Ask Adam: Is diet soda bad? Why do Westerners use forks? Adam's 'explaining' voice? (PODCAST E16)

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00:20 Is diet soda bad for you?
26:55 Why do Westerners use forks?
39:38 What's up with your "explaining" voice?

[@terrisilvers]

I remember hearing of a study that determined that children who have a night light grow up to be near-sighted. after re-examining the data it was decided that, in fact, near-sited parents use night lights so they don't fall over in the dark, and near-sighted parents have near-sighted children.

[@SilverDragonJay]

an excellent example of "correlation doesn't equal causation". Though my favorite is still ice cream sales and shark attacks.

[@insertdeadmeme]

However, research suggests the culprit for the epidemic of nearsightedness is not spending enough time outside. This correlation was often interpreted as "spending time outside => focusing on objects far away => not being nearsighted" but now there is another hypothesis that is widely accepted : The eyeball needs dopamine to stop growing. It synthesizes dopamine from receiving lots of light which is impossible when not spending time outside so the eyeball keeps growing and growing, giving you myopia. Also : using personal experience to prove a point is everything but scientific (looking at you, Fox D 👀)

[@kevinbarnard355]

@@SimuLord Eh, you might still have amazing vision. Cats are notorious at setting traps for you to trip over. I wouldn't be surprised if your GF's cat is out to get you or at least make you look like a fool in front of her. ;-)

[@Rig0r_M0rtis]

@@SilverDragonJay My favourite one is global warming and piracy

[@grabble7605]

@@SilverDragonJay ...You can't just say "ice cream sales and shark attacks" then leave like that's a normal thing.

[@garaj1]

No lie, I seriously thought that clip of Adam's earliest reporting was a text-to-speech program. Really impressive how far he's come since then

[@taiiat0]

i thought the same thing. Microsoft Ragusea.

[@Jarrettmonty99]

What's weird is how "NPR" it actually sounds. If I had heard that on NPR I wouldn't have thought any different. I don't if it's a particular filter they run the voices through or what, but everything on NPR sounds extremely monotone and relaxing, but at the same time, without emphasis, I feel it's terrible for actually communicating.

[@PirateImpact]

@@Jarrettmonty99 wait what

[@edwardwong654]

@@Jarrettmonty99 I am curious if your comment stems from whether or not you knew that Adam used to work for NPR? Anyway, I actually like Adam's voice in his initial broadcast.

[@Jarrettmonty99]

@@edwardwong654 Not sure which you mean, but I did not know up until this video that he worked for NPR, but I have previously listened to NPR on occasion, and I think that Adam's NPR voice fits the typical NPR voice. Which is not a bad thing, I like the sound, but it's helpful to get a dynamic range of voice to place emphasis, which I think is a little lacking. Would you agree?

[@marymetzler2705]

NO NO NO Do not brush your teeth right after drinking soda! The (carbonic) acid in the soda softens your enamel and it can be worn away by the action of brushing. Always wait half an hour for your mouth pH to return to neutral before brushing. This actually applies to eating in general, since so many foods are acidic. Adam, I love your podcasts but I am being emphatic here to get your attention, thanks and keep up the good work.

[@IsaVarg]

After having an insane soda drinking habit in my teens, I've been told this by every single dentist I've been to since. Wait at least half an hour before brushing your teeth (I wait an hour, usually), and preferably have something alkaline like milk after ingesting something acidic.

[@apteropith]

it's a pretty important detail, really a detail which school-teachers (and most other sources of childhood doctrine) for decades have been contradicting based on nothing more than "authoritative inertia", and probably also the concept of "discipline" which has annoyed me a lot since i learned this rather thankful i never listened to them and just brushed my teeth before and after bed, most days

[@paulblichmann2791]

Also a lot of beers have citric acid in them, especially "microbrews" who use it to clean their lines and if it ends up in the drink "it's safe and flavorless" so they use way too much "to be safe"

[@blookarakal4417]

Specifically cola is even worse since it very often also contains phosphoric acid

[@BillMcGirr]

There’s a thing called milk. Drink enough of it and your teeth and bones will thank you for it.👍

[@mikeoswald8053]

Adam, your bit on "explaining voice" was excellent. In high school 60+ years ago, my teacher in communications prepared us to do our weekly radio show by bringing up those exact points and demonstrations. I was able to use those techniques to good advantage in my own presentations to students, meetings or audiences over the years. Great info for the present group that seem to end each sentence with a question in their voice.

[@steven4966]

Could you share a time stamp? Thank you!

[@barongerhardt]

I absolutely despise the question at the end of every statement. I dream of the day that I communicate with someone under 30 and don't have to ask, "are you asking me, or telling me?"

[@tanmantacomama8851]

He sounded a bit like Mike Rowe.

[@nathanbrisebois8756]

​@@barongerhardt Not exactly related, but Canadians have a specific accent known as the Canadian Rise. Typically, most Canadians, for whatever reason largely have upward inflections at the end of sentences and statements, EXCEPT the final statement, which usually has a downward inflection, signalling the end of your dialogue and opening the floor to the other person. The California Valley Girl upward inflection thing is incredibly annoying though lol

[@tylerrose4416]

The whole bit with the “explaining voice” was so eye opening. I naturally have a very quiet voice, and when you compound it with background noise and the natural trailing off we do, a lot of information I think I’m communicating to people gets lost. I never thought about it like that. Thank you

[@goosebill9505]

Nice pfp

[@prodevus]

Absolutely. And people will generally pretend to hear you even if they don't. You might be the cleverest verbalist around but without a proper delivery nobody will know.

[@Emzedoh]

From Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose, a novel set in a medieval monastery: "The abbot made us taste (reserved for his table) the chicken I had seen being prepared in the kitchen. I saw that he also possessed a metal fork, a great rarity, whose form reminded me of my master’s glasses. A man of noble extraction, our host did not want to soil his hands with food, and indeed offered us his implement, at least to take the meat from the large plate and put it in our bowls. I refused, but I saw that William accepted gladly and made nonchalant use of that instrument of great gentlemen, perhaps to show the abbot that not all Franciscans were men of scant education or humble birth."

