
The Science of Addictive Junk Food (2013) - koopuluri
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/magazine/the-extraordinary-science-of-junk-food.html
======
teekert
Reading this I look up to see a Domino's pizza truck, on the side is just a
lush, deep red fresh tomato and the slogan: "Enjoy our fresh ingredients". The
whole thing reeks of fresh, healthy food. Yet, The pizza feels fatty, makes
you thirsty from the extreme salt content and the amount of sugar is crazy for
something that is normally considered savory [0].

[0]
[http://www.nourishinteractive.com/system/assets/general/free...](http://www.nourishinteractive.com/system/assets/general/free-
printables/Menus/Dominos/dominos_nutrition.pdf)

~~~
unwind
The sugar content didn't look so bad to me, but I found the table in the upper
left corner humorous:

    
    
        Recommended Pizza Serving Sizes:
        ------------------+-------------
                          |    Small
        ------------------+-------------
        Thin crust        |  1/4 pizza
        Hand Tossed       |  1/6 pizza
        Deep Dish         |     n/a
        Brooklyn          |     n/a
    

How can the "recommended serving size" (aka "portion size", right?) be not
applicable? Are they telling me it's not fit for consumption? Pretty sure I'm
not getting it, not a native speaker, etc.

~~~
teekert
If you have bbq sauce on a small pizza (who eats a small pizza?) you already
have 22 grams, add some ingredients and you get another couple of grams making
a woman pass her daily allowed intake for added sugar (25 grams [0]). That
means you shouldn't have any desert or soft drinks with it. No cereal that
day, no muffin, nothing.

Actually, a medium pizza crust + bbq sauce puts even a man over his limit of
30 grams per day. For a large pizza? Better not eat any bbq sauce at all.

[0] [https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-sugar-per-
day](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-sugar-per-day)

~~~
nsebban
To me the fact you'd eat a pizza with bbq sauce is already disturbing. It has
to be one of the biggest sources of sugar in existing savoury sauces.

What's wrong with tomato sauce ?

~~~
teekert
Nothing imho, but still it's not good enough and they add sugar. Probably more
and more because people get used to the sweetness of it.

------
ChrisFoster
Previous discussion, from 2013:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5279307](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5279307)

~~~
jordanmoconnor
That's one of the more hotly debated comment threads I've seen on this site.
Lots of "You are wrong" and "You don't understand". People take their food
seriously!

~~~
zodPod
I think this is one of the major problems with the food and nutrition
industries. Most don't have a factual understanding of what they're talking
about and are willing to spout off whatever they were told by this or that
person. There's no real consensus. The situation honestly feels worse than
global warming. Everyone just takes their own stances on it or the one that
aligns with them and then doesn't bother actually looking into why they are
right or wrong. It's worrying.

There are also just so many variables it's hard to keep track of what _is_
right or wrong anymore.

------
rajadigopula
Wow.. Surprised to see no mention of "fiber"! The whole problem with processed
foods is stripping off of essential dietary fiber. When you take fiber off of
food, it digests quick rising blood sugar levels and feeling hungry quick -
reason why they are called junk foods.

So many scientists suggesting to fix fiber in the diet to address the issue
and yet no single mention of it in the entire article! No wonder Americans are
misled.

[https://youtu.be/EtnTuTX4L24](https://youtu.be/EtnTuTX4L24)

------
mattzito
Old article, should have a (2013) on it, BUT a great article, and in fact,
this is adapted from an excellent book I can highly recommend called "Salt,
Sugar, Fat"

[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00985E3UG/ref=dp-kindle-
redirect?...](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00985E3UG/ref=dp-kindle-
redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)

~~~
koopuluri
whoops. I also missed a word in the title. Can't seem to edit once submitted.

