FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD: Instagram makes food taste better, willpower research is shaken up, and the benefits of cold showers

For the Love of Food
Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.
This week Instagram makes food taste better, willpower research is shaken up, and the benefits of cold showers.
Too busy to read them all? Try this awesome free speed reading app I just discovered to read at 300+ wpm. So neat!
Want to see all my favorite links? (There’s lots more). Be sure to follow me on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.
Links of the week
- Meditation Plus Running as a Treatment for Depression <<While this doesn’t entirely surprise me (mood boosting is the best reason to do both these activities, IMO), the research shows there may be a synergy between the two practices. Given the other benefits as well, seems like a great supplement to medication with little down side. (NYTimes)
- 10 Interesting Predictors of Longevity <<According to this article there’s a decent chance I might live forever. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
- Beyond ‘Vegetarian’ <<It’s not an accident that I’ve named both myself and my book Foodist. There is robust psychology describing the power of self-identity in motivation and well-being. (The Atlantic)
- Exercise in Futility <<Exercise is not futile at all. In fact, it is arguably the single most important thing you can do for your health. Just don’t expect to lose a ton of weight through exercise alone. (The Atlantic)
- Ego Depletion May Have Just Been Debunked <<Interesting new research is calling into question the psychological phenomenon of “ego depletion,” or the tendency for willpower to become exhausted. Does that mean the well-researched phenomenon doesn’t exist at all? Probably not. But science is a process, and the reality of life is usually far more complex than we initially recognize. Good to keep in mind when reading the news. (Slate)
- Instagramming Your Food Might Actually Make It Taste Better <<Why? It increases the perceived value of the food and encourages mindfulness. (The Kitchn)
- The Benefits of Getting an Icy Start to the Day <<For the past three months my husband has been obsessed with cold showers and I’ve never seen such a dramatic change in a person. There’s something to this stuff. Here’s an excellent summary of the research from Dr. Rhonda Patrick. (NY Times)
- Make a Whole Batch of Poached Eggs In Your Slow Cooker <<Brunch will never be the same. (Lifehacker)
- Good news! You’re likely burning more calories than you thought when you’re walking <<Another reason to not put too much credence in your calorie counting/burning apps. This time it works out in your favor, but this is more the exception than the rule. (ScienceDaily)
- Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks <<What’s not to love about watching Jamie Oliver braising lamb shanks on his front steps? (Food Tube)
What inspired you this week?
Fantastic list of links, Darya! AND I’ve pinned the ‘Readsy’ app to my bookmarks bar and have used it several times already today.
I’ve wanted a standing/treadmill desk forever and today I came up with a way to use my 1980’s collection of Britannica encyclopedia–I’ve stacked them six high (2 sets) and am now typing at my laptop rather than sitting in my (very uncomfortable) desk chair. It feels like progress. Things just have to align in the universe sometimes, don’t they?
Thank you for your inspiring work. I’m getting it–slowly. But I am getting it.
One not so little thing about internet etiquette.
On the poached eggs subject, you linked Lifehacker, but it was not their article – truly – they just re-printed an article from The Kitchen. It is fine for Lifehacker to do just that, as long as they give credit, which they did.
What I find questionable is for you to link to Lifehacker, not to the Kitchen, who actually wrote the article.
Damn, I feel link an annoying old lady now. (NEVER EVER wear white after labor day, my dear) But I do think it is important to give traffic to those who produce content, more than to those that re-heat, re-format and re-publish it. Let us agree that I would not have your blog on my feed reader if all you did was link posts. 🙂
I’m pretty sceptical about the “Exercise in Futility” article. For instance, it claims people in Japan and Norway are “less likely to be active” than Americans and also generally slimmer. But what does “active” mean? In many towns in the US, for instance, it’s nigh impossible to get anywhere on foot or by public transit, while in much of Europe (including, perhaps, Norway), those are default modes of transport (I don’t know about Japan, but given the famous bullet trains I would imagine car travel is less common there, too). Given that the data is self-reported, Norwegian and Japanese participants are perhaps underestimating their activity level because it’s simply part of everyday life, not something done specifically for health.
Loved the links, was especially thankful for the Vegetable Biryani. Indian food always is a nice treat and this was a great dish to make and enjoy.
Good morning Darya,
I just listend to the Random Show with your husband and Tim discussing his obsession with cold water therapy. It was really interesting and informative – give him a big high five for me for that one.
Thanks for linking to that ego-depletion article as well. A great read for sure.