Laurie and Debbie say: Having a product called “Sexcereal” is funny enough. Seriously promoting it as being full of foods that make you sexy is funny enough. Having different versions of it for men and women is funny enough. But honestly, the folks behind Sexcereal are in the wrong business. Hollywood pays big bucks for [...]

Lynne Murray says: I’ve recently come across articles about the seemingly unrelated topics of engineering food to be addictive and conditioning teenagers to be lifelong dieters. The first common element that struck me was disconnecting the body’s natural relationship with food and turning it into a marketable commodity. Food consultant Howard Moskowitz, who earned his [...]

Laurie says: I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while. Over at the blog Inside, Insides, Andy Ellison of Boston University Medical School has been throwing the entire produce aisle inside a Philips 3 Tesla MRI, revealing the otherworldly realms that dwell inside common foods. Here’s but a small sampling of his many [...]

Debbie says: One aspect of body image we don’t often talk about here is what foods people have access to, and how “healthy food” is distributed. So I was struck by this article, which I found in a local news feed for my city (Oakland, California).   Pictured above are three young food activists/entrepreneurs in [...]

Debbie says: “The Terrible Tragedy of the Healthy Eater” by Erica at Northwest Edible Life is just about perfect. Before Your Healthy Eating Internet Education: “I eat pretty healthy. Check it out: whole grain crackers, veggie patties, prawns, broccoli. I am actually pretty into clean eating.” After Your Healthy Eating Internet Education: Those crackers – [...]

Lynne Murray says I always ask “who benefits” from any given “social problem.” The $60 billion diet industry or, as Dr. Deb Burgard has called it, “The Weight Cycling Industry” is in the business of cashing in on a problem of its own creation. Any truly efficient method of changing body size would put them [...]

Debbie says: I’ve had this bookmarked to write about for over a month, and I’m still thinking about it. Larkin Callaghan at Sociological Images says: The gendered notions of this ad are clear, as it makes sure to emphasize that these issues of emotional eating are befalling women. ‘Him,’ we are supposed to assume, is [...]

Laurie and Debbie say: Happy New Year! We’ve been big fans of s.e. smith at This Ain’t Livin’ for a long time, so it’s great to have such a timely post to write about. In the maelstrom of New Year’s resolutions, she wants us all to remember: Fat hatred kills. It kills every day in [...]

Laurie and Debbie say: This list is for those of us fortunate enough to have people and resources to celebrate with. Even if you love the holidays, love your family, and are looking forward to the season, you still may find useful hints here. 1) To the extent possible, do as much or as little [...]

Lynne Murray says: Last night I dreamed about an encounter over a candy bar that ended in court. I wasn’t in the dream but the hero was one of those super-athletic, spandex clad-bicyclists whose high energy bar was stolen when he stopped to render medical aid to a child. How and why the bar was [...]