Links + Thoughts
Another edition of things I've read and thoughts I've had that you might enjoy reading about, too
Links:
Food allergies are so fascinating and complicated, but this article paints and interesting story of what can happen when we rush the process of proving or disproving certain interventions. Following expert opinion rather than influencers spouting off about “cutting edge research” can help ensure that you aren’t putting the cart before the horse in terms of health changes. Unfortunately, in the case of allergies, we didn’t put enough research into the recommendation before passing it along to the public and it has likely impacted the development of many, many food allergies in kids.
Being kind and flexible with ourselves can have positive impacts on our behavior change. If you notice yourself fearing that you will be “lazy” or “unproductive” if you are self-compassionate be assured that research shows the opposite!
I don’t know that I can fully explain it, but headlines like this bug me. You guys. Vitamin C is a pretty ubiquitous vitamin with not many of us having a deficiency. Eating a couple fruits and veggies per day is pretty much guaranteed to help you reach the minimum recommended intake each day. Citrus fruits, peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, cruciferous veg, and kiwi are all great sources of the micronutrient and one is not superior to the other. Even fruit snacks, juice, and some sodas have citric acid (vitamin C) added as both a vitamin supplement and preservative. Unless you are not eating fruits and vegetables, you do not need a vitamin C supplement. You simply pee out any excess vitamin C beyond what your body needs.
When we find ourselves caught in the desire to justify commenting on somebody’s body out of concern, I think this article does a good job of explaining that… it might be two things. One - concern. Genuine concern and an acknowledgement that seeing a visibly unwell person can be jarring and upsetting. You hope for their wellbeing. You hope that others can see the concerning aspects of a body that is unwell and underweight. AND we as a society are obsessed with thinness, so there is probably some diet culture or “anti” diet culture impacted your level of concern.
It makes sense to care about our bodies, our looks, and whether we have worth under diet culture’s rule. It also isn’t going to bring us the joy and comfort that we are looking for. Another absolute gem from
.We are in the midst of a huge push against highly processed foods, convenience foods, and some of the main sources of nutrition in low income communities. While there are so many different reasons that ultra-processed foods are a necessary and helpful part of our food landscape, they are potentially a larger part of our food system than they need to be in part because of food desserts and lack of access to high quality grocery stores. More on that below.
And, as always, be vigilant out there when it comes to nutrition information. Not all people with a large platform are giving out helpful information.
Thoughts:
I’m getting a lot more questions about processed foods, sugar, and fear of eating “too much” or hurting ourselves. I’m planning to go through the current trendy study in a video soon (for paid subscribers!) but just know that the complicated intersection of politics, food norms, and food availability means that we have a lot of unweaving to do before we can get anything straight in our food system and health outcomes. We can’t really determine if ultra-processed foods are truly the culprit behind growing rates of illness because oftentimes there are other significant factors at play like poverty, stress, discrimination, and more. No, processed food would ideally not be the primary source of calories in our diet, but eating some processed foods is not going to be the death of us all. Please talk to an RD if you want more information on your personal situation!
I’m going on a big trip at the end of this month and one of my hobbies is making itineraries and planning trips. Would you be interested to see some of that side of my life? Or should I stick to food and health?
If you’re noticing an urge to slow down in these winter months, give yourself some grace to do so! We are one of the few animals in the world that doesn’t have a plan for how to rest through the winter. I remind myself of that every time I feel particularly sluggish when I feel that I’m supposed to be productive. Rest is okay - you aren’t a worse person for needing rest.
I’ve been, maybe weirdly, into buying the iceberg salad mix from the grocery store. The one with like carrot sticks and a little purple cabbage. Then I get some cheap, simple Italian dressing and, I do think it might be nostalgia speaking, it is perfect. It’s like I needed permission to eat a salad that doesn’t involve really any prep time? I don’t know. I didn’t think that was a thing I needed, but here we are feeling really attached to iceberg lettuce and Italian dressing as if it has changed my life.
How are you feeling about your balance of work, rest, and play time? Toward the end of December, I was feeling good on work and rest, but without enough time dedicated to purely enjoyable hobbies. Here are some things I’m wanting to do more of in 2025:
I joined a ceramics studio here in STL and am trying to go around once per week - although I’m off to a slow start since we just had a crazy snow storm and I’m traveling a bit the second half of the month.
I want to re-start semi-regular yoga in studio and at home.
I have a goal to renovate one room in my house this year and want to use some fun colors and learn some new skills to get it done with no outside help.
I was gifted a learn to crochet kit for Christmas and would love to see whether I take to that hobby or not!
My thoughts are with California this week, as well. Taking action, even small, can help you feel better about the state of things. Here are some resources in case you have the means to support financially.