Somebody lectured me about Splenda today
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NicoleHaki wrote: »At Starbucks (!) I was standing at the bar with her - she reached across me for truvia, I reached across her for splenda. We smiled at each other. And she says out of the blue "You shouldn't use that stuff, you know. It's worse than sugar." I did my tight, inappropriate stranger smile and finished stirring my coffee - and she keeps on lecturing! "You really need to stop using that, it's nothing but chemicals. It's really a terrible thing to do to your body..." and on and on as she's walking out the door. I half-expected her to hand me a pamphlet directing me to some kind of artificial sweetener support group. It was kind of surreal - and I wish I hadn't been so stunned that I had absolutely nothing to say
I've read here about strangers making inappropriate comments in general about people's food choices, but usually not direct evangalizing to their faces - it's certainly a first for me! Does this sort of thing happen often, and am I just oblivious? Does anyone want to share a story?
And of course, now I'm thinking of all the things I could have said if I was just a little bit quicker on my feet - did anyone actually think fast enough to make a good comeback?
Is Truvia much better than Splenda? Definitely rude of her!
That said, I also hate artificial sweeteners and sometimes catch myself making comments to people who choose Splenda or diet soda. I don't do it to be rude but to me it's like watching someone smoking a cigarette - I feel like maybe I can save them! Not saying this to justify her rudeness, but saying it because maybe her intentions weren't that bad - it genuinely pains me to see people drink soda or put Splenda in their coffee or tea.NicoleHaki wrote: »At Starbucks (!) I was standing at the bar with her - she reached across me for truvia, I reached across her for splenda. We smiled at each other. And she says out of the blue "You shouldn't use that stuff, you know. It's worse than sugar." I did my tight, inappropriate stranger smile and finished stirring my coffee - and she keeps on lecturing! "You really need to stop using that, it's nothing but chemicals. It's really a terrible thing to do to your body..." and on and on as she's walking out the door. I half-expected her to hand me a pamphlet directing me to some kind of artificial sweetener support group. It was kind of surreal - and I wish I hadn't been so stunned that I had absolutely nothing to say
I've read here about strangers making inappropriate comments in general about people's food choices, but usually not direct evangalizing to their faces - it's certainly a first for me! Does this sort of thing happen often, and am I just oblivious? Does anyone want to share a story?
And of course, now I'm thinking of all the things I could have said if I was just a little bit quicker on my feet - did anyone actually think fast enough to make a good comeback?
Is Truvia much better than Splenda? Definitely rude of her!
That said, I also hate artificial sweeteners and sometimes catch myself making comments to people who choose Splenda or diet soda. I don't do it to be rude but to me it's like watching someone smoking a cigarette - I feel like maybe I can save them! Not saying this to justify her rudeness, but saying it because maybe her intentions weren't that bad - it genuinely pains me to see people drink soda or put Splenda in their coffee or tea.
Unfortunately it is YOUR pain to live with. You will not change grown folks and their choices.
Please move along with the understanding....that we all will be dying of something someday.15 -
lucerorojo wrote: »Honestly, I'd be using SUGAR if I weren't trying to lose weight. But sugar is also the "devil" so either drink it black or die from some sweetener, artificial or sugar!
Yeah, this is part of the weirdness of the comment - she opened with "That stuff [Splenda] is just as bad for you as sugar." On the assumption, I guess, that at least everyone knows sugar is bad for you.
TBH, The correct(snarky) response to that is, Yes, I know! isn't that wonderful?11 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »I offered a homeless guy an apple and some yogurt one morning. He didn't want either. I figured he couldn't be that hungry. I wasn't going to give him change.
I will pretty much always offer food, and I have never been turned down. One man nearly cried when I gave him a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. I hope that experience hasn't discouraged you from offering in the future.15 -
nickssweetheart wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »I offered a homeless guy an apple and some yogurt one morning. He didn't want either. I figured he couldn't be that hungry. I wasn't going to give him change.
I will pretty much always offer food, and I have never been turned down. One man nearly cried when I gave him a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. I hope that experience hasn't discouraged you from offering in the future.
When I have the cash to spare, I often offer to go to the nearby take-away and buy them a hot meal of their choice. I never give them spare change. I'm just weird that way.
I have been insulted by some homeless for that. His line of reasoning was that it was his money to do with and if he's asking 'cause he's hungry and then using the money to buy booze it's his choice and his problem.7 -
That woman had no right telling you what you should or should not eat, let alone lecture you about it. That was incredibly rude of her! She really has to learn to mind her own business. People really are a-holes sometimes! I suck at comebacks, too. Next time someone criticizes your food choices, tell them to mind their own business.
