Crafty Craft Crap

I hope you're reading this with your craft beer in one hand and your craft soda in the other... No, that's a lie. And that's "craft" not "Kraft", even though Kraft had some recent bad publicity re our national US dietitian academy. But yeah, we're covering "craft" food.

Strolled through your supermarket lately and seen craft beer? Maybe craft bread or craft cheese? Or most recently, craft soda? The more 'whole-foods' your supermarket is, the more likely you've seen them.

What the heck is 'craft' anyway?

Good question! I searched, but alas I could not find how the FDA defines 'craft' with relation to food. This leads me to believe there is no legally binding definition. Kind of like other claims commonly used to persuade you to buy food... Like 'natural', or 'wholesome'.

The layman's definition of 'craft food' is something like this: "Food prepared carefully using superior quality ingredients, contrast to fast food". So by that definition, I made craft oatmeal this morning and a craft peanut butter and banana sandwich for lunch, oh and let's not forget that craft omelet with craft sauteed veggies I crafted for dinner.

The other catch word is 'artisan'. Definition: "Traditionally handmade, rural or pastoral goods but are also now commonly made on a larger scale". Thank you wikipedia for that definition.

Marketing

Clever. Makes you think you're special. Makes you think your beer or bread was made just for you. Makes you think your brew was crafted by the artistic, organic hands of Samuel Adams himself, rather than the finance-focused marketing department.

Craft soda or crafty soda? A reality check.

The ingredients in a carbonated beverage: Carbonated water, a sweetener, an acid, spices/flavours.

How do these differ between craft and conventional?

• Craft tends to use 'purified' carbonated water, not just regular carbonated water
• Note: Whoopty-damn-do
• Craft uses real sugar, compared with some large companies who use high fructose corn syrup
• Note #1: Based on the research, my opinion is that sugar is preferable to HFCS
• Note #2: Sugar does not make soda healthy
• Note #3: A multitude of studies implicate soda consumption in obesity, type II diabetes, insulin resistance, and ultimately... Death
• Craft uses an acid like citric acid compared to phosphoric acid (PA)
• Note #1: People blame PA for low bone density
• Note #2: Research shows the phosphorus:calcium ratio in a meal (and overall diet) is important. Saying PA causes low bone density is not correct. A diet high in phosphorus and simultaneously low in calcium, causes low bone density

The soundbite? 

Soda is not healthy, period. Your body doesn't care two hoots if you spent $7 on a craft soda vs $1 on a regular one. If you really want to treat yourself to a soda, buy the one you like... Just don't delude yourself into thinking 'craft' is healthier.

The Slippery Slope of Sleeplessness pt II

Last article I scared you sleepy about lack of sleep spurring obesity, and obesity spawning sleep-related diseases that prevent you sleeping soundly... Yes, that happened. This week, let's discuss your bedroom habits and surmise how to make your time between the sheets a superior sleeping experience.

Many things impact sleep, including the stresses of life like World hunger, making your rent or mortgage, picking a filter on Instagram, Facebook-stalking an ex, and watching the latest Game of Thrones or Downton Abbey.

Where for art thou point?

• 62% of parents and 45% of kids have a TV in their room
• 45% of parents and 30% of kids have a smartphone/tablet in their room
• 26% of parents and 16% of kids report having sent/read emails or texts after initially going to sleep
• Children who sometimes leave electronic devices on overnight sleep significantly less than children who turn devices off or don't have them in their bedroom
• Having, and enforcing "bedtime rules" like time spent watching TV, caffeine consumption, time on smartphones/cell phones/tablets/video games, is correlated with significantly longer sleep times

http://sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/2014-NSF-Sleep-in-America-poll-summary-of-findings---FINAL-Updated-3-26-14-.pdf 

Ok, so the important part here is 'electronic devices'. The decisive devices that divide the generations. The above survey found that within a typical 7 day period, 90% of Americans use some type of electronic device within 1 hour of going to bed. Hold that thought... We need some back-story.

What is the "Circadian Rhythm" and why should we care about it?
You've heard of your body's 24 hours clock, right? This is it. The Circadian Rhythms or Cycles are physical, mental and behavioural patterns that roughly follow a 24 hour cycle. The most potent environmental signal for your 24 hour clock is light and darkness. Humans, plants and even bacteria have these cycles. Ok, now we can press on.

What in blithering blazes is "blue light"?
Blue light is short-wavelength light (compared with longer-wavelength light). Research shows blue light disrupts your 24 hour clock. Devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, etc emit blue light.

Ok, back to devices that deliberately disallow one to drift into slumber. It's long been hypothesised that blue light and electronic devices used before bed impact sleep. A new study found devices emitting blue light suppressed melatonin release by 55%. By the by, melatonin is a sleep-promoting hormone.

The study also found that people who used blue light-emitting devices in the hours before bed:

• Took significantly longer to fall asleep
• Had reduced evening sleepiness
• Displayed reduced melatonin secretion
• Had later timing of their circadian clock
• Had reductions in the amount of REM sleep, and delays in the onset of REM sleep
• Were less alert the next morning

Look, it's impossible to shun technology, and sometimes it is necessary to use a device before bed. I'm a millennial, my phone sleeps on the nightstand and wakes me with a horrendous tune in the morning.

Remember from Pt I that lack of sleep plays with your body's ability to control hunger and appetite? Sacrificing sleep doesn't just turn you into a sleep-deprived zombie, it can transform you into a stout stupefied snack-snatching sleepyhead... That's definitely not healthy.

I'm not going to tell you to stop using your devices, or read a book and do yoga before bed (but if you want to...) If you want to sleep better, start small:

• Set your alarm early in the evening so it's taken care of
• Try to finish work/reading on devices before dinner
• Find ways to relax without the TV, Xbox and phone
• If you love your e-reader, invest in one that doesn't emit blue light (see list here)

All I'm saying is, knowledge is power. If you want to sleep better, be smart about your priorities.

May sleep be with you.