream unhealthy? I think I read that in the latest issue of _Duh Medical Journal._ ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/13 "2003-07-25T16:16:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PoorYorick \* > **Ow! I just got carpal tunnel syndrome from typing this! Why didn’t someone warn me?** You mean they DIDN’T? The keyboard that came with my new computer had a sticker on the front that says, “WARNING: Some experts believe that the use of any keyboard may cause serious injury. Consult statement on the back of this keyboard.” On the back was this large sticker with a list of warnings about ANYTHING that can go wrong with you when you use a keyboard. I removed them. I wish I was kidding. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/14 "2003-07-25T16:17:01Z")
CSPI is to Public Interest as PETA is to Animal Rights. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/15 "2003-07-25T16:19:29Z")
My keyboard’s got a warning on the back. It says ‘WARNING: IMPROPER OR PROLONGED USE MAY RESULT IN INJURY’ Not too bad, as these things go. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/16 "2003-07-25T16:30:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bluecanary \* > \*\* ‘WARNING: IMPROPER OR PROLONGED USE MAY RESULT IN INJURY’ \*\* I can still use mine in the bathtub though, right? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/17 "2003-07-25T16:52:55Z")
**RAW:** _Who funds these people? They want us to stop eating ice cream, Chinese food, French food, Mexican food._ Actually, when I read CSPI’s “Coronaries in Cones” [press release](http://www.cspinet.org/new/200307231.html), that isn’t what they said at all. In fact, they start the article with the acknowledgement “Everyone knows that ice cream isn’t a health food”. What they’re reporting on is the surprising amount of the fat and calories in typical ice cream shop offerings. What they’re recommending is that the shops be required to list calorie counts on their menu boards. (This is not their own idea, by the way; several state legislatures, according to the article, have already introduced legislation that would require such listings.) So what’s wrong with that? Where’s the “hysteria”? What’s so bad about having prepared-food vendors be required to provide a little nutritional information about the food they sell, just as the manufacturers of packaged foods in supermarkets are? If you can handle making your own choices about eating ice cream, surely you can handle knowing how many calories are in it? And to answer your question, “CSPI is primarily [funded](http://www.cspinet.org/about/funding.html) by the 800,000 subscribers to its _Nutrition Action Healthletter_ and individual donors. Private foundation grants make up approximately 5% to 10% of CSPI’s annual revenue of $15 million. _Nutrition Action Healthletter_ accepts no advertising, and CSPI accepts no corporate or government grants.” ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/18 "2003-07-25T16:59:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bluecanary \* > \*\*My keyboard’s got a warning on the back. > It says ‘WARNING: IMPROPER OR PROLONGED USE MAY RESULT IN INJURY’ > \*\* :: turns keyboard over :: Damn, it **does** have a warning on it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/19 "2003-07-25T17:06:04Z")
Mine must be too old. 🙂 No warnings. It complies with FCC rules, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882/20 "2003-07-25T17:08:06Z")
:: Hits person at desk next to me with keyboard :: And you know what? They’re right! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-center-for-hysteria-in-the-public-interest-says-ice-cream-is-unhealthy/190882.md?page=2)