[@TylerJMacDonald]

I just read that book! Never expected to see it in a comment here lol

[@Phillpak]

Adam, could you kindly do a video about energy drinks? Particularly sugar free energy drinks?

[@Inapainting]

that would be a dumb video

[@happyblt624]

@@Inapainting no it wouldnt i love bangs

[@Crowbars2]

He's already done a similar video on MSG, and I think a lot of the points people bring up with MSG are very similar to the ones they bring up for artificial sweetners. They're not completely safe, nor completely bad. But if consumed as part of a healthy, balanced diet, you can mitigate any and all risks.

[@oliver6287]

Pre workout is the way to go

[@maenad1231]

Monster Zero still isn’t healthy if that’s what you’re asking

[@pedroarjona6996]

There is a 1990's study of, I believe Splenda, that discovered that rats drinking Diet Soda has an enormous Cancer risk. After publishing the study, other scientists reviewing it noticed that the study has been made over a breed of rats specially selected for be extremely cancer prone, (they were specially breed for test cancer treatments, you need a reliable source of diseased rats for that), while the control group has been formed for a basic breed of lab rats.

[@tempesttube]

Are you talking about saccharine? There were studies in the 1970s that reported that saccharine caused cancer in lab rats and mice and was a possible carcinogen to humans. Since lab rats and mice are used as analogues for humans, the warning made sense. It was later found that the way it caused cancer in mice and rats was not possible in humans. I grew up with saccharine products (e.g. Sweet’N Low) having a warning that it may cause cancer.

[@pedroarjona6996]

@@tempesttube No, the problem with the 1970's saccharine study was one of dosage, the rats were exposed to an unrealistic amount of saccharine, the equivalent of several hundred grams of pure saccharine a day, and of course in those amounts saccharine is a cancerigen, and tea in equivalent amounts will not give cancer because you will have a heart attack much sooner.

[@jarradtait5322]

so what you telling me is there wasn't a control group.

[@pedroarjona6996]

@@jarradtait5322 No, the control group formally existed, however it was, by accident or by design, genetically very different to the expiremental group in a significant way.

[@jarradtait5322]

@@pedroarjona6996 exactly. it was, by definition, not a control group. It was as much a control group as a strawberry is a car. Some arbitrary subset of people on earth called it a control group but it was not a control group because it didn't control for subject variance. It didn't control anything.

[@emikili]

Regards to brushing your teeth after diet soda, I've generally see the recommendation to avoid brushing your teeth for about 30 minutes after consuming acidic food/drink due to it softening the enamel and making it more vulnerable to damage from the brush.

[@paulblichmann2791]

ITS TRUE you should not brush after eating acid. Which is in most foods. So maybe just floss instead?? I think you can still floss???

[@IsaVarg]

@@paulblichmann2791 Flossing is perfectly fine after eating and drinking something acidic, yes! Brushing is what you should be careful with.

[@nopenope1]

@@IsaVarg unless you want to brush off the yellow and your enamel that is ^^ - have not reached this in the vid, now I'm wondering what Adam said here. edit: oh I was just a minute to it. Oh IMO he got this really wrong, washing your mouth with plain water or something other to help to neutralize the accid faster /or wash it out and help to get it faster. I personally allways wait 45 minutes to brush my teeth after lunch, dinner and due to scheduling issues brush before breakfast. Quick mouth wash afterwards, not ideal...

[@j_bucko567]

I guess that makes sense, its a good idea to have a glass of water after acidic drinks too.

[@loreaver3882]

That’s why I use balsamic vinegar as mouthwash

[@taejaskudva2543]

Re: Indians eating with their hands - this drove me nuts as a kid, but Indians (or at least my parents and our local community) do not debone fish for fish curry. My auntie's curry is to die for - and perhaps literally, if you use utensils instead of fingers, and end up with a bone in your throat.

[@janemcdonald5372]

As a kid, I was taught when eating any fish that once you take a bite you should always use your tongue to check for thing hard in the mouthful (ie bones) before swallowing. I know the description sounds more disgusting than the practice. I just assumed everyone did this.

[@iCarus_A]

In China we almost never debone our fish and we eat them with chopsticks regardless. Is there a reason why "fish curry" might be different from other fish cuisine where deboning via finger is preferable or required over deboning via tongue?

[@Unsensitive]

Type and size of fish matters too. Smaller fish the bones are not an issue, but larger or very bony fish, they can be.

[@1queijocas]

I usually cut the fish into tiny pieces when eating to avoid this problem. Eating with cutlery is not a problem here

[@eomoran]

I’ve never had an issue with eating bony fish. Small fish can be swallowed big fish the bones are apparent

[@sld1776]

I was, at my heaviest, 403 pounds. I've lost nearly 200 pounds on low carb while drinking unholy amounts of diet soda. If you are obese, concentrate on losing the fat. Nothing matter as much.

[@jebbush2527]

You’ve lost a lot more than me but I’ve lost 40lbs (and maintained that loss!) and drink 3-4 a day lmao.

[@sld1776]

@@jebbush2527 "Diet soda slows down fat loss!" Good thing too, otherwise I'd be getting into Justin Bieber territory.

[@jebbush2527]

@@sld1776 I don’t even think it does tbh. Dr Mike Israetel has good content on this. I completely cut almost all caloric liquid intake because of it, and when cutting it briefly satiates me

[@00Anjie]

Same with the switch. Along with other changes, I switched to diet soda and started dropping weight. This is why I call BS on the idea that drinking diet soda causes obesity. Correlation is not the same as causation. Obese people might be the ones who usually drink diet soda, but that's not why they're fat.

[@ScottSherman1]

I used to drink Diet Coke and then Coke Zero as my main drink. Much of 7 years ago I gave up soda. I now drink mostly water and black coffee. I am still fat, but I do feel a bit better. Thanks for all you teach and entertain us with. And I like that I can drink water in a restaurant for free or black coffee for a relatively small cost.

