The Daily Valet. - 9/20/23, Wednesday
✔️ Junk Food Can Be Literally Addictive
Wednesday, September 20th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
Say what you will about ultra processed foods, but I've never been able to turn down an Oreo.
Today’s Big Story
Junk Food Can Be Literally Addictive
It should come as no surprise then that many of today’s unhealthy foods were brought to you by Big Tobacco
Let's get this out of the way: Nearly all food is processed to some extent. Even if you're cooking from scratch, you probably use, say, flour or salt or olive oil—none of which are in their raw states. But ultra-processed food (UPF) is very different. These contain industrial substances and additives that you won't find in your pantry. In his bestselling book, Ultra-Processed People, Chris van Tulleken quotes the Brazilian scientist Fernanda Rauber as saying: “Most UPF is not even really food ... It's an industrially produced edible substance.” Sounds kinda gross, right? But often, it tastes delicious—because it's been engineered to be irresistible.And if it feels like it's hard to quit, you're not wrong. According to Scientific American, daily snacking on processed foods rewires the brain's reward circuits. Cravings for tasty meals light up the brain just like cravings for cocaine do, prompting some researchers to ask whether products such as fries or cookies can trigger addiction akin to that associated with drugs or alcohol. And new evidence suggests that junk foods “resemble drugs of misuse in a number of disturbing ways.”Interestingly, the Washington Post reports that tobacco companies may have actually helped get people addicted to processed foods using the same strategy they used to hook people on cigarettes by making their products more addictive. How? Well, back in the '80s, tobacco giants Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds acquired major food companies Kraft, General Foods and Nabisco, allowing Big Tobacco to dominate the country's food supply and reap billions in sales from popular all-American brands such as Oreo cookies, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Lunchables.By the 2000s, the tobacco giants spun off their food companies and largely exited the food industry — but not before leaving a lasting legacy on the foods that we eat. New research, published in the journal Addiction, focuses on the rise of “hyper-palatable” foods, which contain potent combinations of fat, sodium, sugar and other additives that can drive people to not only crave them, but also overeat them. Researchers found that in the decades when the tobacco giants owned the food companies, the snacks that they sold were far more likely to be hyper-palatable than similar foods not owned by tobacco companies.And in the past three decades, hyper-palatable foods have spread rapidly into the food supply, coinciding with a surge in obesity and diet-related diseases. Two recent large studies showed that it significantly raises the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. These studies are just the latest in a growing body of research that documents just how harmful UPF is to health. Of course, they're hard to avoid, but as long as we think of them as what they are—calorie-rich, nutrient-poor treats and nothing else—we should be alright.
FYI:
Federal regulators are starting to take a closer look at ultra-processed foods and their relationship to weight gain as part of their review for the next round of dietary guidelines.
UN General Assembly Kicks Off With Biden
Zelensky calls Russia’s actions in Ukraine ‘clearly a genocide’
On Tuesday the United Nations opened its annual General Assembly. The session, the UN’s 78th, is bringing together more than 140 world leaders this year to discuss pressing global issues, offering a platform for leaders to address issues of international concern through 15-minute speeches. However, of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, only one will be represented by its top leader: the United States. The other four permanent members— Russia, China, France and the UK—didn't show up.President Joe Biden made a forceful call for the world to stand up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling for leaders to stand firm in their support of President Volodymyr Zelensky and his nation as the war heads toward its second autumn. “Russia believes the world will grow weary, and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequence,” he said. “If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?”Biden spoke hours before Zelenskyy made his case, accusing Russia and President Vladimir Putin of not only using the threat of nuclear war to get their way, but also weaponizing food, energy and the forced deportation of children. While the UN has led on organizing humanitarian aid during the conflict, it hasn't acted as a mediator in the war. Biden is set to meet with Zelensky—who was in the audience for Biden's speech on Tuesday—in Washington later this week.
FYI:
The UN’s Climate Action Summit coincides with the start of the General Assembly, bringing the climate crisis into focus in a year marked by a record number of disasters, from wildfires to floods.
Rental Prices Finally Hit a Ceiling
After years of skyrocketing rents across the country, the tide may be turning for renters
It's about damn time. The rental market has reached dizzying new heights in recent years. And, though prices are holding steady, there may be some glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel for renters. First, some context: In 2022, the median rent across the U.S. hit an all-time high of $2,054. Now a year later, the median U.S. asking rent is now $2,052—just $2 below the record.Because of this, during what's supposed to be peak moving season in spots like New York City, Bloomberg is reporting that existing tenants are choosing to stay put and renew their lease rather than risk looking for a new spot and getting hooked with these record-high rents. With demand easing, experts now believe the market is “topping out.”As a result, landlords are increasingly coming up with clever ways of incentivizing potential new renters. “With vacancies on the rise, some landlords are doling out one-time discounts to attract new tenants while maintaining high asking rents on paper,” wrote Redfin's data journalist, Lily Katz, in a new report. In recent years, bidding wars were one of the factors that drove up rental prices. But luckily for those looking or needing to move, that seems to be changing. In July, only 11% of new leases signed in Manhattan involved a bidding war, whereas in 2022, that number was closer to 20%.
Meanwhile:
Europe is in the midst of a housing shortage crisis, which is pushing up the cost of renting an apartment drastically in many of the continent’s cities.
Have You Bid on the Union Solidarity Coalition’s Auction?
How an Auction to Benefit Hollywood Crew Turned Into a Viral, Meme-Generating Phenomenon
The Union Solidarity Coalition seemingly broke the internet last week by announcing the weirdest charity auction ever devised by man—or rather, dreamed up by a group who typically work in a TV writer's room. But it seems to be so crazy, it's working better than they'd hoped and the bids have been rolling in fast and thick.Busy Philipps, Adam Scott and David Krumholtz are auctioning off things like going with you to a pottery class, walking your dog or serenading you on Zoom (respectively). Lena Dunham will paint a mural in your home and John Lithgow will paint a watercolor portrait ... of your dog.Naturally, news of the auction took off on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram, where people made up dream experiences of their own. And while the real items being auctioned off are wild enough, people really let their freak flags fly with the memes. I, for one, would definitely be bidding on a “degradation session” with Succession star J. Smith-Cameron. But, in truth, it has resulted in more attention for the auction, so that's good, right? In other good news, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Writers Guild of America are set to meet again later today.
Meanwhile:
The striking U.S. auto workers are the latest to join the push for a four-day workweek.
In Other News
Wastewater surveillance finds the spread may be plateauing in some areas.
Have you heard about ...
The Long Read
Thom Browne’s eccentric tailoring has long had a cult following. Now it’s filtering into the mainstream.
Every new employee of the American fashion designer Thom Browne receives a “starter kit” of his brand’s clothing worth some ten thousand dollars retail, including, among other items, two gray suits, five white oxford shirts, one gray wool tie, and one white pocket square. An eleven-page PDF lays out, through visual aids and bullet points, the rules for how to wear them.”
- By Rachel Syme
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Shopping
What We’re Buying
Pleated Chinos
This fall, menswear is going back to the basics. There's a real return to dressing up, with a revival of workwear and neo-preppy classics. That means the classics are cooler than ever and are being refreshed by brands both big and small. And we're celebrating that return. Starting off with the pleated chino—an essential part of a man's wardrobe, especially come fall. Comfortable, versatile and practical, you might think of these khaki cotton pants as simple office wear, but the chino got its start, like so many icons of menswear, with the military.
Return to the fold:
Morning Motto
Find your happiness.
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