Rational Media Board of Director and RationalWiki Moderater User: Spud and ultra-processed/unhealthy/junk food

Picture of Cheetos.

According to Newsweek, "Since 2012, some schools in California, New Mexico, and Illinois have banned the hot Cheetos due to their lack of nutritional value, and, well, messiness."

Picture of a cheeseburger.

The nutrition website Nutritionix indicates that it takes 2 hours and 24 minutes of walking (or 51 minutes of running at 6 miles per hour) to burn off the calories in a Dairy Queen cheeseburger and that it contains 535 calories.

RationalWiki.org is a politically left-leaning website that skews towards atheism/agnosticism in terms of its worldview. The website is under the auspices of nonprofit foundation the Rational Media Foundation. RationalWiki has a small fraction of the web traffic it had before October 2019 (see: RationalWiki and web traffic).

On April 27, 2023, the Rational Media Board of Director and Moderater User: Spud wrote:

“

Long term editors would have known this was coming. Sunday 30 April would have been my younger sister's birthday if she hadn't died suddenly and unexpectedly 5 years ago at the age of 42, leaving a husband and a young daughter. As always, instead of raising a glass in her memory, I'll be having a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar in her memory. It's what she would have wanted. If you'd like to join me in having some crisps and chocolate in her honour, preferably British brands or the closest you can get to them, that would be great. And when I say "crisps", I mean any potato or corn snack, including such things as Monster Munch, Frazzles, Wotsits, Cheetos, Doritos and Funyuns. Alternatively for you Americans, my sister was lucky enough to visit New England one year and absolutely loved the hot food and ice cream from Dairy Queen, so you might like to go there in her honour. Looking at their current menu, I'd say my sister would have an Original Cheeseburger Meal Deal with a strawberry sundae.

”

In response to his post, RationalWiki editor Bob M responded "Count me in." RationalWiki admin User:DuceMoosolini, who sits on the board of directors of the Rational Media Foundation and whose user page is filled with various types of food, wrote in response to User: Spud's post: "I’ll get a strawberry sundae in her honor, Spud." RationalWiki User: The Blade of the Northern Lights, wrote: "I'm on the Dairy Queen, actually took a group of my clients there last week...". See: Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health risks

According to Newsweek, "Since 2012, some schools in California, New Mexico, and Illinois have banned the hot Cheetos due to their lack of nutritional value, and, well, messiness."

The New York Post wrote concerning Doritos:

“

Steven A. Witherly, a food scientist and the author of “Why Humans Like Junk Food,” has explained to the New York Times that nacho cheese Doritos are the archetype of addictive processed foods... To maximize the pleasure, half of the calories in Doritos come from fat. With that ratio, it feels like the chip melts on your mouth and your brain is tricked into thinking the calories have vanished too. This is called “vanishing caloric density” and it comes with cotton candy too, for example. To boot, there’s the three artificial colorings which research shows consumers are attracted to.

”

According to numerous peer-reviewed medical science journals, ultra-processed food (often called merely processed food by laymen and others) poses numerous, serious health risks. PubMed has over 1,800 medical journal articles related to the health risks of ultra-processed/processed food.

The nutrition website Nutritionix indicates that it takes 2 hours and 24 minutes of walking (or 51 minutes of running at 6 miles per hour) to burn off the calories in a Dairy Queen cheeseburger and that it contains 535 calories. According the website Fast Food Nutrition, a Dairy Queen strawberry sundae contains between 240-480 calories.

Picture of an ice cream sundae.

According the website Fast Food Nutrition, a Dairy Queen strawberry sundae contains between 240-480 calories.

Comfort food, unhealthy food, negative emotions and self-medicating

See also: Comfort food, unhealthy food, negative emotions and self-medicating and Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health risks and Atheism and negative emotions/thoughts and Atheism and emotional problems and Atheism and health

Steven A. Witherly, a food scientist and the author of “Why Humans Like Junk Food,” has explained to the New York Times that nacho cheese Doritos are the archetype of addictive processed foods. In order to maximize the pleasure, half of the calories in Doritos come from fat.

Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone. In many cases, it is characterized by its high caloric nature and high carbohydrate level.

According to the Henry Ford Health website:

“

"The foods we tend to lean toward for comfort are often high in fat and sugar," says Sayde Beeler, MSW, RDN, a registered dietitian at Henry Ford Health. "Those types of foods stimulate the brain's reward system, the same pleasure center that gets activated when you take drugs." A variety of factors converge to signal your brain to crave specific foods. Some people gravitate toward sweet foods. Others lean toward warm and hearty foods, particularly when the weather is cold. In each case, a combination of psychological and physiological factors drives the craving. "Food can be a sort of antidote to messy, painful emotions," Beeler says. "People turn to food when they're feeling lonely, depressed or guilty, and to celebrate success and achievements. During the pandemic, people may be eating to self-medicate. You want foods that help you feel safe, comfortable and warm." And sometimes, food just provides us with a hit of nostalgia. The drawback, of course, is that food doesn't address the emotion that triggered the craving. "If you're feeling guilt, sadness or grief, food may help numb those emotions in the moment, but then the feeling returns," Beeler says. "And if you're overconsuming foods that are high in fat and sugar, that can lead to increases in blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides over time."

”

User: Spud's user pages features french fries atop the page. Healthline.com indicates that french fries are "junk food".

Atop the user page of User: Spud is this picture of french fries which is featured above.

According to Healthline.com's 2017 article The 15 Unhealthiest Junk Foods in America: "In spite of their popularity, these deep-fried potatoes are very unhealthy."

Atop the user page of User: Spud is the picture of french fries which are featured to the right.

According to the website Healthline.com's 2017 article The 15 Unhealthiest Junk Foods in America:

“

French fries are one of the most popular fast food items around. In spite of their popularity, these deep-fried potatoes are very unhealthy. Studies have linked deep-fried foods to inflammation, heart disease and impaired artery function, among other health problems. What’s more, fries are extremely high in calories and fast-digesting carbs.

”

Fortune magazine's wellness portion of its website, Fortune Well, in its article entitled French fries on the brain? New study says eating ultra-processed food might lead to cognitive decline indicates:

“

You may want to think twice before you reach for that bag of potato chips. According to a new study, eating ultra-processed foods, such as ice cream, hot dogs, and french fries, for more than 20% of your caloric intake could lead to cognitive decline, especially with regards to memory and executive function–the part of the brain that helps us plan, focus, and make decisions. While high intake of ultra-processed foods have been associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer and believed to induce systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, little was known about its effect on cognition until now. The study, which was presented Monday at the 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego by Natalia Gonçalves, PhD from the University of São Paulo, followed roughly 10,000 Brazilians for up to 10 years and defined ultra-processed foods as “those that go through significant industrial processes and contain large quantities of fats, sugar, salt, artificial flavors/colors, stabilizers and/or preservatives.” More than half of the participants were white and women and the average age was 51. Cognitive performance was evaluated using an array of tests: immediate recall, late recall, recognition, semantic and phonemic verbal fluency and trail-making tests. The most common foods participants reported eating were hot dogs, burgers, pizza, fast food, instant noodles, packaged bread, according to Gonçalves. While the suggested daily caloric intake depends on a variety of factors, including age, weight and height, as well as level of physical activity, the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests 2,200–2,800 calories for men between 41-50 years old and 1,800–2,200 calories for women between 41-50 years old, so 20% of a 2,200-calorie diet would be 440 calories. Meanwhile, a snack-sized bag of chips is about 150 calories and there are roughly 285 calories in a slice of pizza.