There are times when I cringe at my friends' food choices and you know what? I keep my mouth shut. Simple as that. Not my life, not my business. Unless they specifically ask me for advice on the matter, and even then I would be tactful and make "suggestions" not tell someone how to run their life. There are appropriate times, places and ways to do things. Clearly this woman was not tactful (maybe even not of sound mind, ya never know these days!)7 -
As a nutritionist I have to put my two cents in and say that research shows that artificial sweeteners do not help with weight loss. Most are just synthetic versions of the sugar you are avoiding and your body treats it as such. Honey or Stevia are your best options for low-glycemic sweeteners. That being said, even as a nutritionist, we meet people where they are. Everyone is different, everyone likes different things, and everyone is willing to sacrifice different things to achieve their goals.
Now as a human being, I must say it is completely inappropriate to confront a stranger in public telling them what they are doing "wrong". Even if you think you are "right", it is still just wrong.59 -
ladyreva78 wrote: »
I have been insulted by some homeless for that. His line of reasoning was that it was his money to do with and if he's asking 'cause he's hungry and then using the money to buy booze it's his choice and his problem.nickssweetheart wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »I offered a homeless guy an apple and some yogurt one morning. He didn't want either. I figured he couldn't be that hungry. I wasn't going to give him change.
I have been insulted by some homeless for that. His line of reasoning was that it was his money to do with and if he's asking 'cause he's hungry and then using the money to buy booze it's his choice and his problem.
He has a point. Charity should have no strings. If you ask what meal he wants and then buy it for him and then he says it that's rude. But if you buy something and get indignant he's not grateful then you are being elitist. And yes, I walk my talk. I'll ask someone if I can get them something at whatever store is nearby. If they say yes I ask if they want to come with me and pick it out or should I do it and come back. If they say no I say okay, and move on. I am not choosing to be insulted. It isn't insulting if your generosity is purely about helping someone else and not about making yourself feel good. I give money donations via my local food bank monthly as they can stretch $50 way farther than any individual possibly can.12 -
ladyreva78 wrote: »nickssweetheart wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »I offered a homeless guy an apple and some yogurt one morning. He didn't want either. I figured he couldn't be that hungry. I wasn't going to give him change.
I will pretty much always offer food, and I have never been turned down. One man nearly cried when I gave him a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. I hope that experience hasn't discouraged you from offering in the future.
When I have the cash to spare, I often offer to go to the nearby take-away and buy them a hot meal of their choice. I never give them spare change. I'm just weird that way.
I have been insulted by some homeless for that. His line of reasoning was that it was his money to do with and if he's asking 'cause he's hungry and then using the money to buy booze it's his choice and his problem.
I don't think he has the right to be less than gracious, ever, when you are being generous, but I also will give small amounts of money if I'm not in a position to purchase or offer food at the time.
I'm conflicted about it, because I don't really want to feed someone's addiction, but then I think to myself, who am I with my comfortable home and fridge full of groceries to judge what someone in his situation has to do to get through his day?
It's a complicated issue, to be sure.11 -
jadkins389 wrote: »As a nutritionist I have to put my two cents in and say that research shows that artificial sweeteners do not help with weight loss.
And this is why you don't listen to "nutritionists"54 -
New_Heavens_Earth wrote: »Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »I was at Starbucks yesterday and got soy milk in my iced coffee, and they didn't say anything to me but the 2 women behind were discussing very loudly (I'm sure they intended for me to hear) about how soy is "sooo bad for you" and almond milk is way better blah blah blah "toxinz, estrongen, etc". I couldn't help myself so I turned around, stared right at them, took a large sip, and went ahhhhh. They looked at me like I had just kicked a puppy, it was great!
I had a woman look into my grocery basket and tell her friend that soy milk was bad for you. If she were really smart she would have noticed it was almond milk. Eyes on your own cart.
This one is just a ton of irony. I was fixing coffee with creamer when a guy in front of the store, who had just been asking for money for food, comes in and tells me I shouldn't be using cows pus and its not fit for human consumption. Um, thanks?
Totally off topic - nice new profile pic!2 -
Stop acting like there's no science to back up the negative reviews of fake sugar. Science doesn't even know everything about it yet, but it's so great that you all apparently do.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/
According to your own cite:
"Extensive scientific research has demonstrated the safety of the six low-calorie sweeteners currently approved for use in foods in the U.S. and Europe (stevia, acesulfame-K, aspartame, neotame, saccharin and sucralose) each with an acceptable daily intake."
