Turns out there are substantial chemical / nutritive differences between ‘conventional’ and organically grown food. There’s actually more nutrition, more food, per unit volume in organic food. If you’d like to understand why, then you should read the books, as well as In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan.

Literally no one is saying this was anything else, it’s not even really a case report, it’s a pop-sci book… which is why the book covers a bunch of the more rigorous academic research.

Here’s some for you, if you’re up for it. Full article linked here.

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the association between consumption of ultraprocessed food and noncommunicable disease risk, morbidity and mortality. Forty-three observational studies were included (N = 891,723): 21 cross-sectional, 19 prospective, two case-control and one conducted both a prospective and cross-sectional analysis. Meta-analysis demonstrated consumption of ultraprocessed food was associated with increased risk of overweight (odds ratio: 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-1.51; P < 0.001), obesity (odds ratio: 1.51; 95% CI, 1.34-1.70; P < 0.001), abdominal obesity (odds ratio: 1.49; 95% CI, 1.34-1.66; P < 0.0001), all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 1.28; 95% CI, 1.11-1.48; P = 0.001), metabolic syndrome (odds ratio: 1.81; 95% CI, 1.12-2.93; P = 0.015) and depression in adults (hazard ratio: 1.22; 95% CI, 1.16-1.28, P < 0.001) as well as wheezing (odds ratio: 1.40; 95% CI, 1.27-1.55; P < 0.001) but not asthma in adolescents (odds ratio: 1.20; 95% CI, 0.99-1.46; P = 0.065). In addition, consumption of ultraprocessed food was associated with cardiometabolic diseases, frailty, irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia and cancer (breast and overall) in adults while also being associated with metabolic syndrome in adolescents and dyslipidaemia in children. Although links between ultraprocessed food consumption and some intermediate risk factors in adults were also highlighted, further studies are required to more clearly define associations in children and adolescents.

So, the broad recommendation of both books is just to go back to eating real food, that is, home-cooked, minimally-processed, and preferably organic labeled.

I like Ultra Processed People because the author is a medical doctor and a researcher, so he does a good job of getting into some of the research, but the 30 day diet was mostly a publicity stunt, in my view. That said, here are some outcomes:

After the month was over, Chris reported poor sleep, heart burn, unhappy feelings, anxiety, sluggishness, and a low libido. He also had piles from constipation. “I felt ten years older”, he says, but “didn’t realise it was all [because of] the food until I stopped eating the diet”.

Chris gained almost 7kg in the four weeks and moved from a healthy weight to overweight. “If the weight gain continued at that rate for six months, I would have gained six stone”, he says. It didn’t stop there.

Brain activity scans showed the areas of Chris’ brain responsible for reward had linked up with the areas that drive repetitive, automatic behaviour. “Eating ultra-processed food became something my brain simply tells me to do, without me even wanting it”, he says, adding this is a similar brain response to taking substances we consider classically addictive such as cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. The changes in brain activity weren’t permanent, but “if it can do that in four weeks to my 42-year-old brain, what is it doing to the fragile developing brains of our children”.

From the links I provided above:

Ultra Processed People by Chris van Tulleken

In this book, Chris van Tulleken, father, scientist, doctor, and award-winning BBC broadcaster, marshals the latest evidence to show how governments, scientists, and doctors have allowed transnational food companies to create a pandemic of diet-related disease. The solutions don’t lie in willpower, personal responsibility, or exercise. You’ll find no diet plan in this book―but join Chris as he undertakes a powerful self-experiment that made headlines around the world: under the supervision of colleagues at University College London he spent a month eating a diet of 80 percent UPF, typical for many children and adults in the United States. While his body became the subject of scientific scrutiny, he spoke to the world’s leading experts from academia, agriculture, and―most important―the food industry itself.

The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzer

It’s super tempting to choose a bag of Doritos over an apple for a quick snack. But why is this? Why does pseudo-food take the prize over real, nutritious food that provides us with benefits other than instant taste-bud gratification? It’s all about the flavor.

Real, nutritious and natural food is now largely bred and cultivated for the sake of volume and revenue – but not so much for taste. Things like chicken and tomatoes are grown to maturity as quickly as possible in order to maximize sales, but in the process these foods lose so much of their flavorful potential. In the past, we looked to nature’s already developed and perfected products for sustenance. Now, food companies modify nature in order to turn a profit, and this has a significant impact on its taste. Real food has become increasingly bland, and junk food has all the orange-dusted, finger-lickin’ goodness we now crave!