[@scottbutler5]

That bit about trailing off at the ends of sentences is so true. I do editing/post-production on my bother's podcast and much of that is compensating for the fact that so many sentences look like a pizza slice in the waveform, nice and clear and perfect at the beginning and barely distinguishable from the background noise at the end.

[@EbrahimRamzat]

I have discovered your channel two weeks ago and you suddenly became one of my all time favourite video creators. Thank you

[@andyquach3896]

do you know that VPNs will not make your internet private? you can still be tracked even with a VPN through the use of cookies and device fingerprinting. and that also you can still be vulnerable to hackers.

[@ghostratsarah]

It stops ddos attacks, others from seeing your IP address, stop internet providers from spying on you (mostly a problem in Australia and China), and prevent your landlord or hotel (if they provide your internet) from seeing what you're doing. You have to take other precautions to have complete privacy. Use a secure browser in incognito, secure search engines, and use specific phones with a lot of modifications.

[@tautochrone4968]

I'm 30 and when I was 5, hearing Sweating Bullets by Megadeth (the song Adam quotes at the other Adam) from my mom's CD was a life changing moment that lead me down the path to becoming a death metal musician many years later. It was wild to hear say such a vital string of words out of nowhere like that lol

[@isaiahayers1550]

I would love to have someone explain the appeal of death metal to me. I swear I'm not trying to be mean or rude but it doesn't sound like music to me. It seems there are lyrics but they don't sound like they're meant to be understood. There seem to be instruments but they seem to be all blended together and frenetic. I like much of most music including heavy metal, old school hip hop, classic country, a few punk songs, classic rock & roll, R&B, and others. Death metal is the only one that legit sounds like it doesn't even want to be music. Please someone enlighten me.

[@tautochrone4968]

@@isaiahayers1550 Death metal is a process. You have to dip your toes into it. No one listens to death metal for the first time and accepts it. Not even me, someone whose life revolves around it now. I've shown hundreds of people the light over the years. I can understand what death metal singers are saying, I can hear the notes that are being played. They are deliberate, there is no randomness, insane amounts of practice goes into all of it, and the composers for the genre often have to be experts in theory to put things together in a way that sounds correct. Anyone that tries to mock death metal musicians, especially techdeath musicians, rarely manages to do anything but embarrass themselves because it's a highly refined artform. I get told this stuff every single day of my life. Usually I'm outright mocked. But somehow there are millions of people for 45+ years now that can hear the same thing I can, the same beauty that I do. Cannibal Corpse doesn't sell out shows and chart on Bilboard for 30 years as a joke or a meme or "randomness." If I knew you in person, I'd do my best to take you down the path. Like I've said, I've done it a million times before. But really, if you're actually curious, you'll find your way if you want. If you're just rude and trying to make fun of me, well, I guess you got me.

[@tautochrone4968]

@@isaiahayers1550 You might look into a man named Devin Townsend and his corpus of work. That's maybe the best single suggestion I can give you.

[@isaiahayers1550]

@@tautochrone4968 I appreciate you and truly sorry to hear that people can be so shitty to you although I guess I can't be too surprised because...people suck. I highly doubt I'll ever get into death metal but I'll do as you suggest and check it out. Thanks.

[@dmaikibujin]

@@isaiahayers1550 It's basically an acquired taste. Just like coffee. Most of the time the first time you drink it, you think it is terrible and why the hell would anyone want to put that into their body. But the next time you try it your body is a little more accustomed to it, so it's a little more familiar and less of a shocking overload; paired with positive reinforcement (telling your brain that you want to like it), you get over the knee jerk rejection and thus you allow your brain to start detecting nuances you hadn't noticed before. Slowly, over time, not only do you start to like it, you start to have preferences for differences that most others can't even detect. I generally don't like it, I prefer melodic vocals with my metal. It used to be that if there was ever any scream/growling type vocals in a song, I just wouldn't like it. Nowadays as long as it strikes the right balance I can tolerate and sometimes even enjoy it. For a good example check out: JINJER - Pisces (Live Session) | Napalm Records. I really love that song, it strikes a perfect balance for me, there other songs mostly don't (for me). I would also highly recommend watching reaction videos from vocal coaches for this song. First off it's freaking hilarious, but it also gives really good perspectives on the nuance and skill it takes to pull that off. 😁

[@ExtremeBunnyFighter]

It is important to brush your teeth after drinking soda, you just have to wait about 30 minutes before doing so. The acid softens the enamel and the brushing will do more damage than good.

[@paulblichmann2791]

ITS TRUE. I think, but open to evidence, you can still floss???

[@puppieslovies]

@@paulblichmann2791 You should be able to. Floss moves food out of the way instead of being abrasive on the teeth Flossing after every meal is a good habit to have

[@mellie4174]

Please please please watch his explanation about this before commenting. It's in another podcast

[@ExtremeBunnyFighter]

@@mellie4174 I did! Though it does make me kinda shocked by the standard of evidence in dental care

[@roeboatwade]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: always drink soda with a straw.

[@xungnham1388]

I think the reason why you have found success doing a cooking channel or at least what drew me to your content is because you approach the subject like a journalist. The food science explanation is complete down to fundamentals or references. The first few episodes I saw, I literally thought you had a science background, that I was watching a trained scientist that liked to cook. Other cooking channels are hosted by chefs and whatever food science they provide sounds like them repeating pseudoscience.

[@Rudenbehr]

that's what makes his channel gold for me

[@tybirious412]

This is why I watch Adam. This is easily the best cooking youtube channel and the way he explains things is simple and he comes off as wholesome and honest

[@asin8757]

Spot on.

[@Marshbouy]

100%, I totally agree

[@JohnSmith-kw6be]

Man learned so much on this youtube-cast. I think I did start unconsciously imitate Adam's explainer voice and earlier this week it did cross my mind that I somewhat sounded condescending to one of my coworkers. I am glad I watched/listened to this podcast and probably would have to learn to tone down my explainer voice as well.

[@adamhale6672]

I am the one who submitted that question and it was also very eye opening to understand what exactly made it sound so condescending. I jump between casual conversation and instructing fairly often and I've started to catch on to a lot of other who do this and I now understand so much more why I feel the way I do in some situations. It was awesome to have such a thorough answer.