”

Ultra-processed foods – like cookies, chips, frozen meals and fast food – may contribute to cognitive decline

See also: Consumption of ultra-processed foods and brain impairment

See: Ultra-processed foods – like cookies, chips, frozen meals and fast food – may contribute to cognitive decline, University of Florida's Center for Aging and Memory - Clinical Translational Research - Evelyn and William L. McKnight Brain Institute

Eva Selhub MD wrote at Harvard University's Health Blog:

“

Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel. Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the "waste" (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells. Unfortunately, just like an expensive car, your brain can be damaged if you ingest anything other than premium fuel. If substances from "low-premium" fuel (such as what you get from processed or refined foods) get to the brain, it has little ability to get rid of them. Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening your body's regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression. It makes sense. If your brain is deprived of good-quality nutrition, or if free radicals or damaging inflammatory cells are circulating within the brain's enclosed space, further contributing to brain tissue injury, consequences are to be expected. What's interesting is that for many years, the medical field did not fully acknowledge the connection between mood and food.

”

According to the article Ultra-processed foods – like cookies, chips, frozen meals and fast food – may contribute to cognitive decline published on University of Florida's Center for Aging and Memory website, the consumption of ultra-processed/processed/junk food may cause brain impairment/cognitive decline.

On December 5, 2022, the website News Medical Life Science reported about ultra-processed foods (UPFs):

“

In a recent JAMA Neurology study, researchers report that consuming ultra-processed foods (UPFs) increases the risk of cognitive decline, particularly among middle-aged adults... UPFs, which are food products that consist of highly processed food components such as oils, fats, sugars, starch, and protein isolates, offer little to no health benefit for the consumer. In addition to these ingredients, UPFs also often consist of artificial flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives. Some examples of common UPFs include breakfast cereals, sweet and savory snacks, ice cream, ready-to-eat frozen meals, processed meats, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Over the past 40 years, the production of UPFs by the global food industry has increased substantially. In fact, recent estimates indicate that UPFs comprise 58% of the calories consumed by U.S. citizens, 57% of those consumed by British citizens, 48% of those consumed by Canadian citizens, and 30% of calories consumed by Brazilian citizens. Previous studies indicate widespread consumption of UPFs is directly related to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. However, due to the lack of data correlating the risk of UPF consumption and dementia, the current study aimed to better understand this potential association.

”

In December of 2022, Healthline.com published the article How Ultra-Processed Foods Can Raise Risk of Cognitive Decline which stated:

“

New research indicates that regularly consuming ultra-processed foods such as hot dogs and frozen pizza can raise your risk of cognitive decline. In a study published today in the journal JAMA Neurology, researchers looked at more than 10,000 individuals over a median period of 8 years. They concluded that people whose daily calorie intake is at least 20% from ultra-processed foods had a 25% faster decline in executive functions and a 28% faster rate of overall cognitive impairment. The researchers noted that if a person’s overall diet quality was high, the effect of ultra-processed foods was less. “While this is a study of association, not designed to prove cause and effect, there are a number of elements to fortify the proposition that some acceleration in cognitive decay may be attributed to ultra-processed foods,” Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine and nutrition, told CNN. “The sample size is substantial and the follow-up extensive. While short of proof, this is robust enough that we should conclude ultra-processed foods are probably bad for our brains,” he added.

”

The New York Times article The Link Between Highly Processed Foods and Brain Health notes:

