Trans fat doesn't stir much 'nanny state' debate

[OZ Stoners]

They are among our most personal daily decisions: what to eat or drink. Maybe what to inhale. Now that the government's banning trans fat, does that mean it's revving up to take away our choice to consume ...

 

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[salpon]

My opinion. Trans fats are dangerous. The government should try to protect the people from harm, to the maximum extent that still allows for personal freedoms. The dangerous stuff should not be allowed to be sold, so long as there are viable and suitable alternatives. As long as people are happy with the safer alternatives, it is unlikely that an illegal market for the more dangerous stuff will even need to exist. I don't see a trans-fat black market springing up following these laws in the US. There are obviously some parallels here.   

[salpon]

And I think the aim of the laws is not to restrict personal freedoms, but rather to encourage the food industry to make that last jump to phasing out trans fats entirely which it was kinda-almost-sorta doing anyway. 

[brick]

Then what will be next salpon? Sugar! Sugar is one of the worst foods for health problems.

 

We need packaging to have bigger writing on it, take away food shops should have signs up telling us what oils they cook in and be regularly inspected, which will increase the work force, etc etc, so we can make the choice. Governments already have too much control over our daily lives.

 

Do we really need incompetents telling us what to eat, they can't run countries properly, how could we trust them.

[salpon]

Then what will be next salpon? Sugar! Sugar is one of the worst foods for health problems.

 

We need packaging to have bigger writing on it, take away food shops should have signs up telling us what oils they cook in and be regularly inspected, which will increase the work force, etc etc, so we can make the choice. Governments already have too much control over our daily lives.

 

Do we really need incompetents telling us what to eat, they can't run countries properly, how could we trust them.

Slippery slope fallacy. But for the sake of the argument, sugar is not as dangerous as trans fats. Sugar also doesn't have good alternatives. Yes sugar, salt and fat are all harmful in excess - but they are necessary in almost any food. Trans fats are virtually redundant at this point and consumers don't want them. 

 

Government mandated labelling for trans fats is another possibilty, and not a bad measure. 

 

We already trust regulating bodies to make decisions about what can be sold for human consumption. Like the FDA, where the recommendation to ban trans fats came from. Reliable information from experts based on evidence should be listened to in my opinion. 

[brick]

I don't doubt for one minute that trans fat is extremely bad for you. I found this out during my heart rehab sessions. I have also seen first hand what the eating habits of US citizens are.

My arguement is that governments want to have full control over our daily lives, they are eroding our basic rights to live as we want to within the laws that they make for us, (except for growing our own plants and consuming them).

Our system of democracy and consumerism is causing a certain amount of depression amongst some people, so they eat rubbish food to make themselves feel better. Then we have the socio economic side of things were people eat fast food daily because the can't afford to buy good wholesome food from the super market or are just to lazy to cook good food for their kids.

 

It really gets back to parents to be more responsible on how they raise their chrildren, how they care for them as they grow up, how they educate them at home on life in general. This modern age is too focused on the material things and not enough on the family unit. To much pressure on mums and dads to work their arse off to have all those nice useless material things just to show people that they can have them, at the expense of raising their kids. Our chrildren need someone  to be at home when they finish their school day. I don't care if it is mum or dad, imo there has to be someone there to talk to, to show they care and make sure their after school snacks will not cause obesity and heart problems down the track. Fast food can be habit forming as well. Education is what is needed not a politician telling us what we can eat.

 

Bloody soap box! ok I just got off it.

[RadiateLight]

Fuck yeah doc, responsible eating starts at home. Lets not allow our government to shed more of our civil liberties in the name of safety or security. I believe setting a good example for children begins at home.

 

Pea's

[-RiverRat-]

The waters kinda get muddied here.

 

One positive is that transfats predominantly come from cooked heated margarine like oils and are often hidden in food to subsitute for healthy animal fat. Give me a grass fed larded meat pie over Hydrogentaed vegetable oil anyway. Pardon the french but ban the fucking stuff I say.

 

The tide of false claims against saturated fat and cholesterol are now being demythed and the vegetable oil/grain/sugar industry will finnaly have a fight on their hands.

 

Butter it up (grass fed ofc)

 

-RR-

Edited November 10, 2013 by -RiverRat-

[brick]

Yes RR after watching Catalyst on ABC about colesterol I stopped taking my pills. It is only theory for Christs sake. I am not cutting the fat off my chops or porterhouse any more either. I also made a mistake when I said in another post that smoking causes colesterol, that was wrong, smoking causes plaque build up in the arteries which eventually blocks them, that's why they have to use stents.

I was missing the odd 4n20 as well.

Since stopping the anti colesterol pills, I am sleeping better, not feeling down and my arthritis pain is now managable.

[salpon]

You got on a bit of a tangent there Brick. I can agree with your final point that education is vital in reducing dangerous practices in the population, ie tobacco smoking. However I do believe government has a responsibility to restrict or ban the most dangerous of these, based on independent recommendations. Our difference in opinion probably comes down to political ideology. I would guess that you are fairly libertarian in your beliefs, Brick.