I have a box of sugar in my pantry that says in a big banner across the front "A Fat Free Food".
And I have a jar of mayonnaise that is similarly emblazoned "Zero Carbohydrates!"
My bottled water brags "Sodium Free".
Since when has anyone thought that sugar was fatty, mayonnaise sugary, and water salty?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Actually, non-distilled mineral water (and tap water in some areas) can be a significant source of sodium.
But yeah, that's aimed at stupid people.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Ketchupqueen -- no artificial sweeteners!
Posted by Jaiden (Member # 2099) on :
Homemade mayonnaise will sometimes have sugar in it (to balance the tartness of the lemon juice and help camouflage the oil)....
And some Chef's buy different concentrations of salt water for cooking with....
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
That always bothers me... Low in carbohydrates indeed...
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Yup. People are dumb.
It's my motto. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Eeeew. I hate artificial sweetners. (Except aspartame, which I don't mind, but avoid anyway because if you eat too much it can leech the calcium from your bones!)
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
didn't you just know that starting this post would get the ball rolling on everybody pointing out that there is a trace amount of sodium in water, sugar in mayo and fat in sugar? Do we always have to go down the mr obvious route in our society? I am not being snarky, I really do this too, I can't control the impulse sometimes to point out the blindingly obvious, but I feel like such a jerk when I do it!
Posted by Theaca (Member # 8325) on :
I found the follow up posts educational, myself...
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
Or those bags of peanuts with 'PEANUTS!' written across the front in big silver letters and, in tiny writing on the back 'may contain nuts'. Things like that just scare me.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Tante, I always have the exact same reaction to those labels. Those marketers surely are counting on a dumb public!
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: Or those bags of peanuts with 'PEANUTS!' written across the front in big silver letters and, in tiny writing on the back 'may contain nuts'. Things like that just scare me.
I think that one's more the company covering their rear so they don't get sued by some greedy idiot.
But those others...I just shake my head in wonder and dismay. Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
My favorites are the signs over the cheese section in grocery store that proclaim Low or No Carbs!
Um yeah.. just pure fat. Go ahead, gnaw on a big chunk. You'll lose a ton of weight. I swear.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
No, butter is (mostly) pure fat. Depending on what type of milk it is made from (cream, whole, X% or skim), cheese can be very low in fat. Also, some breeds of goat have naturally lowfat milk (around 1-2%) so cheese made from that milk would also be lowfat.
<--loves dairy
--Mel
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Yeah, my Planter's Mixed Nuts with Peanuts has a warning on the back -- Warning: Contains Nuts and Peanuts.
I'd have been shocked if it didn't.
Posted by xnera (Member # 187) on :
I thought the "may contain nuts" thing is because peanuts are actually a legume, and by "nuts" they are referring to tree nuts. Which there may be traces of in the bag of peanuts because of how the processing plant is set up (machines used for multi purposes, and stuff like that).
I'm trying to google to back this up. Will link sources if I find them.
Linky. Talks about the difference in peanut allergy vs. tree nut allergies and why cross-contamination is a problem in manufacturing plants. Doesn't specifically mention the "may contain nuts" warning on bags of peanuts, though.
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
I like labels that say things like "93% Fat-Free." I guess that's a better selling point than "7% Fat!"
--Enigmatic
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
The bottle of water I had today boasted "zero calories"!
Posted by Pelegius (Member # 7868) on :
What I find awful is that Coke and Sprite now have "Coke Zero" and "Sprite Zero" which have"0 carbs, 0 sugar and 0 calories." In other words, they are diet.
Posted by HollowEarth (Member # 2586) on :
I'm a bigger fan of the epidemic of "0g Trans Fats" labels. Especially on things that don't contain partially hydrogenated oils.
Posted by luthe (Member # 1601) on :
quote:Originally posted by Pelegius: What I find awful is that Coke and Sprite now have "Coke Zero" and "Sprite Zero" which have"0 carbs, 0 sugar and 0 calories." In other words, they are diet.
Yes, but people are use to diet product still having a few calories, and using aspertame(sp?) for their sweetener. So the newer products based on splenda are attempting to differentiate themeselves from the older diet products.
Posted by Mr.Funny (Member # 4467) on :
So, splenda works because it's a type of sugar that the human body can't process, right? What if there is a subset of the human race that can break down splenda? So, they eat lots of splenda-sweetened foods and get really fat? Is that possible?
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I've discovered that my body doesn't like Splenda. I get nauseous about a half hour after drinking anythign with it, and I've tried a couple different prepackaged sodas as well as packets of the stuff in my tea. Plus I think it has a bit of a funny aftertaste to it in my tea, hard to tell with sodas if that's the cause or if it's the soda itself.
I'll stick to the pink stuff in my tea now ... as long as the office manager remembers to keep it on hand.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Splenda tastes strongly of burnt rubber or plastic to me and my father. I won't go near it.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Splenda > Nutrasweet.
-pH
Posted by luthe (Member # 1601) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mr.Funny: So, splenda works because it's a type of sugar that the human body can't process, right? What if there is a subset of the human race that can break down splenda? So, they eat lots of splenda-sweetened foods and get really fat? Is that possible?
I believe I have read a short story or two about a scientist inventing a machine that makes him able to only proccess right handed sugers, rather than the left that we normal people use.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
In my supermarket, there is "Coke Zero" and "Pepsi One". I keep hanging out in the beverage aisle, to see how the match ends.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Dr. Pepper kills them both.
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
Amen kq!
When I went on WW and actually started reading labels, I loved the ones that say "1/3 Less Fat" - Of course, 1/3 less is still 3 times more than the RDA...