“

Roughly 60 percent of the calories in the average American diet come from highly processed foods. We’ve known for decades that eating such packaged products — like some breakfast cereals, snack bars, frozen meals and virtually all packaged sweets, among many other things — is linked to unwelcome health outcomes, like an increased risk of diabetes, obesity and even cancer. But more recent studies point to another major downside to these often delicious, always convenient foods: They appear to have a significant impact on our minds, too. Research from the past ten or so years has shown that the more ultraprocessed foods a person eats, the higher the chances that they feel depressed and anxious. A few studies have suggested a link between eating UPFs and increased risk of cognitive decline... Recent research has demonstrated a link between highly processed foods and low mood. In one 2022 study of over 10,000 adults in the United States, the more UPFs participants ate, the more likely they were to report mild depression or feelings of anxiety. “There was a significant increase in mentally unhealthy days for those eating 60 percent or more of their calories from UPFs,” Dr. Hecht, the study’s author, said. “This is not proof of causation, but we can say that there seems to be an association... “Many high-quality, randomized studies have shown the beneficial effect of a nutrient-dense diet on depression, but we still do not fully understand the role of food processing on mental health,” said Melissa Lane, a researcher at the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University in Australia. However, there are some clues. Much of the research has focused on how poor gut health might affect the brain. Diets that are high in ultraprocessed foods are typically low in fiber, which is mostly found in plant-based foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Fiber helps feed the good bacteria in the gut. Fiber is also necessary for the production of short-chain fatty acids, the substances produced when it breaks down in the digestive system, and which play an important role in brain function, said Wolfgang Marx, the president of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research and a senior research fellow at Deakin University. “We know that people with depression and other mental disorders have a less diverse composition of gut bacteria and fewer short-chain fatty acids.”

”

Journal articles related to the consumption of processed foods and brain impairment

• Association Between Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Cognitive Decline, JAMA Neurol. 2023;80(2):142-150. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.4397

• Association of Ultraprocessed Food Consumption With Risk of Dementia: A Prospective Cohort Study, Neurology, July 27, 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000200871

Christopher Gardner, the director of nutrition studies at Stanford University: 4 of the top 6 killers of Americans are related to an inadequate diet

4 of the top 6 killers of Americans are related to an inadequate diet.

National Public Radio's 2023 article What we know about the health risks of ultra-processed foods indicates:

“

Ultra-processed foods currently make up nearly 60% of what the typical adult eats, and nearly 70% of what kids eat. The category includes everything from cookies and sodas to jarred sauces, cereals, packaged breads and frozen meals, even ice creams. You might not realize you're eating one, but look close and you'll see many ingredients you wouldn't find in your kitchen – think bulking agents, hydrolyzed protein isolates, color stabilizers, humectants. They dominate the food supply. And a large and growing body of evidence has consistently linked overconsumption of ultra-processed foods to poor health outcomes. "Four of the top six killers are related to an inadequate diet, which in the U.S. is probably largely due to convenient, safe, inexpensive food that we eat too much of," says Christopher Gardner, the director of nutrition studies at Stanford University, who has spent decades studying the links between diet and chronic disease. "Too much of it leads to obesity and type two diabetes and heart disease and cancer."

”

User: Spud's advocacy of eating ultra-processed/processed/junk food (which poses health risks) is at variance with RationalWiki's purported missions of "Analyzing and refuting pseudoscience and the anti-science movement" and "Documenting the full range of crank ideas"

See also: Science denialism

RationalWiki's main page indicates that the purpose of the website is "Analyzing and refuting pseudoscience and the anti-science movement" and "Documenting the full range of crank ideas". User: Spud's advocacy of eating ultra-processed/processed junk food (which poses health risks) is at variance with these two purported missions of RationalWiki.

User: Spud admits eating processed food is not a healthy practice and claims that he did not engage in science denialism

See also: Atheist hypocrisy and Comfort food and unhealthy eating

Drawing depicting Hippocrates

In 2020, the medical journal The Lancet published the article The cost of preventable disease in the USA:

“

A substantial proportion of poor health in populations is preventable. Previous work from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study suggests that nearly half of all health burden in the USA is attributable to a list of 84 modifiable risk factors. Globally, it is also generally accepted that a quarter, or perhaps up to half, of all deaths fall into the category of preventable deaths, making illness that can at least theoretically be avoided an accepted part of our health accounting.

”

On May 1, 2023, User: Spud wrote about his post advocating that people eat processed/ultra-processed food: "...there was no science denial involved. When did I say processed food was healthy? I'll tell you when. Never. That's when. Of course, it's bad for you. Every nudnik knows that. I would never suggest that anyone should eat large quantities of it or eat it regularly. But indulging once a year on 30 April isn't going to do anybody much harm."

