On why we eat the Wrong Foods. (I think I find most frightening that so many were surprised by what the junk food article has to say: Namely, that the food business is about Selling Food. Any (quasi-)nutritional considerations are due to their ability to Sell More Food.) On what happens when we Stop Eating Enough of the right foods. On Darkness and its very practical place in our lives (with perhaps an opportunity for a Holy Week discipline/penance/fast). And a trailer for a documentary about a man who is touching – and changing – lives.
::The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food (New York Times)
“Dichter suggested that Frito-Lay avoid using the word ‘fried’ in referring to its chips and adopt instead the more healthful-sounding term ‘toasted.’ To counteract the ‘fear of letting oneself go,’ he suggested repacking the chips into smaller bags. ‘The more-anxious consumers, the ones who have the deepest fears about their capacity to control their appetite, will tend to sense the function of the new pack and select it,’ he said.”
::Is It Adrenal Fatigue? Or Starvation? (Cheeseslave)
“Researchers compared the students’ restrictive eating patterns and their physical and psychological symptoms with those experienced by the subjects of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. They found that what is considered ‘normal dieting’ is closely associated with the established health ramifications of semi-starvation. In other words, these young people who were voluntarily restricting their eating were experiencing the same symptoms as the subjects of the Starvation Experiment. The list of symptoms associated with starvation is strikingly similar to lists of symptoms I’ve found on various websites selling adrenal fatigue treatments.”
::On Lent, Desserts, and Satisfaction (…to Love, Honor, and Vacuum)
“I don’t actually crave the sweet stuff when I’m full, after I’ve just had a good meal. I only crave it when I haven’t been treating my body well. Maybe I’m thirsty, or I haven’t eaten well that day, or I haven’t been bothered to make a nice lunch. During Lent, then, one thing that God’s been helping me to see is that taking better care of myself is an important thing. Being disciplined about eating well, and throughout the day, helps me be more productive and more at peace. And when I can’t reach for the chocolate, I want to try to minimize those temptations as much as I can! But there’s something else that’s deeper, that’s really what I’ve been thinking about . . .”
::How Artificial Light is Wrecking Your Sleep, and What to Do About It or Because My Dad Needs More Interesting Eyewear (Chris Kresser)
“Normal room light alone is enough to suppress melatonin at night, and unless you’re shutting off all the lights in your house when the sun sets, you’re still at risk for disrupting your melatonin-driven circadian rhythms. While f.lux is a useful tool for your backlit devices, it’s nearly impossible to address all sources of melatonin-suppressing light in today’s world of modern technology and late-night work and entertainment habits. Amber-colored goggles are one of the only tools available to completely eliminate all blue light exposure at night, without ‘going off the grid’ and powering down your entire house after 7 PM.”
::Darkness, At Least (Barefoot and Pregnant)
“So for Lent this year, I’m just going to turn everything off when the sun goes down. Candles only, with the small concessions of a dim light in the kitchen so we don’t break our necks on Legos and small reading-lights so I don’t go blind if I decide to read instead of stare blankly at the black computer screen. Yeah, that’s right. Electronics are included in that. Even my phone. It isn’t a total ban on anything. I can’t do that this year. I can’t do much, really, so I’m giving God the only sacrifice I can and hoping he’ll be with us in the darkness.”
::Schedules and hard stops (Conversion Diary, Jan. 2008)
“Life before modern technology was full of hard stops: the work day ended at sunset — if you didn’t finish laundry during the day there was no going back outside to the washboard at 9:00 at night; the work day began at dawn — if you got breakfast on the table an hour late that was precious time cut out of you and your family’s very finite workday; even finances had hard stops — when you spent your last dollar there were no tempting ‘0% interest for six months!’ credit card offers waiting in your mailbox. And with a life full of hard stops, even the most disorganized, scattered people must have been forced to have some kind of routine, and to limit their to-do lists.”
::The Drop Box – A new documentary on orphan care (The Gospel Coalition)
“In December 2009, a Korean pastor named Lee Jong-rak built a wooden ‘drop box’ on the outer wall of his home. But the box wasn’t intended for clothing, food, or school supplies, it was meant to collect unwanted babies.”