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Everyone has an opinion, there's science to back up both sides of the fake sugar debate. Why do you people have to be so *kitten* to someone who disagrees with you?
I don't know who flagged this or why, but the flag is inappropriate.
There is no actual science backing up the premise that "fake sugar" is harmful. If you read the first several posts in the "Aspartame isn't scary" thread you will find numerous legitimate peer-reviewed studies that show it is not. There are no legitimate peer-reviewed studies that show it is in people who have no adverse reactions to the components.
I'd rather this didn't turn into an "evil Splenda" thread, since the OP centers on inappropriate comments from strangers, and the circumstance of the specific comment is incidental to the conversation.
edited for clarity and grammar :embarrassed:
Stop acting like there's no science to back up the negative reviews of fake sugar. Science doesnt even know everything but it's so great that you all apparently do.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/
Did you even read beyond the headline?Double-blind trials have been carried out with aspartame at Duke University and in one of the best-designed of these studies, the effects of a single large dose of aspartame in people who had claimed to be sensitive to the substance was investigated. The results showed no difference in headache frequency, blood pressure, or blood histamine concentrations (a measure of the allergenic potential) between the experimental and control groupsIt is a fact that in large doses, methanol can lead to blindness and even to death. Methanol occurs naturally in foods. In fact, the “natural” methanol content of fruit juice is about 2.5 times higher than from aspartame-sweetened drinks. Even at the 99th percentile level of 34 mg per kg of body weight consumed per day, blood levels of methanol are undetectable.19 -
Everyone has an opinion, there's science to back up both sides of the fake sugar debate. Why do you people have to be so *kitten* to someone who disagrees with you?
I don't know who flagged this or why, but the flag is inappropriate.
There is no actual science backing up the premise that "fake sugar" is harmful. If you read the first several posts in the "Aspartame isn't scary" thread you will find numerous legitimate peer-reviewed studies that show it is not. There are no legitimate peer-reviewed studies that show it is in people who have no adverse reactions to the components.
I'd rather this didn't turn into an "evil Splenda" thread, since the OP centers on inappropriate comments from strangers, and the circumstance of the specific comment is incidental to the conversation.
edited for clarity and grammar :embarrassed:
Stop acting like there's no science to back up the negative reviews of fake sugar. Science doesn't even know everything about it yet, but it's so great that you all apparently do.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/
the conclusion from the paper you cite:
CONCLUSIONS
Sugar substitutes in various food and beverages are very popular in most of the countries. Extensive scientific research has demonstrated the safety of the six low-calorie sweeteners currently approved for use in foods in the U.S. and Europe (stevia, acesulfame-K, aspartame, neotame, saccharin and sucralose) each with an acceptable daily intake. A number of studies have been carried out to confirm the safety of artificial sweeteners. A number of studies have also shown the adverse effects of the same. But most of the studies have limitations such as effects shown only in animals not in human, small sample size, high doses, statistically non-significant or borderline significant, etc. The sugar substitutes are thoroughly investigated for safety with hundreds of scientific studies and then approved by different regulatory authorities like the U.S. FDA, JECFA and FSANZ. Some agents are approved with warning labels too. So further exploration is required with well-designed large-scale studies in the general population. On the anecdotal evidence, it has been concluded that based on analysis of the database of case histories, there are a number of symptoms that are recurrently reported by individuals who believe that they are caused by sugar substitute ingestion. The information gathered in this analysis can be useful in guiding the design and format of any investigative study that may be undertaken to determine individual sensitivity to sugar substitutes.12 -
Everyone has an opinion, there's science to back up both sides of the fake sugar debate. Why do you people have to be so *kitten* to someone who disagrees with you?
I don't know who flagged this or why, but the flag is inappropriate.
There is no actual science backing up the premise that "fake sugar" is harmful. If you read the first several posts in the "Aspartame isn't scary" thread you will find numerous legitimate peer-reviewed studies that show it is not. There are no legitimate peer-reviewed studies that show it is in people who have no adverse reactions to the components.
I'd rather this didn't turn into an "evil Splenda" thread, since the OP centers on inappropriate comments from strangers, and the circumstance of the specific comment is incidental to the conversation.
edited for clarity and grammar :embarrassed:
Stop acting like there's no science to back up the negative reviews of fake sugar. Science doesn't even know everything about it yet, but it's so great that you all apparently do.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/
Did you read it?