My dad is diabetic, and has to watch those "No Sugar Added!" labels. It can be pure sugar, and still have "No Sugar Added"
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
My favorite was the pricey organic drink that was sweetened with "evaporated organic cane juice" instead of sugar. Now, what is "evaporated cane juice"?
Sugar.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Also, Pepsi One is far superior to any form of Coke.
Splenda Pepsi...so tasty.
Also, why don't we have Fresca in the South? I think I'm addicted.
-pH
Posted by Brian J. Hill (Member # 5346) on :
Fresca is by far the best 0-calorie soft drink. It isn't too popular in VA, so it's very rare when it goes on sale. But when it does, I buy 4 or 5 12-packs.
And saying
quote: Splenda > Nutrasweet
is kinda like saying
quote: death by guillotine > death by disembowelment
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
What, they're both unpleasant?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
"Unpleasant" would be an understatement.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I like Splenda a lot, really. And it takes less to make coffee sweet enough for me to drink, so I don't look like a complete psycho dumping sixteen packets of sugar in my small hazelnut coffee.
-pH
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
For death in general, or Splenda?
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
pH, my wife wanted to like Splenda for exactly that reason, but it doesn't do good things to her insides. I just started mumbling "psycho" under my breath now instead of screaming it, and it seems to make her happy Of course, I still smirk when she asks for ketchup with her steak, kq Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Of course, I still smirk when she asks for ketchup with her steak, kq
Well, that's your problem, not hers. Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
I'm sure she agrees.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote: so I don't look like a complete psycho dumping sixteen packets of sugar in my small hazelnut coffee.
Not to be prejudiced, but if I saw someone dumping 16 packs of sugar in her small coffee, I'd assume she was a psycho or an addict.
And hazelnut, by the way, is an awful thing to do to coffee. Makes it smell like smelly feet. And gives it a nasty artificial flavor. What is wrong with coffee smelling and tasting like its own delicious self?
I like coffee, I like tea, I like the Java Jive and it likes me.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
quote:I'm a bigger fan of the epidemic of "0g Trans Fats" labels. Especially on things that don't contain partially hydrogenated oils.
I'd like to see manufacturers forced to put the g of trans fats in big letters on the front. How fast would the consumers force them to go no trans fats then?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Coffee and tea and the jivin' and me, A cup a cup a cup a cup a cup.
Tante, look what you did to me.
Posted by Griffin (Member # 7166) on :
quote:Originally posted by Orincoro: didn't you just know that starting this post would get the ball rolling on everybody pointing out that there is a trace amount of sodium in water, sugar in mayo and fat in sugar? Do we always have to go down the mr obvious route in our society? I am not being snarky, I really do this too, I can't control the impulse sometimes to point out the blindingly obvious, but I feel like such a jerk when I do it!
That's interesting, do you feel like a jerk when you point out the obvious or when you point out pointing out the obvious. Because there's nothing wrong with helping people see the obvious. I can be stupid sometimes too. Everyone is dumb at something, common. It's only wrong when you tell someone else to stop saying the obvious when they're helping someone else learn. Or it's wrong when they say the obvious to make a point, and you say it's stupid. But when it comes to the government, media, and big corporations, it's never wrong to point out thier flaws.
Griffin Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: Coffee and tea and the jivin' and me, A cup a cup a cup a cup a cup.
Tante, look what you did to me.
:Dances and twirls with KQ: Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
I didn't think that song was big in LDS circles. Who knew?
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
quote:my wife wanted to like Splenda for exactly that reason, but it doesn't do good things to her insides
I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who reacts badly to the stuff. I'm sorry to know that anyone, including myself, does, but I'm glad to know that if I gotta have issues, at least I'm not alone...
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
Tante, I thought of you today at the produce mart, when I picked up bananas with a "Fat Free Food!" sticker.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:Coffee and tea and the jivin' and me, A cup a cup a cup a cup a cup.
Shoot me the pot, and I'll pour me a shot.
Were I the one designing packaging, I'd definitely put "zero carbs!" on everything that has none to begin with, purely for the added revenue. If there's enough market for low carb food that PASTA companies are making "low carb" versions of their products...well, that says something.
Namely, that people are idiots.
Posted by mimsies (Member # 7418) on :
quote: What I find awful is that Coke and Sprite now have "Coke Zero" and "Sprite Zero" which have"0 carbs, 0 sugar and 0 calories." In other words, they are diet.
I personally think that Coke zero tastes better than reguar diet coke. Diet coke wth lime isn't too bad though. My mom likes diet coke with splenda... babbling
edit spelling
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote: I didn't think that song was big in LDS circles. Who knew?
Actually, I know it from my 10th grade Pops Concert (the spring concert of popular [or once popular] and popular-ish music-- as opposed to the one where we sang Broadway tunes and choral pieces.) It was performed by the Charismatics, the school's top a cappela group. Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
It's actually surprising how many people have a negative reaction to Splenda - I just don't like it, but several people around the office get sick from it. Weird.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
It doesn't surprise me one bit. I consider all artificial sweeteners dangerous by nature (or lack therof) and completely avoid them. I would go without any sweets (and have, when I fought a year and a half long yeast thing) before eating them.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I'm with romany on this one.
I have chemical sensitivities up the whazoo, so it's just not good for me especially to introduce more chemicals into my system when it's just not necessary.
I've been off sugar for 8 or 10 months for similar reasons. I don't - and won't - replace it with artificial sweeteners.
![[Taunt]](graemlins/taunt.gif)
![[Kiss]](graemlins/kiss.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Those marketers surely are counting on a dumb public!
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Of course, I still smirk when she asks for ketchup with her steak, kq ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
Actually, I know it from my 10th grade Pops Concert (the spring concert of popular [or once popular] and popular-ish music-- as opposed to the one where we sang Broadway tunes and choral pieces.) It was performed by the Charismatics, the school's top a cappela group.