Largest supplier of Beetus-Juice pouring millions of dollars into campaign insisting Americans don't - Polidicks

[quote]Coca-Cola is providing millions of dollars in funding for a non-profit group that argues weight-conscious Americans should be paying more attention to exercise and less attention to their diet[/quote] [url]http://fortune.com/2015/08/10/coke-weight-loss/[/url]

Well it is a free market, so I suppose they are allowed. But morally it's a bit on unsteady grounds.

But diet is the most important part. Even if you don't exercise but eat right it will have great effect.

You can't outrun a bad diet.

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;48426532]Well it is a free market, so I suppose they are allowed. But morally it's a bit on unsteady grounds.[/QUOTE] Morally wrong? That's an understatement. They're trying to push their agenda on people who don't know any better just to peddle their product. This is like saying "you don't [I]really[/I] need to care for your teeth" to sell candy. The message they're pushing is harmful, it's telling people that it's okay to do things that are bad for their bodies. Maybe companies could get away with that shit back when we thought smoking tobacco had [I]health benefits[/I], but not today. This is bullshit.

Well, of course they would. [URL="http://www.amazon.com/End-Overeating-Insatiable-American-Appetite/dp/1605294578/"]They and basically every other food megacorp has poured billions into R&D on finding out exactly how to shortcircuit our self-control[/URL] so that (in this case) we guzzle Coca-Cola sugar-water products as often as possible. Telling people to watch their diet is sabotaging Coca-Cola's business model.

I mean, they're not technically wrong though? If you actually bother to look up the groups in question instead of taking the article's word for it, the message is basically that a healthy diet is a must and you definitely should watch what you eat, but you can have fast food and sugary snacks and drink soda and all of that stuff while still upholding a healthy diet and having a healthy weight, the key being moderation, and most importantly exercise to counteract your caloric intake. Nowhere is anybody saying you can replace water with soda and consume 5000 calories a day just so long as you take a walk around the block every now and then or anything ridiculous like that, they just want people to be more active.

[QUOTE=Magman77;48426633]Morally wrong? That's an understatement. They're trying to push their agenda on people who don't know any better just to peddle their product. This is like saying "you don't [I]really[/I] need to care for your teeth" to sell candy. The message they're pushing is harmful, it's telling people that it's okay to do things that are bad for their bodies. Maybe companies could get away with that shit back when we thought smoking tobacco had [I]health benefits[/I], but not today. This is bullshit.[/QUOTE] So? Why is ignorance an excuse in this case? The Coca Cola company isn't even doing anything wrong, they just want their brand not to be slandered as being the fault of obesity when it's really self control that no-one seems to have.

[QUOTE=FalconKrunch;48426904]So? Why is ignorance an excuse in this case? The Coca Cola company isn't even doing anything wrong, they just want their brand not to be slandered as being the fault of obesity when [B]it's really self control that no-one seems to have[/B].[/QUOTE] The processed food industry has collectively poured hundreds of billions in R&D on how to target the reward system to overpower self-control. When you eat something full of calories, your reward system gives you a shot of endorphins, because before we harnessed agriculture, high-calorie treats would be few and far between so your neurochemistry wants you to eat as much of that shit as possible to have the energy to survive and not starve. Now that we live in a world of plenty (if you're not poor/living in some war-stricken dictatorship hellhole) and you can carry 20,000+ ready-to-eat calories in a single box of chocolate bars, this reward mechanism is being used against us by the big corps. I linked to a book that's all about this earlier up the thread, written by a former US Surgeon General.

Junk food corps are in it for the money, and what's a better way than making your food legally addictive? MCD is very guilty of this. Their burgers don't taste too good but the shit they put in there makes you crave more.