"A number of studies have been carried out to confirm the safety of artificial sweeteners. A number of studies have also shown the adverse effects of the same. But most of the studies have limitations such as effects shown only in animals not in human, small sample size, high doses, statistically non-significant or borderline significant, etc. The sugar substitutes are thoroughly investigated for safety with hundreds of scientific studies and then approved by different regulatory authorities like the U.S. FDA, JECFA and FSANZ. "
14 -
Everyone has an opinion, there's science to back up both sides of the fake sugar debate. Why do you people have to be so *kitten* to someone who disagrees with you?
I don't know who flagged this or why, but the flag is inappropriate.
There is no actual science backing up the premise that "fake sugar" is harmful. If you read the first several posts in the "Aspartame isn't scary" thread you will find numerous legitimate peer-reviewed studies that show it is not. There are no legitimate peer-reviewed studies that show it is in people who have no adverse reactions to the components.
I'd rather this didn't turn into an "evil Splenda" thread, since the OP centers on inappropriate comments from strangers, and the circumstance of the specific comment is incidental to the conversation.
edited for clarity and grammar :embarrassed:
Stop acting like there's no science to back up the negative reviews of fake sugar. Science doesn't even know everything about it yet, but it's so great that you all apparently do.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/
Hilariously when i try to follow the articles sited source .. the article is not found. It was also from a site called sweet poison. Your linked opinion article has zero science to back up its danger claims.10 -
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To be fair, there are studies that show real dangers of artificial sweeteners...
...if you are a rat...
...and you take an obscenely high dose...
...and inject it directly into your brain.42 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »New_Heavens_Earth wrote: »Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »I was at Starbucks yesterday and got soy milk in my iced coffee, and they didn't say anything to me but the 2 women behind were discussing very loudly (I'm sure they intended for me to hear) about how soy is "sooo bad for you" and almond milk is way better blah blah blah "toxinz, estrongen, etc". I couldn't help myself so I turned around, stared right at them, took a large sip, and went ahhhhh. They looked at me like I had just kicked a puppy, it was great!
I had a woman look into my grocery basket and tell her friend that soy milk was bad for you. If she were really smart she would have noticed it was almond milk. Eyes on your own cart.
This one is just a ton of irony. I was fixing coffee with creamer when a guy in front of the store, who had just been asking for money for food, comes in and tells me I shouldn't be using cows pus and its not fit for human consumption. Um, thanks?
A couple summers ago I was leaving a fancy pizza restaurant in Santa Barbara with some leftovers, and we passed a guy on the street with a sign that said “homeless and hungry please help”. I offered him the pizza leftovers and he said “no thanks, I don’t eat dairy”. Maybe it was the same guy!
I offered a homeless guy an apple and some yogurt one morning. He didn't want either. I figured he couldn't be that hungry. I wasn't going to give him change.
My friend offerred a "homeless" guy complete with a begging sign a sandwich, crisps and a drink, he told her to *kitten* off..... 8 hours later on her way home from work she saw the same guy getting into a bow parked down a side street
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ruqayyahsmum wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »New_Heavens_Earth wrote: »Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »I was at Starbucks yesterday and got soy milk in my iced coffee, and they didn't say anything to me but the 2 women behind were discussing very loudly (I'm sure they intended for me to hear) about how soy is "sooo bad for you" and almond milk is way better blah blah blah "toxinz, estrongen, etc". I couldn't help myself so I turned around, stared right at them, took a large sip, and went ahhhhh. They looked at me like I had just kicked a puppy, it was great!
I had a woman look into my grocery basket and tell her friend that soy milk was bad for you. If she were really smart she would have noticed it was almond milk. Eyes on your own cart.
This one is just a ton of irony. I was fixing coffee with creamer when a guy in front of the store, who had just been asking for money for food, comes in and tells me I shouldn't be using cows pus and its not fit for human consumption. Um, thanks?
A couple summers ago I was leaving a fancy pizza restaurant in Santa Barbara with some leftovers, and we passed a guy on the street with a sign that said “homeless and hungry please help”. I offered him the pizza leftovers and he said “no thanks, I don’t eat dairy”. Maybe it was the same guy!
I offered a homeless guy an apple and some yogurt one morning. He didn't want either. I figured he couldn't be that hungry. I wasn't going to give him change.
My friend offerred a "homeless" guy complete with a begging sign a sandwich, crisps and a drink, he told her to *kitten* off..... 8 hours later on her way home from work she saw the same guy getting into a bow parked down a side street
I'd be shocked except I don't know what a bow is...8
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