[@TheWetCatFish]

as a teacher - the explaining voice reminds me so much of “the teacher voice” - if I spoke to my colleagues the same way I speak in class it would be considered rude at the least

[@fireincarnation2]

I could tell when i was a child that adults were not giving me basic respect and it bothered me when adults do that.

[@WG1417Gaming]

the "wtf is.." series i think is a bit of a win win, either you already know everything and feel smart for knowing or you learn everything and feel good that you know more now without having to feel like you were called out for being wrong

[@baylinkdashyt]

13:18 The canonical example of this is "800 cans of diet soda *a day*", a study about whether artificial sweetners were carcinogenic. The otherwise safe sodium cyclamates -- an artificial sweetner that actually tastes *good* (Sucaryl) -- are still banned in the use 50 years later, even though they've been since proven safe: you can still buy them in Canada.

[@lunammacula8703]

i'd also like to add the the fork is also just very useful and versatile as a tool on the table. you can 'cut' soft meals (like cake) with the side (better than with a spoon because it's got a curvature) and you can mash things. where i'm from mashing a banana and adding oat flakes to it. or mashing potatoes (or vegetable in general) on your table and adding sauce/butter to it. that might be relevant for fine dining but i wouldn't be surprised if that was a reason why it spread so well to the commoners.

[@nathanbrisebois8756]

I worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years. Alot of times when I had to mix something I'd grab a fork on habit, even though I had mixers, food processors, immersion blenders, whisks, purpose made utensils for mixing, I always defaulted to the fork. People made fun of me but my stuff was always just as or more incorporated than if I'd used another tool 🤷 I think it's a crime to make a Roux with anything other than a fork lol

[@pqrstsma2011]

as a kid, i was often mocked by family (especially my mom) for asking for a spoon while eating every time we'd visit relatives in India.... i've never heard the method of eating with hands being described in such detail though....

[@LC-wv7tz]

Never really drank much soda, diet or otherwise, until the Monster Zeros starting coming out a few years ago. Those things are delicious. I drink 3 or 4 per month usually. Plus now a couple coke zeros here and there. Other than, approximately 75% of my liquid intake is water, 10% black coffee. Then the very occasional beer or glass of milk.

[@Indefatigable]

I guess I am also one of the freaks who prefers the taste of diet sodas, most "regular" sodas are too sweet for me. Caffeine is my main reason for drinking soda though, so I've recently switched to caffeinated sparkling water I've found in various stores near where I live.

[@Jhud69]

Maybe I'm weird but artificial sweeteners taste way too sweet for me actually compared to normal sugar. (Here we use sugar not corn syrup in sodas, so maybe that's a difference - I did have some American sodas that had corn syrup and yeah they do taste much sweeter)

[@alexandersmith4796]

@@Jhud69 I feel like artificial sweeteners on their own taste sweeter than sugar, but I wouldn't say diet sodas taste sweeter to me than regular sodas.

[@thefolder69]

@@Jhud69 I like diet soda and sugar soda about equally, maybe slightly preferring diet soda, but I prefer both very strongly to corn syrup sodas. plain American coke just doesn't taste as good as the cane sugar stuff or the diet stuff.

[@walkingriver6104]

It’s the norm in UK now to just have diet fizzy drinks

[@alsaunders7805]

I get my caffeine the old fashioned way, from coffee. I drink it about half of the day. All artificial and non nutritive sweeteners have a horrible aftertaste to me (including monkfruit and stevia).

[@dogbot55]

Love the new set. Fitting. Maintains the audio sound I prefer from the kitchen as opposed to the previous podcast setup. And hopefully this doesn't need to get torn down after every episode

[@TheFlowersOfNaivety]

Thank you for the diet soda info! I lost 150lbs on keto and maintained my diet Pepsi addiction lol.

[@boesboes6729]

Don't brush your teeth right after drinking a carbonated drink. The carbon makes your teeth vulnerable, so brushing it right after is a bad idea. At least, that's what my dentist told me. She suggested flushing my mouth with water after drinking diet soda, to neutralize the acidity.

[@paulblichmann2791]

Carbonic acid that is... really mild and goes away just as fast as bubbles from a warm soda. It's phosphoric or to a lesser degree, citric acid in the drink that will do damage with brushing.

[@crowonthepowerlines]

I would be looking for a better educated dentist...

[@crowonthepowerlines]

Peer reviewed study or fake.

[@danielhenderson7050]

@@paulblichmann2791 this

[@jmacd8817]

Bzzzzzt. Wrong answer! Turns out the fluoride in your toothpaste is ALSO more soluble, and more available for binding with enamel. Phosphoric acid DOES pose a significant risk to the health of our teeth. It has zero impact on brushing your teeth. (I am not a dentist, but I am an oral care chemist, and have been making toothpastes and teeth whitening gels for 20+ years)

[@thaddeusk]

It's also pretty common to eat food with your hands in the Philippines. Especially rice, though. You'll often have a bowl of water next to your plate that you use to keep your fingers wet, which helps to prevent the rice from sticking to them, or something. I've also been to Moroccan and Ethiopian restaurants where the foods were basically all eaten with your hands, although I'm not as familiar with those cultures.

[@ventarmadness9692]

Continuing my trend of asking that you look into making Curries from different cultures. For example Trinidadian style curry or Jamaican

[@xx_underoosyt_xx3127]

Or sonic the hedgehog curry

[@0k0sMrHazard]

Jamaican chicken curry would be a nice one. Or some other Jamaican food.

[@ventarmadness9692]

@@0k0sMrHazard i just feel theres a world of curry that food youtubers dont explore theres so much more than just indian styles as a guy of trini descent itd be great to see more food tubers acknowledge other cultures curries

[@0k0sMrHazard]

@@ventarmadness9692 agreed my friend. Curry is such a diverse and multinational dish.