According to the National Institutes of Health website:

“

The Hippocratic Oath (Ορκος) is perhaps the most widely known of Greek medical texts. It requires a new physician to swear upon a number of healing gods that he will uphold a number of professional ethical standards. It also strongly binds the student to his teacher and the greater community of physicians with responsibilities similar to that of a family member. In fact, the creation of the Oath may have marked the early stages of medical training to those outside the first families of Hippocratic medicine, the Asclepiads of Kos, by requiring strict loyalty. Over the centuries, it has been rewritten often in order to suit the values of different cultures influenced by Greek medicine. Contrary to popular belief, the Hippocratic Oath is not required by most modern medical schools, although some have adopted modern versions that suit many in the profession in the 21st century. It also does not explicitly contain the phrase, "First, do no harm," which is commonly attributed to it."

”

The Hippocratic Oath is widely known for its advocacy of "Do no harm". The oath does not advocate the much weaker and morally inferior position of not doing "much harm" which User: Spud uses in his rationalization of his bad behavior. In addition, when people eat unhealthy food, there is an opportunity cost in such an instance because they are not eating nutritious food that would nourish their body in such an instance.

User: Spud is an atheist. Not possessing a religious basis for morality, which can provide a basis for objective morality, atheism is fundamentally incapable of providing a coherent system of morality. See also: Atheism and ethics and Atheism and the problem of evil

The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Before User: Spud made his post advocating eating ultra-processed/processed/junk food, his user page prominently featured the junk food of french fries atop its page. And his user page still prominently displays french fries which is a type of junk food.

And of course, every bad habit such as the eating of ultra-processed/processed/junk food begins with its first act. Young and impressionable viewers of the User: Spud's post could begin a lifelong habit of eating ultra-processed/processed/junk food due to his low-quality web content relative to this unhealthy food.

Furthermore, it is inappropriate and nonsensical for User: Spud to ask people to engage in eating ultra-processed/processed/junk food, which is a type of food that has caused many people to die prematurely (heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, etc.) as an act of remembrance for his sister who died suddenly 5 years ago at the age of 42 (And as noted above, ultra-processed/processed/junk food may cause brain impairment). This would be especially true if she was a regular eater of ultra-processed foods (Other than mentioning that she "absolutely loved the hot food and ice cream from Dairy Queen", User: Spud does not mention how much of ultra-processed/processed/junk food she ate as a proportion of her diet).

The secular left-leaning website RationalWiki criticizes the medical science and other science claims of others, but engages in the promotion of ultra-processed/processed/junk food (See: Atheist hypocrisy). As noted above, User: Spud still has a picture of the junk food french fries atop his user page and he has yet to disavow telling people to eat ultra-processed/processed/junk food.

Rational Media Board of Director and RationalWiki Moderater User: Spud, nutrition and his rejected application to study for a Ph.D.

As far as academic achievement in university and college students, results suggest that diet may be associated with academic achievement, with the majority of studies associating more favourable dietary intake with higher academic achievement.

See also: Academic performance and nutrition and Atheism and academic performance and Atheism and intelligence

As noted above, the consumption of ultra-processed is associated with cognitive decline and lower mental performance and the consumption of highly nutritional food enhances mental performance (See: Consumption of ultra-processed foods and brain impairment and Cognitive decline and diet

On July 10, 2023 Rational Media Board of Director and RationalWiki Moderater User: Spud wrote:

