would you rather have your son or daughter...

[Colin]

eating fast food regularly also destroys your liver and heart.  there's no easy answer to my question.

Well then we go to the second part. Fast food "addiction" doesn't cause the same level of psychological stress, stress on family, job, and mental ability as alcohol addiction does. Therefore its still an easy answer. Eat to much fast food you become obese, sometimes morbidly so, drink to much and there are alot more problems that occur.

[© tweed]

Because of these facts and concerns, the NAS has concluded there is no safe level of trans fat consumption. There is no adequate level, recommended daily amount or tolerable upper limit for trans fats. This is because any incremental increase in trans fat intake increases the risk of coronary heart disease.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Option 2 is less likely to cause addiction.

b.s.

how come there are a lot more fatties in america than there are drunks?

By that logic, alcohol must be more addictive than heroin as there are more alcoholics than heroin addicts in America.

heroin isnt readily available or cheap.

alcohol and fast food are both.

Alcohol isn't cheap.

What addictive substances (like nicotine) are in fast food?

Not that I'm saying alcohol is usually addictive (it isn't) but I don't believe fast food is addictive in any way. And frankly while fast food isn't good for you, anti-fast food nanny-statists like Walter who wants to tax it (and thus place a regressive tax that mostly affects the poor and basically believes it's the government's role to play dietician) piss me off more. Let people eat it and get fat, it's none of your or the government's business.

[© tweed]

junk food can be very mentally addictive.  and most fast food has loads of carbohydrates, which are physically addictive.  and it doesn't just make you fat - it causes heart disease, diabetes, liver failure, etc.

and you should be worried because your health insurance premiums will keep going up as long as more and more people continue to consume for and more fast food.

[WalterMitty]

Option 2 is less likely to cause addiction.

b.s.

how come there are a lot more fatties in america than there are drunks?

By that logic, alcohol must be more addictive than heroin as there are more alcoholics than heroin addicts in America.

heroin isnt readily available or cheap.

alcohol and fast food are both.

Alcohol isn't cheap.

What addictive substances (like nicotine) are in fast food?

Not that I'm saying alcohol is usually addictive (it isn't) but I don't believe fast food is addictive in any way. And frankly while fast food isn't good for you, anti-fast food nanny-statists like Walter who wants to tax it (and thus place a regressive tax that mostly affects the poor and basically believes it's the government's role to play dietician) piss me off more. Let people eat it and get fat, it's none of your or the government's business.

alcohol is cheap, brtd.

just last week a bought a fifth of canadian mist whisky for about $6.  isnt that about how much an extra value meal costs at mcdonalds?

[WalterMitty]

Considering that beer can make you just as fat as a strict diet of fast food, especially when you get drunk every weekend, that negates the only positive effect that I could see Boss Tweed going for. Alcohol destroys your liver and is much more addictive than any amount of food ever could be.

Also being addicted to food just makes you fat, being addicted to alcohol can cause some serious problems for you, including putting your job in jeopardy, having violent mood swings while drunk, and becoming like Walter Mitty, all things that you wouldn't want your kid to do.

what is wrong with me?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

and you should be worried because your health insurance premiums will keep going up as long as more and more people continue to consume for and more fast food.

You could say the same thing about drinking and liver disease and auto accidents, etc.

Restrictions on fast food are just more nanny-statism and the type of thing we need to get away from. And this is the next step: http://www.fee.org/in_brief/default.asp?id=618

Option 2 is less likely to cause addiction.

b.s.

how come there are a lot more fatties in america than there are drunks?

By that logic, alcohol must be more addictive than heroin as there are more alcoholics than heroin addicts in America.

heroin isnt readily available or cheap.

alcohol and fast food are both.

Alcohol isn't cheap.

What addictive substances (like nicotine) are in fast food?

Not that I'm saying alcohol is usually addictive (it isn't) but I don't believe fast food is addictive in any way. And frankly while fast food isn't good for you, anti-fast food nanny-statists like Walter who wants to tax it (and thus place a regressive tax that mostly affects the poor and basically believes it's the government's role to play dietician) piss me off more. Let people eat it and get fat, it's none of your or the government's business.

alcohol is cheap, brtd.

just last week a bought a fifth of canadian mist whisky for about $6.  isnt that about how much an extra value meal costs at mcdonalds?

You're lucky to find something like that. What Simon LeBon said is true.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Depends. What are they eating? McDonalds does have some foods that aren't that bad, and some that are actually healthy (salads). And where are they getting drunk, are they driving, etc.

Anybody else find this as an unusual BRTD post?

As much as I like alcohol, of course I'll admit there are ways to abuse it, and abusing alcohol is a hell of a lot worse than eating fast food.

[© tweed]

You could say the same thing about drinking and liver disease and auto accidents, etc.

sure, but attempts to regulate alcohol have already failed miserably.  if we ban trans fats nobody is going to be smuggling them into the country and eating them at underground restaurants.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

is you entire argument based on an epithet?

[WalterMitty]

Depends. What are they eating? McDonalds does have some foods that aren't that bad, and some that are actually healthy (salads). And where are they getting drunk, are they driving, etc.

Anybody else find this as an unusual BRTD post?

As much as I like alcohol, of course I'll admit there are ways to abuse it, and abusing alcohol is a hell of a lot worse than eating fast food.

ill agree that alchohol abuse is worse for your social and mental health.  it can lead to a lot of negative consequences.

however, i will say that fast food is worse for your physical health.  even most drunkards dont wind up with liver damage or anything like that (although some do).