[@estherpettigrew3042]

As an online Microsoft and Google instructor who recently got a chance to listen to one of my recorded classes, I’m so glad that I’m not weird or broken for trailing off at the ends of my sentences. I’m just a normal human being who needs to learn a new skill for a new environment/technology that wasn’t part of my daily life before. And I think everyone who wants some sort of audio/video career online could benefit from some theatre/broadcasting classes.

[@rafaelmonteirorodrigues4672]

I'm currently finishing the last draft of my dissertation before I submit it to evaluation and oh boy, over the last say, 100 hours I've worked on it I've listened to nearly as many hours of Adam Ragusea talking about stuff.

[@ExKiwi-yw8er]

I personally feel as though diet pepsi products embrace the artificial sweetener, instead of masking it. I love that horrible, acrid chemical flavor. Always tasted better to me than the actual normal soda.

[@paulamitchell880]

I prefer soda with natural sugar cane sugar. Even the corn syrup has a nasty aftertaste. Homemade gingerbeer is a favorite 😍

[@jerrywheyland7324]

Idk, I prefer Pepsi0 over Coke0 any day. Don't taste anything horrible about it either :d Just can't mix drinks with them (either)... that's always disgusting for some reason.

[@Unsensitive]

Omg my wife did that for years after we were married. She would know I was doing something wrong, and would let me f*** it up versus tell me I'm doing it wrong. I informed her MULTIPLE time, I'd rather be told I'm wrong and be correct afterwards then be permitted to screw things up.

[@joeb4294]

The issue that I have heard of with most artificial sweeteners is that they don't really fool the body's desire for sugar - so people end up overeating even more when they rely on artificial sweeteners. I've also heard that sucralose is bad for gut bacteria. Ultimately, we should all just drink more plain water.

[@slipplays9502]

Couldn't you say the same about water then? I think weight gain is caused primarily by bad decisions. People have a diet drink and "compensate" by having more (presumably) fast food

[@joeb4294]

@@slipplays9502 No, water can be used to satiate and hold off hunger. Sometimes people eat food when they are actually just thirsty. Drinking water when the feeling of hunger arises is a good habit to help minimize unnecessary feeding. You are correct that weight gain is primarily bad decisions and really it's repeated bad decisions, i.e., bad habits.

[@slipplays9502]

@@joeb4294 Yeah but to that point that water is filling, sodas are too, if not more so due to carbonation. Soda is after all mostly water -- about 90%

[@joeb4294]

@@slipplays9502 Every beverage that humans drink is primarily water. Whole milk is 87% water, skim milk is 95% water. Sugary sodas are 90% water and zero-calorie soda can be as much as 99% water. That does not mean that these drinks are just as good as pure water though because they may contain extra stuff that counteracts hydration, like fructose, caffeine, and/or alcohol. The other compounds in these drinks can affect other bodily processes too. There is no substitute for plain water.

[@raspernor11]

I truly love your background, Adam! :D I'm sorry you don't like me getting your pod through KZbin and a video feed, but I don't like what skipping your videos does to my KZbin recommendations, I want to keep you at the top of my list. I'm sorry about the work and headache it has caused you lately, but this is very pleasant. For what it's worth, I'd have watched you even if you recorded in an echo-filled, disgusting alley, I love your content. Thank you so much for your good work.

[@AzathothNyxkind]

In the U.K. we have ‘Pepsi Max’ and that’s the one for me. Can’t stand either the “Diet” or the “Zero” colas. But the “Max” taste is great.

[@KajoTTV]

Yup same here in Finland its the bomb. Better than regular pepsi and other colas

[@TheVleckChannel]

Can confirm Max is the bomb.

[@meko98743]

Corporate needs you to find the difference between these two pictures...

[@AntimatePcCustom]

funny enough. if i drink cola diet, or pepsi max. i often get migrane. but cola zero and off brand diet is fine. except diet raspberry soda.

[@Keykhosrau]

It's just tastes "max".

[@uptown3636]

Just wanted to leave a comment supporting the pod. Love this format for Adam's insights and opinions.

[@kyberknight]

For Conrad: Your Country, Singapore, has a huge Indian population with a decently sized Indian district with many restaurants, temples, merchandise, and housing areas. I used to work for the US Navy and have visited them previously. I'm curious, wouldn't it be very easy to go to these locations to satisfy your curiosity?

[@willm5966]

I came over from the podcast app just to confirm that you are correct good sir. I listen to your podcast while mowing. Thanks for the tidy yard Adam! 😂

[@soniashapiro4827]

I love all the things big data could do. I wish we were doing them.

[@swedneck]

how about we analyze your purchases and conclude that you're pregnant instead?

[@Naegimaggu]

16:56 I remember my dentist saying that you should definitely not wash your teeth immeadiately after eating, especially if it's acidic, because apparently the low pH predisposes the teeth enamel to damage by mechanical abrasion. Hence, you also should wash your teeth in the morning BEFORE you eat, not afterwards. I tried to do a little bit due diligence and googled this study: (Susceptibility of acid-softened enamel to mechanical wear--ultrasonication versus toothbrushing abrasion, A Wiegand etc. 2007) maybe Dr. Ragusea can dig up something more on this if interested.

[@rpy9wyvbuerdopvpoe7blt77]

I don't know if this is something just in my family or just in my culture (Cuban) but I grew up being taught that the fork was the "adult" utensil, meaning that when you're a kid you use a spoon as your primary utensil but at some point you graduate to using a fork as you're primary utensil. I'm still caught off guard when I see one of my friends choosing to eat a meal with a spoon.

[@anyascelticcreations]

I guess I kind of feel that way, too. Though I never really realized that I think of it that way.

[@alsaunders7805]

I must have never grown up. I am 59 and a large spoon has always been my primary utensil. A fork is for stabbing meat and pushing food onto the spoon. 🤓🍻

[@FairMiles]

A fork is more dangerous to a small kid (face/mouth) than a spoon. Adults will usually provide a kid with food in adequate sizes (or allow them to eat with their hands otherwise) so the use of pointy forks can be delayed until the appropriate motor skills develop. [sorry if you already knew all that! 😉 ]

[@puppieslovies]

I've never heard of anything like that. I can't even imagine eating ice cream, soup, or yogurt with a fork That sounds like torture

[@ThreadBomb]

I think I used a fork from a relatively young age, and somehow managed to not stab my face with it.