“

In case anyone was curious, my application to study for a Ph. D. was not successful. The worst part about making this announcement is that I feel the need to feed the troll a bit... by saying that my rejection had nothing to do with suggesting other RationalWiki users might like to join me in having one packet of crisps and one bar of chocolate once a year on 30 April, or suggesting they might like to have one meal in a fast food restaurant once a year on 30 April, or having a picture of a chip butty on my RW user page, or any inaccurate assumptions you might make about my diet on the basis of those things, or being fat (which I'm not), or being an atheist, or being British, or using the word "c*nt". The f*cking c*nt will probably still gloat about it anyway. But I won't respond to his c*ntery any further. Anyway, it was on 5 June that I found out. So, I've had over a month to get over it. My contract as a research assistant at Chang Gung University came to an end at the end of April. After I found out I wasn't going to be a Ph. D. student, I started applying for English teaching jobs. I was accepted for two. But now I'm being rehired as a research assistant at Chang Gung University from 5 September. So, everything's good. Spud (talk) 03:20, 10 July 2023 (UTC)

”

The conclusions section for the 2017 Swiss medical journal article Associations between Dietary Intake and Academic Achievement in College Students: A Systematic Review published in the medical journal Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) states:

“

This review examines the current evidence base relating dietary intake and academic achievement in university and college students. Overall, results suggest that diet may be associated with academic achievement, with the majority of studies associating more favourable dietary intake with higher academic achievement. Therefore, health promotion practitioners in the university setting should consider the positive role diet may play in students’ academic achievement when developing initiatives to promote healthy eating to students. Furthermore, health promotion practitioners may utilise the findings from the review to advocate within the university setting for the need to better support students to improve their eating habits, due to the potential impact on their academic performance. However, a limited number of lower methodological quality studies were identified, and some significant limitations of the available evidence are highlighted. Further research to more accurately determine the impact of diet on academic achievement in university and college students is warranted. Future studies should consider the use of validated dietary assessment methods, comprehensive measurement of overall dietary intake, standardised assessment and reporting of academic outcomes, and appropriate adjustment of analyses for confounding factors.

”

The journal article The influence of eating habits on the academic performance of university students published in the Journal of American College Health notes:

“

Our study found that breakfast consumption, i.e. the number of days students consume breakfast per week, has a positive effect on their self-reported GPA. Students who had breakfast on at least five days per week reported a significantly higher GPA than students who had breakfast on three days or fewer. However, there are other factors, such as sleep habits and hours worked, that may have a greater positive or negative influence on student grades than eating breakfast. Fast food consumption, on the other hand, has a negative effect on student achievement. Students who had fast food at least seven times in the past week reported significantly lower current GPAs than students who had eaten fast food less than four times or not at all.

”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): "Data from the 2019 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) show that students with higher academic grades are more likely to engage in healthy dietary behaviors compared to students with lower grades."

Wilder Research, a nonprofit research and evaluation group, notes: "Recent studies have demonstrated that nutrition affects students’ thinking skills, behavior, and health, all factors that impact academic performance. Research suggests that diets high in trans and saturated fats can negatively impact learning and memory, nutritional deficiencies early in life can affect the cognitive development of school-aged children, and access to nutrition improves students’ cognition, concentration, and energy levels."

Rational Media Board of Director and RationalWiki Moderater User: Spud application to study for a Ph. D. was rejected. Whether or not better nutrition would have made a difference is unknown given that academic performance is the result of many factors such as study habits, intelligence, nutrition, etc. See also: Atheism and academic performance and Atheism and intelligence

Trent Toulouse (one of the founders of the website RationalWiki) and obesity

See also: Atheism and obesity

Two of the major risk factors for becoming obese according to the Mayo Clinic are poor dietary choices and inactivity. According to the Gallup Inc., "Very religious Americans are more likely to practice healthy behaviors than those who are moderately religious or nonreligious."

For more information, please see: Atheism and obesity

Trent Toulouse is one of the founders of the atheist/agnostic/skeptic website RationalWiki. He is also one of the board of trustees of the RationalMedia Foundation.

A picture of an obese Trent Toulouse can be found HERE and HERE.