[QUOTE=elixwhitetail;48426927]The processed food industry has collectively poured hundreds of billions in R&D on how to target the reward system to overpower self-control. When you eat something full of calories, your reward system gives you a shot of endorphins, because before we harnessed agriculture, high-calorie treats would be few and far between so your neurochemistry wants you to eat as much of that shit as possible to have the energy to survive and not starve. Now that we live in a world of plenty (if you're not poor/living in some war-stricken dictatorship hellhole) and you can carry 20,000+ ready-to-eat calories in a single box of chocolate bars, this reward mechanism is being used against us by the big corps. I linked to a book that's all about this earlier up the thread, written by a former US Surgeon General.[/QUOTE] I'm eating the same high-calorie "self control overpowering" foods as anyone else, and I don't have any problems controlling my diet. It's just a lazy excuse for people not wanting to take responsibility for their own actions.

[QUOTE=FalconKrunch;48426985]I'm eating the same high-calorie "self control overpowering" foods as anyone else, and I don't have any problems controlling my diet. It's just a lazy excuse for people not wanting to take responsibility for their own actions.[/QUOTE] Eating disorders are just excuses for people being lazy - Falcon

[QUOTE=FalconKrunch;48426985]I'm eating the same high-calorie "self control overpowering" foods as anyone else, and I don't have any problems controlling my diet. It's just a lazy excuse for people not wanting to take responsibility for their own actions.[/QUOTE] there are multi-billion dollar foodcorps spending ludicrous amounts to misinform the public about their dietary choices, you really think there's nothing wrong about this?

[QUOTE=itisjuly;48427010]Eating disorders are just excuses for people being lazy - Falcon[/QUOTE] "68.8% of Americans are fat lazy slackers looking for excuses" -Falcon

How can you exercise on junk food though?

Stupid title. Soda doesn't contribute to type 2 diabetes more than any other calorie equivalent staple of your diet. Sugar != diabetes.

I'm reminded of when Canada required children's cereal to be under X grams of sugar per serving, which all the sugary cereals with cartoon mascots on the box exceeded. Naturally, the cereal companies changed their formulas to use less sugar so kids are healthier. haha just kidding they reduced the listed serving size until they met the requirement, defeating the entire point of the initiative. [QUOTE=Falubii;48427039]Stupid title. Soda doesn't contribute to type 2 diabetes more than any other calorie equivalent staple of your diet. Sugar != diabetes.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure I'll get diabetes faster if I drink a bottle of Coke every day instead of eating its caloric equivalent in apples and other fruit. fuck, automerge

[QUOTE=elixwhitetail;48427048] I'm pretty sure I'll get diabetes faster if I drink a bottle of Coke every day instead of eating its caloric equivalent in apples and other fruit. [/QUOTE] You could be lacking in some nutrients contained in fruits and vegetables, but by far the biggest factor in type 2 diabetes risk is whether or not you're overweight or inactive. You can drink soda irresponsibly just like you can with many other foods and drinks, which does happen in many cases, but Coca-Cola certainly doesn't cause diabetes.

[QUOTE=itisjuly;48427010]Eating disorders are just excuses for people being lazy - Falcon[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=elixwhitetail;48427035]"68.8% of Americans are fat lazy slackers looking for excuses" -Falcon[/QUOTE] I never included people with eating disorders in my statement so how about you don't put words in my mouth. [QUOTE=No_0ne;48427027]there are multi-billion dollar foodcorps spending ludicrous amounts to misinform the public about their dietary choices, you really think there's nothing wrong about this?[/QUOTE] Yeah that's fucked, but I don't see how that excuses ignorance especially when you can find contradictory information on the internet just by using google and a few search terms. I don't think there's anyone on the planet that considers Coca Cola or any other soft drink to be healthy. In the end, you carry the responsibility of whatever you stuff your face with don't you? It's not like a Coca Cola spokesperson comes to your house and force feeds you Lays and Coca Cola.

[QUOTE=FalconKrunch;48426985]I'm eating the same high-calorie "self control overpowering" foods as anyone else, and I don't have any problems controlling my diet.[/QUOTE] I'm so glad your subjective experience is more reliable than a referenced and quite nuanced and thorough book written by a medical professional who previously served as the top medical authority of the USA. I'd go into more detail but you're already convinced that the premise is false and you know better so I don't even see a point in bothering.