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

You could say the same thing about drinking and liver disease and auto accidents, etc.

sure, but attempts to regulate alcohol have already failed miserably.  if we ban trans fats nobody is going to be smuggling them into the country and eating them at underground restaurants.

I don't have a problem with banning trans fats but most fast food chains are looking at phasing it out anyway.

My problem is with proposals to place an additional tax on fast food (which would be an extremely regressive tax that severely hurts the poor) and banning advertising and that sort of stuff.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

is you entire argument based on an epithet?

I'm just pointing out where such things eventually lead. We don't need government as dietitian.

[Inmate Trump]

McDonalds.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Depends. What are they eating? McDonalds does have some foods that aren't that bad, and some that are actually healthy (salads). And where are they getting drunk, are they driving, etc.

Anybody else find this as an unusual BRTD post?

As much as I like alcohol, of course I'll admit there are ways to abuse it, and abusing alcohol is a hell of a lot worse than eating fast food.

ill agree that alchohol abuse is worse for your social and mental health.  it can lead to a lot of negative consequences.

however, i will say that fast food is worse for your physical health.  even most drunkards dont wind up with liver damage or anything like that (although some do).

When's the last time someone got intoxicated at McDonalds and as a result was raped or caused an auto accident?

[Rob]

Option 1, as long as they're not driving.

[TheWildCard]

Depends. What are they eating? McDonalds does have some foods that aren't that bad, and some that are actually healthy (salads). And where are they getting drunk, are they driving, etc.

Anybody else find this as an unusual BRTD post?

Well I think we all knew this was going to happen... BRTD is finally going to be a Republican in a few years. He's already starting to go libertarian on us all.

[minionofmidas]

I would rather have my son getting drunk or eating off the Toxic Waste Dump every weekend than my daughter doing the same. Call me oldfashioned that way.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

It's not McDonalds itself that makes people fat, its not having restraint at McDonalds that's making people fat.

A quarter pounder on the weekend isn't going to kill you.  Even eating at McDonalds every day for lunch isn't going to kill you--there are healthy options there to choose from.

Still, it's worth noting: Sugar is addictive.  And yes, I'm being serious.

Don't believe me?  Try cutting out sugar from your diet for a couple weeks.

And then, if you make it that far, eat a handful of skittles and see how your body reacts.  Last time I did that, I got such a rush that my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

[minionofmidas]

Still, it's worth noting: Sugar is addictive.  And yes, I'm being serious.

Don't believe me?  Try cutting out sugar from your diet for a couple weeks.

And then, if you make it that far, eat a handful of skittles and see how your body reacts.  Last time I did that, I got such a rush that my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

There's a fine line between "addictive" and "vital". Sugar is vital. So's fat, by the way.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Neither.

Though I voted for Mikey Burgers.

[Hatman 🍁]

Drunk.

I've personally boycotted McDonald's, and I'd be a hypocrite to pick it anyways.

I don't know what they say about being drunk, but I do know that health nuts say to never go to fast food places. Some say that a glass of beer or wine a day is a good thing. What if you abstain from alcohol until Saturday and then drink it all at once? I personally don't like beer or wine, so perhaps I'm getting the "bad" kind of alcohol. Who knows. Still beats going to McDonalds... ever.

[© tweed]

I'm just pointing out where such things eventually lead. We don't need government as dietitian.

government acting as a dietician is what has forced the fast food companies to move away from trans fats - since major cities like NY and Philadelphia have accounced plans to ban them, BK and McDonalds don't want to have to sell a special cooking oil to their locales in those cities so they're going to sell a uniform, non-trans fat based oil to all their locations.

[© tweed]

It's not McDonalds itself that makes people fat, its not having restraint at McDonalds that's making people fat.

A quarter pounder on the weekend isn't going to kill you. 

"any incremental increase in trans fat consumption can be directly correlated to increased risk of coronary heart disease"

[Gabu]

"any incremental increase in trans fat consumption can be directly correlated to increased risk of coronary heart disease"

That does not mean that if you eat some trans fat, then you'll have an increased risk for the rest of your life.  Your body is capable of repairing most parts of itself if you give it a chance to do so.

The recommended upper limit of something (such as saturated fat, for instance) describes the amount of it you can eat every day with no negative health effects.  The fact that trans fat has no recommended upper limit means that doctors recommend you don't eat it every day.  That doesn't mean you'll die from eating some of it every once in a while, though.

[© tweed]

no, you won't die.  but your risk of dying will increase.  read carefully:

Because of these facts and concerns, the NAS has concluded there is no safe level of trans fat consumption. There is no adequate level, recommended daily amount or tolerable upper limit for trans fats. This is because any incremental increase in trans fat intake increases the risk of coronary heart disease.

the only safe amount of synthetically created trans fat consumption is zero.

[Gabu]

no, you won't die.  but your risk of dying will increase.  read carefully:

Because of these facts and concerns, the NAS has concluded there is no safe level of trans fat consumption. There is no adequate level, recommended daily amount or tolerable upper limit for trans fats. This is because any incremental increase in trans fat intake increases the risk of coronary heart disease.

the only safe amount of synthetically created trans fat consumption is zero.

I did read carefully.  And if you read my response carefully, you'd understand what that means.  If you're perfectly healthy and you then eat a little trans fat, that does not mean that you'll be permanently scarred and with an elevated risk of heart disease for the rest of your life, or that you'll immediately have a heart attack upon consumption.

Not that trans fat brings with it any health benefits to merit eating any of it if you can avoid it.  But simply saying "eating trans fats increases your risk" is being rather vague about it.