It's Not The Chocolate

It’s NOT chocolate, not HoHo, not fried chicken, and not Häagen-Dazs. And it’s not lack of exercise either. Yay! Party time. What am I talking about? Weight gain of course.

Buzzing through the internet is research linking our civilizing the night time with electric light and weight gain in mice.  

“…article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences they found that mice exposed to dim light during their sleeping hours for a period of eight weeks had a 50% higher weight gain compared to mice that slept in the dark.” http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/204236.php

Think about it. When was the last time you slept in a dark house? My night stand is cluttered with plugged in and glowing iType products. The bath has a night light. My bedroom curtains do not block the street lights or a full moon.  Lights come off of the wireless gadgets, the cable box, digital clocks, and automatic coffee maker. Let’s count the four solar powered security lights the cover the four corners of the house. Other than the closets, my house is lit. 

I remember driving with my husband from the Twin Cities airport to Fargo on vacation to visit my aunt. The highway is a straight shot through open farm land dotted with lakes. We had left the car rental at dusk and drove for three hours in the dark with few street lights or traffic. Dark. Suddenly, to my squinting eyes I saw metal barns lit as bright as spotlights.

“What the heck?”

“Oh,” stated my husband, a man full of facts, “Turkey farms. They keep the lights on until midnight until Thanksgiving. The turkeys eat more in the long days.”

I just thought of this trip. Why wouldn’t the same logic apply to people? My grandparents would not have had a midnight snack or a 9:00 P.M. snack either. Why not? Because they were in bed.  Early to bed early to rise…something…something.

So keep eating chocolate or whatever is your passion, click off the breaker, and sleep.

Today’s Menu:

Breakfast: ½ c Raisin Bran w/almond milk.  Coffee with agave syrup and almond milk.

Snack: None.

Lunch: Veggie Burger, Fries, and Ginger Ale from Burger King (770 calories).

Snack:  Pear, Mango, and a small Fuji Apple picked from my tree.

Dinner: Small Salad.

Snack: Peanut butter.