We reach for the cheese puffs because we know they will satisfy a craving for flavor. The problem is that this (artificial) flavor is a concoction of chemicals that convinces us to eat way more than we should. Ultimately, this is what leads us to rack up the calories and overconsume fats, salts, and sugars.

I always see a lot of misunderstanding in discussions about this stuff, so here is some related reading for anyone who wants to understand why scientists are saying ultra-processed food leads to health problems:

Ultra Processed People by Chris van Tulleken

The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzer

So, you may not be aware, but these days Police are in the habit of dodging the legal requirement for a warrant to obtain similar data:

Amazon’s Ring devices are not just personal security cameras. They are also police cameras—whether you want them to be or not. The company now admits there are “emergency” instances when police can get warrantless access to Ring personal devices without the owner’s permission. This dangerous policy allows police, in conjunction with Ring, to decide when access should be granted to private video. The footage is given in “​​cases involving imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to any person.” The company has provided videos to law enforcement, without a warrant or device owner consent, 11 times already this year. This admission comes in response to a series of critical letters from Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). Markey chastised the company over many of the same privacy problems that EFF has brought up, including the far-reaching audio capabilities of Ring devices, and the company’s refusal to commit to not incorporate facial recognition technology into their cameras.

I don’t have more information on this particular company’s dealings with law enforcement, but I certainly think it’s reasonable to be concerned.

I also think most cars can’t be stopped dead with a traffic cone, so these protesters are highlighting the unpredictable and sometimes dangerous behavior of these vehicles in mixed traffic. While I’m sure the folks involved would like to see steps taken to address cars and transport infrastructure more generally, it’s hard to see why you would call this ‘hypocritical’.

Imo, that’s a silly false equivalence. Personally-controlled cameras in the pocket aren’t the same as being routinely surveilled by law enforcement, and there are often no viable alternatives for transport in the US, given the existing infrastructure, which is a big part of the reason people are upset.

Turns out not everyone wants life to be that way in the US, hence, protestors.

Sure you read the article? Maybe you disagree with their objections, but the article lays them out:

A video from the group that has gained almost 5 million views on Twitter points out that AVs block buses, emergency vehicles, and everyday traffic. It also claims that they’re partnering with police to record everyone all the time without anyone’s consent. And, most importantly, they require streets designed for cars, not people or transit.

These folks are awesome, and they’re on Mastodon!

https://sfba.social/@safestreetrebel

Awesome, thank you! Just wanted to add, the link for kbin 404s, I think it needs to be tweaked a little:

https://kbin.social/m/[email protected]

instead of

https://kbin.social/c/[email protected]

You missed the point, but whatever, you don’t get to force private platforms to host content, that’s up to the owners.

they shouldn’t be allowed to censor things

I disagree, and so does US law. Abusive material shouldn’t be spread just because it can be.

The right to free speech is drawn from a US constitutional amendment, which says the US government can’t censor speech, but it has nothing to do with private platforms like this, much less individual responses to Nazi rhetoric. Nobody owes hate speech a free platform.

Nope, she has repeatedly had posts reinstated after being initially flagged for hate speech, including that one. Meta knows their audience.

Exactly. What happens when a far-right troll like libsoftiktok sics thousands of rabid followers on a fediverse account? I get the feeling our small, volunteer group of moderators just don’t have the resources to cover that kind of brigading.

im honestly surprised you’re using kbin or any federated service with that take lol, how could you simultaneously be for federation but also against it?

This is a silly perspective to me, but apparently it is a common misconception about federation.

IMO, just because you can federate doesn’t mean you should… In fact, the ability to defederate is one of the most appealing aspects of a federated system, as a means of mitigating problematic content.

The front door to your house opens, but you don’t have to open it for everyone.

Gmail blocks a ton of smaller email services for generating spam / scams / malicious activity, just because a protocol is open doesn’t mean it has to tolerate problematic content.

It’s not! The official app is relatively new, and Tusky has more features, or did the last time I compared.

Also, remember there are a bunch of nice 3rd party options for Android, like: Tusky (personal favorite), Fedilab, Megalodon, & Tooot