[QUOTE=FalconKrunch;48427129]I never included people with eating disorders in my statement so how about you don't put words in my mouth.[/QUOTE] You pretty much said that you had no issues so everyone else must be lazy and making up excuses. No need to put words in your mouth when you're spewing them like MCD is stamping burgers. Not to mention anecdotes mean nothing when stats speak otherwise.

[QUOTE=FalconKrunch;48426985]I'm eating the same high-calorie "self control overpowering" foods as anyone else, and I don't have any problems controlling my diet. It's just a lazy excuse for people not wanting to take responsibility for their own actions.[/QUOTE] Great supplementary anecdotal evidence there. That really counteracts the factual evidence presented by said book that elix linked too. And if you are eating the same high-calorie food regularly (or even semi-regularly) than no, you are not controlling your diet at all.

[QUOTE=cqbcat;48427036]How can you exercise on junk food though?[/QUOTE] You don't, it's just advertising. Junk food makes it impossible to work out because there is no protein, it all just turns into soft-serve shit.

[QUOTE=FalconKrunch;48426904]So? Why is ignorance an excuse in this case?[/QUOTE] You realize saying that is akin to saying a child is at fault for burning themself if they play with fire because somebody told them the fire was not bad for them.

I'd love to see some of the people in this thread defend tobacco and alcohol abuse and attack someone who suggests consumption in moderation, as if recognizing addictive qualities and advocating personal responsibility are mutually exclusive. You want to tell me that I should have pity for someone with a crippling alcohol addiction, absolutely, I can understand that. But if you start going off on people because they say you can drink alcohol, but ought to have some self-control, sorry, you've completely lost me. You can eat fast food without overeating it, you can maintain a healthy diet that features junk food only rarely and properly balanced with exercise, and if you end up blaming the food for your dietary failures then honestly that's the lazy way out.

[QUOTE=catbarf;48432795]I'd love to see some of the people in this thread defend tobacco and alcohol abuse and attack someone who suggests consumption in moderation, as if recognizing addictive qualities and advocating personal responsibility are mutually exclusive.[/QUOTE] Yeah, [URL="https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/press_releases/post/2014_06_23_report"]let's talk about what tobacco companies do to try and trick consumers into consuming their product as much as possible.[/URL] And while that source might seem a bit biased, [URL="http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/01/12/ntr.ntt219.short?rss=1"]this study shows a definite trend towards increasing nicotine content[/URL], and nicotine is what hooks you. Should you eat a proper diet and get exercise? Of course. However, you're being marketed to constantly by food companies that don't care about your health and just want to chemically convince you to buy their product in quantity, and with a 68.8% US obesity rate, it clearly is fucking working.

[video=youtube;ibgvkXm9Qkc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibgvkXm9Qkc[/video] Marketing.

Reality is that its easier to sit here on Facepunch or well anywhere and just say its not your problem or that its their fault. I don't really give a rat's ass who's fault it is, really. I care that we have a very real problem in our society, some of it our fault as consumers, some of it the fault of companies doing shit like this, and some of it being other factors (poor people eat more unhealthy food as its quicker to create/procure and consume). There is real problems in our society and we should be focused on finding what those problems are and what causes them, and fixing the problem and its cause, along with trying to lighten the affects of symptoms. I'm not going to pretend that sitting here on the internet saying A or B is going to change anything but at least people like Elix are aware we have a problem and is attempting to educate people on it. The least we can do is educate ourselves, don't fall victim to these problems, and advocate other people, even if you only help one or two people with whatever problem they have, even non-dietary related, then you have done some good in this world and its a lot better than none at all. Be productive and constructive, not obstructive and destructive.

[t]http://i.imgur.com/djCtnVZ.jpg[/t] I feel a bit awkward

From my understanding people in the US don't worrier about it in the first place.