Aquaculture, Weight-Loss Drugs, and The Housing Market
Click here: OneSource Health, November 26, 2023
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything in the Universe.” - John Muir
For every action there’s a reaction. Good intentions sometimes have negative outcomes. Aquaculture has promised to feed the growing population, but fish farms make oceans uninhabitable for wildlife. New drugs promise better health for a struggling population, but patients experience unforeseen side effects. Interest rates hikes have tamed inflation, and slowed home sales down to a crawl.
In a world where everything is interconnected, nothing stands alone.
Something to Read:
Long Form:
The New Fish: The Truth About Farmed Salmon and the Consequences We Can No Longer Ignore, Simen Saetre and Kjetil Ostli
Salmon (farmed and wild) has been a staple of my diet for years. But recently I became skeptical of farmed fish’s benefits, and interested to learn more. As luck would have it, I found this book not long after.
The New Fish is a really well written piece of investigative journalism that dives into the aquaculture industry, their practices, who holds influence over them, what people are doing to change it, and more.
This book is about farmed salmon, but the tactics used transcend across every industry. Fish farming, compared to livestock, is still in its infancy., and it’s interesting to learn how an industry developed so quickly around something no one knew anything about.
With 70 percent of the worlds salmon now coming from open water pens, it behooves us all to learn what that means and what impacts it has. This is a great read.
Short Form - Something Dense:
Weight-Loss Drug Wegovy Slashes Risk of Death in Some People with Heart Disease
The momentum to prescribe drugs like Wegovy (that works by mimicking a hormone to suppress appetite and slow digestion) continues to grow. It picked up this week after news broke that in addition to weight loss, these drugs might have benefits for your heart. But, as Peter Attia, MD points out, it remains to be seen if there are any cardiac benefits absent excessive weight loss. Regardless of what the data turns out, theres a big potential risk that can’t be measured. The mental toll of becoming addicted to weight loss as Sharon Osbourne discusses here.
Short Form - Something Light:
The US Housing Market Has Become an Impossible Mess
High interest rates and high prices have led to the “lock in effect” (described in detail in the article). Existing homeowners are afraid to sell and lose their favorable rates, keeping potential inventory off the market and potential buyers on the sidelines. Record high home prices have forced new homeowners to sit idle and wait for something to change. The combination of high interest rates and home prices has led to the lowest amount of existing home sales in 13 years.
Something to Listen to:
This is an older episode (2022) but it’s extremely relevant to this week’s book (The New Fish). Here’s part of the description.
“Aryé and Justin discuss the problems with modern seafood production and how their company, Wildtype, hopes to revolutionize the industry by using stem cells to cultivate real, sushi-grade salmon... without harming any actual fish.”
I remain skeptical of lab grown food (particularly meat or fish), but this episode got me close to changing my mind. Take a listen.
Something to Move to:
Push Up Complex (video here)
This is a fun push-up complex to add into a workout, supplement your routine, or when you need a break from your screen.
Perform 1 rep of each exercise without stopping. Repeat the cycle as many times as you want (each cycle through is 8 reps).
Classic push-up
Push-up to side plank (1 per side)
Single leg push-up (1 per leg)
Push-up shoulder tap (1 per shoulder)
Plyo push-up with clap (if clapping is too difficult, just explode off the floor without it)
If you have trouble getting through the whole thing, take a break and make another attempt. Keep coming back until you complete the circuit without stopping. And then, do it again.
Enjoy!
Something to Eat:
Lentil venison breakfast bowl
There’s prep work involved with this dish, but once you’ve cooked the venison, lentils and brussels, you’ll have enough for a few meals.
I used Force of Nature Ground Venison. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and a pinch of salt, let it heat up. Throw in the venison, flatten it out in the pan, add a pinch of salt. Let it sit undisturbed for five minutes. Then flip it (cut into halves or quarters to make flipping easier). Cook undisturbed for another five minutes. Then chop it up in the pan with a wooden spoon and allow the meat to cook all the way through.
Lentils, bring 3 cups water to 1 cup lentils to boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let cook. Taste after 15 mins for tenderness.
Brussels, cut the stems off, then cut them in half or quarters (depending on size). Toss them in a bowl with olive oil and salt. Dump them into a skillet heated to med-high. Pour a couple tablespoons of water over them and cover. Let sit for five minutes, then give them a toss, cover them again, let sit for 3 - 5 more minutes (until you can easily pierce them with a fork).
Assemble your bowl: Lentils, ground venison, brussel sprouts. Add a pinch of salt and white wine vinegar to taste. Slice up an avocado and a tomato, and top with a fried egg. Add another pinch of salt and white wine vinegar and some EVO if you wish!
Buon Appetito!