The RationalWiki website has a significant amount of content criticizing alternative medicine. Its alternative medicine article describes alternative medicine thusly: "Alternative medicine is any medical treatment that is not part of conventional evidence-based medicine, such as one would learn in medical school, nursing school or even paramedic training." Evidence-based medicine strongly indicates that obesity poses significant health risks.

RationalWiki admin Ace McWicked on flouting medical science and living an unhealthy lifestyle that could reduce his longevity

See also: Science denialism and Atheism and medicine and Atheism and life expectancy and Atheism and health

RationalWiki admin Ace McWicked on flouting medical science by living an unhealthy lifestyle which could reduce his longevity and/or cause chronic diseases: "I'm in the office and fee like I am having a heart attack. Pretty sure I walked too quickly while doing an overview of the work-site and smoked too heavily in the process. Or maybe it was the lashings of Jagermeister and mac'n'cheese I had for dinner. Either way not much changes with ol' Ace. Being in my early 40's now I don't feel the need to make any lifestyle changes anymore. I'll just the age happen and see how long I last. I reckon I have another 20 years left." - RationalWiki admin Ace McWicked, May 8, 2023 See also: Atheism and smoking and Atheism and alcoholism and Macaroni and cheese, processed food, and health risks and Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health risks

"I'm in the office and fee like I am having a heart attack. Pretty sure I walked too quickly while doing an overview of the work-site and smoked too heavily in the process. Or maybe it was the lashings of Jagermeister and mac'n'cheese I had for dinner. Either way not much changes with ol' Ace. Being in my early 40's now I don't feel the need to make any lifestyle changes anymore. I'll just the age happen and see how long I last. I reckon I have another 20 years left." - RationalWiki admin Ace McWicked, May 8, 2023

See also: Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health risks and Atheism and life expectancy

RationalWiki User: User:RagingHippie and Stage IV colorectal cancer

On June 9, 2023, RationalWiki User:RagingHippie wrote: "Hey folks. Old guard person here. Been dealing with Stage IV colorectal cancer for a while now."

According to the American Cancer Society one can lower one's risk for getting colerectal cancer by doing the following: "Following a healthy eating pattern that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and that limits or avoids red and processed meats and sugary drinks probably lowers risk."

According to the American Cancer Society:

“

Colorectal cancer risk factors you can change Many lifestyle-related factors have been linked to colorectal cancer. In fact, more than half of all colorectal cancers are linked to risk factors that can be changed. Being overweight or obese If you are overweight or obese (very overweight), your risk of developing and dying from colorectal cancer is higher. Being overweight raises the risk of colon and rectal cancer in people, but the link seems to be stronger in men. Getting to and staying at a healthy weight may help lower your risk. Not being physically active If you're not physically active, you have a greater chance of developing colon cancer. Regular moderate to vigorous physical activity can help lower your risk. Certain types of diets A diet that's high in red meats (such as beef, pork, lamb, or liver) and processed meats (like hot dogs and some luncheon meats) raises your colorectal cancer risk. Cooking meats at very high temperatures (frying, broiling, or grilling) creates chemicals that might raise your cancer risk. It’s not clear how much this might increase your colorectal cancer risk. Having a low blood level of vitamin D may also increase your risk. Following a healthy eating pattern that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and that limits or avoids red and processed meats and sugary drinks probably lowers risk.

”

RationalWiki and evolutionists who have had problems with being overweight and/or obese

See also: Evolutionists who have had problems with being overweight and/or obese

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines biology as "a branch of knowledge that deals with organisms and vital processes." Although the creation vs. evolution issue touches upon a number of scientific fields outside of biology (for example, the field of paleoanthropology), biology is a key scientific field relating to this issue.

As far as the maintenance of personal health, one of the most basic vital processes related to human biology is eating and it is important that it is done in a healthy manner (see: Nutrition and Health risks linked to obesity).

In large part, the RationalWiki website was launched in large measure due to the founders of RationalWiki disliking Conservapedia's evolution article which features many of the numerous flaws and weaknesses of evolutionism. It is ironic that many RationalWikians fail to understand ideas related to applied biology.

