[grenoire]

Seriously, this is about the equivalent of telling somebody with a substance dependence (I think weed is likely the best analogue, with a weaker physiological dependence, that is) to just quit it. These devices are not inhaled, injected, ingested, but they are very much a tool in releasing hormones.

[to11mtm]

You're absolutely correct.

A few years ago I went gluten free to see if it helped with some other health issues (it did, NCGS.)

So, between late 2016 and the end of 2020, I avoided gluten as best as I could. Which all but eliminates most fast food and the majority of prepackaged foods/snacks/etc.

Portion control became incredibly easy. I ate when I was hungry. Sometimes people would comment on how little I was eating, but I was still energetic and kicking ass at work/etc. My body also fairly quickly started to adjust to a more 'proper' weight. (As long as I wasn't drinking. There were parts of that time of my life where I sometimes did, never to where it interfered with work but definitely was hiding from my personal life circumstances.)

ANNNNYWAY. Late last year I decided to try gluten again to see whether I still had a bad reaction and/or if it was moreso specific types that caused me issues (They all kinda bother me, but barley makes me ragey....)

I remember the first thing I ate from McDonalds last year. It was a double cheeseburger.

I then spent the next 2 weeks straight getting at least one meal a day from McD's. It was an eye-opener on how addictive some of the components in a food can be to your neurons.

[bumby]

>Which all but eliminates most fast food and the majority of prepackaged foods/snacks/etc. Portion control became incredibly easy.

One prevalent theory about why just about elimination diet works is because of this effect of an easy decision heuristic to make smarter food choices. That seems more plausible to me than a single instance of the gluten in a 150 calorie bun being the culprit (unless you have something like celiacs disease, of course). Regardless, I’m glad you found a regimen that works for you.

[grenoire]

I think the same treatment is necessary for these sorts of foods. It's hard to regulate both in terms of classification (what're the thresholds?) and regulation (how to get politicians to take action?). It's going to take time, but I'm hopeful.

Happy to hear you managed to cut out the junk for a long time, I hope you haven't rebounded in full!

[thegrimmest]

What if the person doesn't want to quit? What to take into your body and how to regulate your health are deeply personal choices. Why not just let people make them?

[grenoire]

I didn't remark on that but I'll entertain your comment: I think it's about having the facilities to educate people about the effects, and help them in rehabilitation if they prefer to.

[thegrimmest]

> facilities to educate people about the effects

I think we already do a pretty good job at this, don't you? Drug awareness education in one form or another has been part of the curriculum since the 19th century.

> help them in rehabilitation if they prefer to

We have lots of NGOs that are setup to help drug addicts. Are they not doing a good job?

[grenoire]

You missed my point, sorry if it wasn't clear: These should exist for 'device addicts' and addiction.