[@elcidgaming]

45:12 To quote our late English professor (Editg Buñag) she was great: "Don't die out at the end of your sentence!!!". "Don't enunciate the end of a statement! You're making it sound like a question!"

[@felio_]

Man, Adam was tired of bringing the studio to the kitchen so Laurent brought the kitchen to the studio... good job! I will keep using KZbin for your podcast, though... hahaha

[@just83542]

she chose the wallpaper to reflect how grating she finds his explainer voice. or he's got one for cheese, one for veg, and one for knuckles.

[@Create_o_raptor]

A video on the best low cal sugar substitute to use in different applications would be good

[@basilmemories]

the whole "oh these sweeter-replacements are BAD for you really"-trolling i get sometimes makes me (lovingly and metaphorically) grab said friend/family member by the collar and remind them that I'M A FRIGGIN DIABETIC. It's not that I believe in Big Diet, it's that I would like to enjoy a sweet-tasting thing once in awhile without worrying that i'm going to need a trip to the hospital. This is further compounded when I have to remind them that even "normal" foods break down into sugars and i'm one overly-seasoning-salted dish away from a spiked bloodstream. For god's sake when i went to the fair and got a lemonade because that was the only option that wasn't alcoholic (because! diabetes drugs make alcohol effects worse and i was hot) I ended up in the first aid tent with a blood sugar of 236 and the med tech asking me if i drank hummingbird food or something. so please dear sweet baby unholy goat-god of the underrealm, stop scoffing when i ask for a "diet" drink. I know I'm fat, my pants size and a mirror are evidence enough, that's not why i'm drinking it. I'm drinking it because I don't want to live on water, unsweetened tea, and bitter black coffee for the rest of my cursed life.

[@mellie4174]

Sending hugs!

[@silverplug]

I was with you until you dissed tea. It is the drink of gods, and your lack of appreciation is noted and reviled by them.

[@glitchedoom]

@@silverplug Depends on the tea, really. I wouldn't wish unsweetened Lipton to my worst enemy.

[@ilesalmo7724]

I read from somewhere that introduction of silverware to the dinner-table changed our jaw-line from underbite to overbite. Before that, people had to spend lots more time masticating their food, which made for stronger jaws. Archeologists can see if the skulls they find belonged to someone eating with knife/fork. This is purely conjecture by me, but I think this may partially be why there's an old stereotype that nobility had weak jaws. At first only they were rich enough to afford utensils.

[@AllTheArtsy]

Thank you very much for (not) explaining that billions of people in advanced societies also still eat with their hands. Eating with your hands is common not just in South Asia, but also Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, Africa and Southern America.

[@davidwong656]

Weird thing is I dont live near any of those places and I think its the superior way to eat, it's just pleasurable to me. Growing up I'd have to sneak eat rice with my hands cause I'd get told off, but it's just so fun.

[@RhettShull]

Getting used to talking and hearing my voice on camera is one of the harder things I’ve had to do. It just takes time and repetition.

[@ProGamerCarnegies]

Repetition legitimizes

[@coatMVs]

hey adam! love the new background and the podcast in general you actually talk about interesting things and i learn a lot from you, keep up the good work my man!

[@mcfarvo]

Yo, Adam, I was straining my homemade chicken broth and tidying up the kitchen while listening to you this time around. The audio levels and your enunciation were fine.

[@ThatGuyNamedMatthew]

Your talk about the potential issues in studies: observational vs experimental, sampling, interpretation of findings, etc reminded me of something a professor once told me. "Be careful when you hear that something kills cancer in a petri dish, because so does a gun."

[@robertreid2241]

To your point about being corrected on squat form - the best way to get someone to tell you how to do something correctly on the internet is not to ask them, but to do it wrong and just let them tell you

[@zeruty]

Am I the only one that has absolutely no sound on this video, while any other video works fine?

[@Op3y]

came to ask this too

[@zeruty]

@@ReptilianLepton that's a good explanation. It's working now

[@purplealice]

When I started as a radio DJ in 1967, I used to go into the bathroom and scream until I was slightly hoarse, because my voice sounded unpleasantly shrill to me. My singing coach told me not to do that, because i would injure my vocal cords. So I stopped.

[@MorteoLX]

I'm allergic to Aspartame, the sweetening agent commonly known at NutraSweet. I will go into anaphylaxis (the swelling and closing of the throat) if I consume this. Oddly enough, I can't taste it either. Back when this compound was thought to cause cancer it was taken out of processed foods and replaced with other sweeteners (which I can't really taste but am not allergic to). In recent years its being put back into foods and now I have to read the labels on packaged food, if not avoid them outright.

[@adanactnomew7085]

Kinda cool because it's like a superpower that your body can detect a specific chemical

[@rosezingleman5007]

Probably because you’re not able to metabolize it. I react the same way to several common substances and posed the same question to a Mayo Rochester immunologist. He pointed to my CYP450 genetic print out for the explanation.

[@andehhhhhhh]

Phenylketonuria?

[@MorteoLX]

@@andehhhhhhh No, that's a genetic metabolic disorder, not the same as an alergy

[@alan2here]

Your old radio show voice sounds more like the narrator for unabridged Greg Egan novels than you now do. :)

[@edwinholcombe2741]

As a Californian, I know very little about Georgia so it is very interesting for you to tell us about it. I think I would like the "Carpet" area who voted in Marjorie Taylor Green. Please keep her in office.

[@purplealice]

as Joe Walsh sang, "Everything gives you cancer - ther'es no cure and there's no answer"

[@paulblichmann2791]

Most people already have cancer and don't even know it bc it's asymptomatic until they are old as dirt anyways.

[@itsROMPERS...]

That was Joe Jackson.