For more information, please see: Evolutionists who have had problems with being overweight and/or obese

RationalWiki and its poor leadership

See also: Atheism and leadership and Atheism and social skills and Internet atheism

RationalWiki has a history of having poor leadership (see: RationalWiki and its poor leadership).

On July 14, 2022, during the election process for the RationalMedia Foundation board of directors, RationalWiki users admitted that RationalWikians were offering weak candidates so far.

RationalMedia Foundation board of trustees and the lack of Black representation

See: RationalMedia Foundation board of trustees and the lack of Black representation

Christianity is experiencing explosive growth in Africa. See: Religion and Africa

The RationalMedia Foundation's board of trustees does not have a single Black board member.

In 2005, there were four times as many non-Western World Christians as there were Western World Christians.

The traditional African diet is healthier than many Western World invividuals' diets and Africa has some of the lowest obesity rates in the world. In recent years, Christianity has seen a rapid growth in Africa. See: Religion and Africa and Global atheism and Atheist population

For more information, please see: Atheism and obesity

Secular Europe and the consumption of unhealthy ultra-processed food

See also: Secular Europe and the consumption of unhealthy ultra-processed food and Europe and cancer and Atheism and cancer

The World Health Organization declares concerning secular Europe: "Europe comprises only one eighth of the total world population but has around one quarter of the global total of cancer cases with some 3.7 million new patients per year."

See also: Europe and cancer and Atheism and cancer

From a global perspective, Europe is more secular/atheistic than the rest of the world although it does have a considerable amount of religious immigrants who have higher birth rates (see: Secular Europe and Atheist population and Global atheism).

According to numerous peer-reviewed medical science journals, ultra-processed food (often called merely processed food by laymen and others) poses numerous, serious health risks. PubMed has over 1,800 medical journal articles related to the health risks of ultra-processed/processed food.

The article Ultra-processed foods: an EU health crisis published at the Health Europa website indicates:

“

Many European countries have seen a dramatic increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods in recent decades, with research estimating that these food products contribute to up to half of total daily energy intake. Ultra-processed foods often go through multiple processes and modifications prior to consumption and have a high content of saturated fat, added sugar, and salt. Studies have demonstrated a link between ultra-processed food consumption and a range of chronic digestive diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver cancer, and colorectal cancer. In addition, a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet is associated with a >10% increase in risk of all cancers.

”

The World Health Organization declares concerning Europe: "Europe comprises only one eighth of the total world population but has around one quarter of the global total of cancer cases with some 3.7 million new patients per year." The Parliament Magazine website indicates about Europe and cancer: "It remains the second leading cause of death in the EU and poses an ever-increasing burden on European societies and health care systems." See also: Europe and cancer and Atheism and cancer

Denmark, France and Australia have significantly higher rates of individuals holding to an atheistic worldview (see also: Irreligion in Denmark and French atheism and Irreligion in Australia). According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, Denmark, France and Australia have the three highest per capita cancer rates in the world.

See also

• Atheism and obesity
• Evolutionists who have had problems with being overweight and/or obese
• Dietary practices of atheists
• Atheism and food science
• Atheism and health
• Nutritional science
• Atheism and culinary science
• Atheism, culinary arts, inspiration, innovation and food science
• Atheism and leadership
• Joe Biden's frequent ice cream and junk food consumption, ultra-processed food and cognitive decline]]
• Carbohydrates and brain function

Other RationalWiki leaders:

• LeftyGreenMario
• GrammarCommie

Essay:

• If one follows the general spirit of RationalWiki's dietary advice and other advice, one will shave years off of one's life

Humor:

• Darth Dietician: RationalWikians, I find your lack of trust in nutritional science disturbing.

External links

• How ultra-processed food harms your health and how to fix the problem, New Scientist, April 26, 2023
• Ultra-Processed Foods May Lead To Cognitive Decline, Neuroscience News, 2023