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"Office Cake Culture..." Interesting BBC article

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mayburcm1
mayburcm1 Posts: 14 Member
in Debate Club
I was just reading the news and came across this article and thought it was an interesting perspective:

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36608269

Thoughts?
«1

Replies

  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    BBC article. Of course.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    I have a problem with this right off the bat. It's talking about how the "cake culture" fuels obesity and tooth decay, then drops this:
    "And staff should be rewarded with fruit, nuts or cheese instead."
    What the hell? Those are just as, if not more dense in calories as the cake. Did that doctor forget his brain that morning? Yeah, I'm sure the bacteria in my mouth give a damn if the carbs giving them the acid-splatter poos came from fruit or carrot cake.

    I mean, if he'd have just spoken on overall health, I could agree a bit. However, given the two things they pointed out, switching to his recommendations wouldn't help, if people were still eating too much of it.

    Yeah, we've had office treats involving cheese trays with nuts and dried fruit (from a local artisan cheese place). Delicious alternative, but I am pretty sure I consume more calories on those days than with the regular sweet treats.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    I have a problem with this right off the bat. It's talking about how the "cake culture" fuels obesity and tooth decay, then drops this:
    "And staff should be rewarded with fruit, nuts or cheese instead."
    What the hell? Those are just as, if not more dense in calories as the cake. Did that doctor forget his brain that morning? Yeah, I'm sure the bacteria in my mouth give a damn if the carbs giving them the acid-splatter poos came from fruit or carrot cake.

    I mean, if he'd have just spoken on overall health, I could agree a bit. However, given the two things they pointed out, switching to his recommendations wouldn't help, if people were still eating too much of it.

    Yeah, we've had office treats involving cheese trays with nuts and dried fruit (from a local artisan cheese place). Delicious alternative, but I am pretty sure I consume more calories on those days than with the regular sweet treats.

    That doesn't surprise me at all. Most people at least have some kind of "I shouldn't eat but so much cake" reflex (though obviously not everyone). However, when they think what they are eating is "more healthy", they appear to be more likely to get out of hand with it. This can especially be true for the kinds of food recommended in the article, which are very easy to overdo (ESPECIALLY tree nuts).
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    Wasn't this a Seinfeld episode?
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I think my office has a donut culture. Cake is usually only around when someone has a baby/wedding shower or retires. There are donuts several days a week.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    I think my office has a donut culture. Cake is usually only around when someone has a baby/wedding shower or retires. There are donuts several days a week.

    Yup. Donut culture here, too. For a while we were getting them weekly as an "attaboy." Although on special occasions we often get cheese and sausage, and sometimes even beer - this is Wisconsin, after all.
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
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    I only eat things at work that I've brought myself. I'll occasionally bring in donuts or something that I know other people like, but I don't eat them.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    I have a problem with this right off the bat. It's talking about how the "cake culture" fuels obesity and tooth decay, then drops this:
    "And staff should be rewarded with fruit, nuts or cheese instead."
    What the hell? Those are just as, if not more dense in calories as the cake. Did that doctor forget his brain that morning?

    That was written by a dentist. What do you expect? When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    edited July 2016
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    I have a problem with this right off the bat. It's talking about how the "cake culture" fuels obesity and tooth decay, then drops this:
    "And staff should be rewarded with fruit, nuts or cheese instead."
    What the hell? Those are just as, if not more dense in calories as the cake. Did that doctor forget his brain that morning?

    That was written by a dentist. What do you expect? When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

    That actually makes it even worse. Are even dentists buying the "corn syrup is bad, fruits are okay, nevermind that they're both fructose" stuff, when it comes to oral hygiene now? o_O I mean, again, at least the doctor could point to overall health. I would expect a person who's studies focus on a single part of the body, to understand that body part's interactions with various things they come into contact with.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    I have a problem with this right off the bat. It's talking about how the "cake culture" fuels obesity and tooth decay, then drops this:
    "And staff should be rewarded with fruit, nuts or cheese instead."
    What the hell? Those are just as, if not more dense in calories as the cake. Did that doctor forget his brain that morning? Yeah, I'm sure the bacteria in my mouth give a damn if the carbs giving them the acid-splatter poos came from fruit or carrot cake.

    I mean, if he'd have just spoken on overall health, I could agree a bit. However, given the two things they pointed out, switching to his recommendations wouldn't help, if people were still eating too much of it.

    Yeah, we've had office treats involving cheese trays with nuts and dried fruit (from a local artisan cheese place). Delicious alternative, but I am pretty sure I consume more calories on those days than with the regular sweet treats.

    That doesn't surprise me at all. Most people at least have some kind of "I shouldn't eat but so much cake" reflex (though obviously not everyone). However, when they think what they are eating is "more healthy", they appear to be more likely to get out of hand with it. This can especially be true for the kinds of food recommended in the article, which are very easy to overdo (ESPECIALLY tree nuts).

    All true, but also I just have more trouble moderating good cheese (which I don't think is super healthy, just delicious) than sweets.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    I think my office has a donut culture. Cake is usually only around when someone has a baby/wedding shower or retires. There are donuts several days a week.

    I have a co-worker with a side bakery business who likes to bring new cupcakes she is trying out. So we have a cupcake culture. (She brings paczkis on Shrove Tuesday, but we otherwise don't have donuts much -- breakfast of choice when that gets provided is usually bagels.)
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    Are even dentists buying the "corn syrup is bad, fruits are okay, nevermind that they're both fructose" stuff, when it comes to oral hygiene now? o_O

    Well, the one who wrote that article is. I don't have these kinds of conversations with my dentist, so I don't know how the profession at large feels about corn syrup.
  • 100df
    100df Posts: 668 Member
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    My question is why there needs to be food in the workplace. How is it a treat if there's food all the time?

    My husband's workplace provides snacks every day. Yeah everyone should have self control and all that but that doesn't explain why the food is there to begin with. It is the same thing as all the snacking that goes on with kids. They play soccer for 40 minutes and get a snack. They maybe ran around for 15 minutes tops. Gymnastics - there's a snack.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Yeah, food is much more around at all times, from what I observe. Not sure why that cultural change, but we just have to learn to deal with it.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Yeah, food is much more around at all times, from what I observe. Not sure why that cultural change, but we just have to learn to deal with it.

    Has it changed? I've had an office job for 30 years and it's always been this way.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    My perception is it has, yeah. Obviously, this is all anecdotal.
  • MrSimmers
    MrSimmers Posts: 32 Member
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    I'm all for a healthy diet, but that article is taking it too far. Life is to be enjoyed as well, especially special occasions.

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