[@mortarion9787]

I hate how sugary drinks almost steal your mind away, i was also a big sprite lover, i used to say "oh its so low in sugar it doesnt affect me" but calories always add up and its definitely not healthy. Until i switched back to only water, cold water and more water i couldnt tell how much better it makes you feel to not have sugar water as your primary hydration source

[@joekeny]

On the whole diet soda thing. I started using Noom during the end of February 2022. Since then I have gone from 269 pounds to 210 pounds. I drink a zero sugar soda almost every day, sometimes twice a day. I think the biggest link between obesity and diet soda is the fact that people are already eating unhealthily like you were saying. If I was still eating the way I was before, but just changed from regular soda to diet soda, I'd still be 270+ pounds.

[@TNinja0]

In Thailand, we have mix of table eating tools. For certain dishes like sticky rice, we eat them with our fingers. Noodle based dishes makes use of sticks and spoon. The rest is eaten with spoon. Forks are... rarely used

[@kuzurame]

Adam is a megadeth fan. That brought a smile to my face.

[@jessip8654]

I gave up diet soda because it did sweet F all to help me lose weight. In fact I've gained. Who knows why, could've been for any of the reasons listed in the podcast. And yeah, as the video mentioned all these studies have to be taken with a massive grain of salt, as we all know Big Soda has its knee in the back of the government and every research facility that even thinks about looking into the potential damage soda could cause. Decades from now we'll probably look back in horror at all the shady stuff they pull.

[@FunkyHonkyCDXX]

My great grandfather lost an arm in an industrial accident, so he actually made a set of silverware for himself where both the fork and the spoon had a sharp edge on it. It's a shame he didn't have a spork that he could do that to because then he'd have a 1 handed tool that could do everything.

[@FunkyHonkyCDXX]

Just mentioned this to my mom, and she informed me that he in fact made his own spork. Clever guy

[@CMO__]

Wow, dude. 54:30... nailed it! I've never heard this aspect of myself described out loud.

[@Shirtdust]

I absolutely love these podcasts. Thank you for doing them regularly, its always something to look forward to!

[@GothVampiress]

i've always really enjoyed eating south asian food with my hands (though usually putting the curry-rice mixture in a piece of flatbread to keep cleaner) but it's also, i feel, totally necessary to the experience. not because of the whole spices, but because my curry meat of choice is goat, which is nearly always served on the bone at indian-american restraunts. i'd much rather debone the meat in my hands and eat the whole package together than spit the bone out.

[@gaminawulfsdottir3253]

This applies to Ethiopian food, as well -- which I particularly love.

[@Jhud69]

Indian food eaten with hands just tastes better in general as well, imo.

[@ubqtous]

I didn't realize how wonderfully entertaining your pods were! I admit I skipped all of them until now, where I was doing something tedious and decided to turn on your pod for some background listening. Very happy outcome and hope this inspires you to keep doing more.

[@Dan964917]

As a frequent forgetful camper I would argue forks are much easier to make than a spoon. A forked small branch makes a great temporary fork and you can make it much quicker than a spoon. Maybe you won't have as durable of a utensil but it's definitely quick!

[@dmaikibujin]

Hmm I was waiting for the part about gut biome and artificial sweeteners, but it never happened. This is the main thing that has put me off artificial sweeteners...

[@JobWClips]

Some literature shows that the gut micro biome can change, but since we know almost nothing about the gut micro biome we can’t really conclude anything. These changes could potentially even be positive, but we just don’t know.

[@LaceNWhisky]

I work in a call center doing tech support. Providing instructions over the phone for (typically non-tech-savvy) users to follow requires that I speak clearly, precisely, and deliberately; and I frequently get bad surveys saying I speak condescendingly, even after calls where I thought I was getting along with my caller. Your elaboration on your "explainer voice" explains a lot about what was probably going on for a lot of my calls. So the follow-up question is how do you curb that effect?

[@Aubreykun]

You're already talking to people who are annoyed and would prefer you do wizardry to fix their issue remotely rather than to have to take instructions that they're likely stressed about performing correctly. So, probably not much.

[@jotatru]

"I will take enlightenment over ignorance every time... most times", loved that.

[@FusionDeveloper]

I'm glad you understand science, experiments, data, observations, etc.

[@Balmorian]

Entirely anecdotally, I am a 52 year old male who has drunk diet mountain dew primarily, or some lesser substitute as needed, almost as my exclusive form of liquid intake since the age of 22 when I discovered I had Type 2 Diabetes. By that time my blood sugar had been rampantly out of control for several years, my teeth had deteriorated and my salivary glands had been badly damaged. I now have so little natural saliva that water washes it away and leaves my mouth terribly dry. I drink soda because it leaves my mouth moist and bearable by comparison. I asked my doctor at the time about diet sodas and the issues I had read about all sorts of terrible consequences of artificial sweeteners. She laughed and said not to worry that the sweetener is merely an amino acid that had been discovered to fool the tastebuds into thinking it was sweet. I have never looked back and after 30 years of constant consumption I can report no negative side effects. TLDR: Not really something to fret about.

[@DrMudarris]

Hi Adam, love your videos. Minor criticism please, can you add chapters to your videos? for example when will the Soda talk end and the fork start??

[@charlescarter3595]

Macon Georgia is ground zero for strange stories, have met many people with bizarre tales after passing through Macon, all of them left as fast as they could to get out of that town.

[@ToTouchAnEmu]

24:01 "bye"

[@cowsaysmoo51]

i was NOT expecting a Glen Fricker reference from you. as soon as you said "mic cuppers" that's who i thought of.

[@johnson1735]

Also, love the discussion about building neural pathways. Repetition makes habit

[@harriet.z]

In my neuro class we called it “neurons that fire together, wire together”. It is one of those things I like to remind myself when I’m training for some skill that are super cool but hella boring in the learning process x)

[@GamesFromSpace]

2 minutes in, Adam's wife hates when he wants a DP.

[@therocknrollmillennial535]

This reminded me of a story. When I was in university, I had an economics professor from South Asia, and he would always abbreviate Diet Coke as DK. So, every time he'd make a point about choice or scarcity, he'd put DP and DK, for Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke, respectively. Needless to say, being a gamer, seeing DP and DK gave me some *odd* visuals that I never asked for and wish I could unsee.

