Links I've been reading

Save the planet, destroy your health: The new “planetary health diet” study dropped. This is a diet that claims to save the environment. It cuts way back on meat and animal products of all kinds, like dairy and eggs, and its primary focus isn’t the health of the person eating it but the health of the planet.

And guess what happened? Even after adjusting for calorie intake, the planetary health diet caused lower intakes of “retinol (-25%), thiamin (-11%), riboflavin (-16%), niacin (-16%), calcium (-16%), zinc (-13%), potassium (-10%), selenium (-15%), and iodine (-26%), vitamins B₆ (-12%), B₁₂ (-36%), C (-23%), D (-28%) and K₁ (30%).” This is just an absurd way to construct a diet.

As I’ve always said, there’s no way a diet that is bad for a species can somehow be good for the planet. The planet can be thought of as a giant organism, with all the different species existing on it acting as organs and tissues. If something is bad for the health of one of the organs of the planet, it isn’t going to somehow be good for the health of the planet itself.

Depression is contagious: And it’s even worse for girls. The more depressed your kids’ friends are, the greater the chance your kids will be depressed too. Just goes to show that peer group is everything… one of the biggest levers you can utilize as a parent. There are a lot of social contagions out there. Choose wisely.

AI agents are still far off: The real promise of AI—”agents” that can operate a computer and do tasks you’d rather not do yourself, like a full-on human assistant—seems farther away than ever. Wake me up when I can have an agent set up an LLC for me.

Removing phones improves academics: New study dropped on the academic effects of removing cell phones from classrooms. The effect was positive but very modest (0.086 standard deviation increase); I’ve seen a few commentators say that this means the phone ban isn’t worth it. I’ve talked to teachers and parents who’ve been subject to some of these changes, and they unanimously report that things are much better. The kids are talking more face-to-face. They seem more engaged with life. Overall energy of the class is better. These aren’t objective “results.” They’re harder to quantify. But they are very real.

Ridiculous “solutions” for problems that don’t exist: Avocado ripeness scanners. Stupid. There is no better “ripeness scanner” than giving the avocado a little squeeze.

Birding is worth billions: I’m not surprised. I once went on a hike with dedicated “birders.” They would walk about 20 feet before stopping to stare at a bird for ten minutes. Then shuffle along for a few more feet before seeing another one. Then ten more minutes of “birding.” In total we went about a mile and it took over an hour. Look, I like birds, but c’mon.

Dehydration increases muscle stress during training: This should come as no surprise, but what I found interesting was that there was some indication that this increased “anabolic potential.” There may be a sweet spot where you’re able to leverage small acute doses of dehydrated training to boost training adaptations. I’m not recommending this, mind you. But it does make me wonder… Maybe you could throw in a “dehydration session” at the end of a training block, right before a deload week, and follow up with proper hydration, extra fueling, and lots of sleep.

An amino acid to watch: Taurine. Recent study shows it has great potential for countering metabolic syndrome and enhancing physical performance. Taking it prior to a workout reduces perceived muscle fatigue, helps you go harder. Worth trying. Beef heart is a great source and one of the mildest organ meats.