All those (probably industry funded) claims about coffee health benefits? I totally believe them.

Heh, my cynical POV about "coffee is good for you no really any amount all the coffee all the time" studies is that all those sleep-deprived doctors and med school students DESPERATELY need it to be true.

Sounds yummy, Gud.

I don't have a go to healthy food. Mostly I try and focus on just having real food and not prepared fare with a bunch of mystery ingredients and over processing.

I’m now on day 3 of v sore throat—but like swollen tonsils sore, not scratchy throat sore, if that makes sense? Do not like. May need to go get some frozen dessert later or something. Tea is not cutting it.

Mostly I try and focus on just having real food and not prepared fare with a bunch of mystery ingredients and over processing.

I just read an article this morning about the association (not causation) between ultra-processed food and mortality. And I'm 100% on board with the idea that a diet of Cocoa Puffs for breakfast, Taco Bell chalupas for lunch, and a Big Mac combo meal for dinner is extremely ultra-processed food, and something to steer away from. But this article -- which was in The BMJ, a high-impact medical journal -- called applesauce an ultra-processed food, and the whole study really lost some credibility with me. With applesauce (vs eating the whole fruit), you do lose the fiber from the peel, so okay. But beyond that -- applesauce is literally apples and water, cooked down (which I know falls under the definition of "processed," but "ultra-processed"? come on). I put applesauce in my oatmeal every morning, and I'm not concerned that it's going to kill me. What the fuck.

Oh no, meara! My co-worker lost his voice almost a month ago (I think it was originally strep but that was treated successfully) and still hasn't gotten it back. I hope your throat thing is not so long lasting or mysterious!

Yeah, I do tend to just chop up apples to cook with my oatmeal, but I am not going to hesitate to eat applesauce ever.

Maybe some applesauce is ultra-processed with added sugar or something? Like peanut butter

I'm a bit irritated with the number of otherwise yummy recipes that seem to require cilantro. I'm one of those for whom cilantro tastes like soap, so it's quite discouraging.

I cannot leave her alone for more than a few minutes or she starts wailing.

Aw, poor nugget. I'm glad she has you now.

But this article -- which was in The BMJ, a high-impact medical journal -- called applesauce an ultra-processed food, and the whole study really lost some credibility with me.

Yeah, because of Maintenance Phase, I'll be nodding along when it sounds reasonable until I hit the record-scratch moment and realize it's just sparkling orthorexia.

it's just sparkling orthorexia.

Shit, that's exactly it. I didn't even think of it that way, but it totally is.

And the downside to the ludicrous decision to call applesauce an ultra-processed food is that, if I'm comparing apple(sauce) to oranges, and fucking applesauce is a Big Bad Ultraprocessed Food, then fuck it; I'm going to get a sausage and egg McMuffin instead, because it's ultra-processed, too, and if they're both evil, then I'm getting the one that is the best breakfast sandwich ever (voted on by: me), and not just apple ground into a paste.

How fucking stupid.

(I'm not really getting a McMuffin, but you see where following this "logic" ends up. I actually love oatmeal like the old lady I am, so I'm going to keep eating it and keep tempting early death by putting applesauce in it.) (For fuck's sake, it's not like I'm stirring buttercream frosting into my oatmeal. What the fuck.) (I feel very strongly about applesauce, apparently.)