[@oregonsenior4204]

I haven't searched for Adam Ragusea podcasts but damn this is funny & I am looking for them now. Also THAT WALLPAPER. I want that pots 'n' pans wallpaper.

[@ninjarooster9258]

Hey Adam, the lighting of the background is actually great.

[@beadingbusily]

I have epilepsy, and one thing that triggers seizures for me is aspartame, the artificial sweetner. Not everyone with epilepsy, but it happens to me whether I'm aware of having consumed it or not, so I'm extremely cautious.

[@lizh1988]

Makes me run for the bathroom, dizzy spells and sometimes headache. No thanks, diet soda.

[@bradivany7008]

Love the cupping-the-mic bit and the shoutout to Glen. I was not expecting that!

[@Ryan6.022]

Pepsi is also southern it is based in NC

[@StasherDragon]

20:00 It has be studied that the esophagus and/or stomach has its own set of taste buds that can sense sweet, so your body preemptively prepares for the sugar rush, leaving you hungry.

[@sarahhardy8649]

I think in Tudor times they used a kind of two tine fork with their dagger, for carving meat. I wouldn’t put it past them realising that they would rather bring a fork to their mouths than a sharp dagger (I managed to cut my own tongue open with a knife as a child…….don’t ask). Thus they began eating with the carving fork, later more times were added.

[@Lastings]

Dental hygienist here, you can probably just rinse with water after drinking soda and be fine. You're just trying to return your mouth to its normal pH and get whatever food particles off your teeth and gums. Water does that just fine. It is said that brushing immediately after having acidic substances in your mouth is bad for your enamel since it's been weakened by the acid (not actually sure if that's true).

[@necrojoe]

I've come to the realization that sometimes a spoon is better than a fork in some cases, even with non liquid foods. Eating a honey hoisin ground pork and rice bowl? In a bowl with curved sides? A spoon can pick up a whole mouth'sfull of food, and the contour can match the inside shape of the bowl. Most forks have straighter tines and sides, which can't contour to the bowl as well, so you're always leaving behind rice, small bits of meat, thin sliced veg, sesame seeds, etc. A chopped salad in small pieces, or something with hard-to-stab pieces like diced carrot or whole cherry tomatoes? Small peas or corn kernels? So much easier to scoop than stab. So, for me, if the food is served on a plate, I'm more likely to stick with a fork. But for just about anything served in a bowl, I'm much more likely to select a spoon, even for Chinese-style beef and broccoli, fussili, etc. Long noodles or large-leaf salads are two obvious exceptions.

[@dwaynezilla]

Sitting through a recap on what you might already know helps cement it in your mind, especially useful in a world that is quickly changing, and for people who happen to be aging (i.e. everyone)

[@janetmackinnon3411]

Yes, everybody is aging. Old age is a triumph and a privilege, but it's not always a pleasure!

[@tsmcraedy4564]

Your Pinetree County analogy sums up the covid pandemic flawlessly.

[@foureyeswonder]

A fellow Chinese Malaysian here. About your comment on why chopsticks are used in Singapore,my neighbouring country, I think you’re partially right, but something that wasn’t mentioned or potentially considered is the fact that Singapore consists of over 70% of ethnic Chinese people. Similarly to Malaysia, Singapore has a long history of Chinese diasporas, as well as Indian diasporas. It’s still pretty common for Singaporeans and Malaysians of Chinese descent to use chopsticks when eating food, especially noodles. This is based on my anecdotal experience, but what I noticed is that the tradition of using chopsticks is not shared amongst the Malays or Indians in either Singapore or Malaysia. About the habit of eating with hands, it’s actually still common for Malays (in Malaysia, and I assume it’s probably the same in Singapore) to eat with their right hand. Hope this helps expand on the answer to whomever is wants more clarification.

[@diablominero]

I'm not willing to give up the sensation of sweet taste. And whether or not aspartame ends up being harmful, I think there's good evidence that sugar is worse. So in terms of harm reduction, better that I sweeten my morning tea with a packet of Equal than a few teaspoons of sugar.

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

Your oral pH typically returns to neutral about 30 minutes after exposure to simple carbohydrates, but yeah, like one of the other commenters pointed out don't brush your teeth right away. Rather just drink some water to help flush everything away and help to neutralize the pH.

[@Covarr]

Regarding the "taste of water" bit: I highly recommend people who aren't satisfied with the quality of their tap water buy a couple of reusable water jugs (or even 5-gallon jugs if you have the space and money for a water cooler at home) and use the refill stations at your local grocery store. It's a lot cheaper (and more environmentally friendly) than single-serving bottled water or even pre-filled jugs, and they're typically filtered water so the quality is likely to be at least decent. Of course you can also install a filtration system at home, and that's a good option too, but it does mean you have to stay on top of changing your filters as needed. Not a huge deal for some, but that "one more thing to worry about" could be a deal breaker for others.

[@MrDivinity22]

Listened to this (on spotify) on the Munich Underground, so yeah, the noise floor was definitely there :D

[@markc2643]

I used to consume a ton of sugar in my coffee, in soft drinks, and a lot of processed foods. I had gained weight going into my 40's and decided to cut out all the sugar. I started drinking my coffee black, and unsweetened iced tea while cutting soda out completely instead of switching to artificial sweeteners. I lost weight without any other change in my diet enough that my doctor told me I was losing too much weight. I've met quite a few people who have the same story. I think it would be hard to find anyone who lost weight by simply switching to diet soda. Everyone I know who drinks diet soda makes up the calorie loss by eating more calories. The people I know that drink diet soda say they can't stand the taste of unsweetened coffee and tea. What they can't comprehend is that if you drink enough black coffee and unsweetened ice tea, your sense of taste changes and tastes that were bitter to you in the past become so much tastier going forward. 90%+ dark chocolate becomes better tasting to you than milk chocolate. When drinking beer, the higher IBU's the better. I also eat salads without dressing. Can you imagine eating a salad with mixed greens and being able to recognize and enjoy the subtle differences between types of lettuces and field greens?