[zemo]

I know you think this is some sort of neutral comment about personal choice, but it isn't. Millions of underserved people all over the world live in Food Deserts (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert), places with little to no access to affordable nutritious food. Those people wind up consuming a large portion of their calories from high fructose corn syrup, not because they have chosen to do so, but because they have no choice, and that is their only option. Whether you want to accept it or not, your comment is classist and makes HN a more hostile place.

[wrycoder]

People don’t eat straight corn syrup. The products they do eat that contain it are quite expensive per calorie. I.e. Coke.

The problem is initiative and knowledge. They should walk or ride a couple of miles and buy the biggest bags of rice and beans they can, along with a bottle of multivitamins. And then learn how to cook.

If that’s classist, then the classes are structured by knowledge and choices. Which they may well be.

[zemo]

The entire reason that high fructose corn syrup is so prevalent in low-cost foods is that it's cheaper than sugar, especially in the US because of corn subsidies. Find literally any evidence that HFCS is more expensive per-calorie than sugar and you will come up empty-handed.

> If that’s classist, then the classes are structured by knowledge and choices. Which they may well be.

class by its definition accounts for massive difference in access to resources. If you think access to resources doesn't measurably change the level of knowledge that a population has, that's a declaration that resources do nothing, which would be an odd stance to take on a knowledge-focused community website.

> They should walk or ride a couple of miles and buy the biggest bags of rice and beans they can, along with a bottle of multivitamins.

I just LOVE the subtle food choice of rice and beans here, paired with the recommendation to take multivitamins, a recommendation that is supported by little to no evidence. Your own lack of knowledge on this topic is in full display, as is a clear demonstration of your own biases across multiple dimensions.

[wrycoder]

Of course HFCS is cheaper than sugar. I'm referring to the products made from it, like Coke. They are a poor way to spend your food dollar.

I agree that class accounts for a massive difference in access to resources. However, in this case, the knowledge is available for free, and in the US the basic foodstuffs are available for far less than what disadvantaged people pay for the typical processed and fast food they live on.

Rice and beans - nothing subtle about it. They are basic foods that provide the necessary carbs, fat, and complete protein. The vitamins are a simple way to prevent scurvy and similar deficiencies, until the choice of food can become more varied.

As a person learns to cook and bake, they can add wheat, peas, and corn (But they need to learn about nixtamalization before they add corn.) None of these foods require refrigeration.

I have in mind the cuisine of Mexico, which is inexpensive and nutritious. Similar cuisines are found in home cooking all over the world, at least where commercially processed food hasn't driven them out.

It is most important to make sure that all school children are taught how to process and cook these basic foods.

If you are knowledgeable in this area, I'd appreciate some specific suggestions.