Introduction Modern culture often assumes that shielding children from stories involving death, tragedy, and violence is the best way to cultivate peaceful adults. Yet throughout history, many societies did precisely the opposite. Children were raised on narratives in which danger, mortality, betrayal, sacrifice, and violence were common realities of life. These stories were not intended to glorify brutality. Rather, they frequently served as moral and psychological simulations, helping the young confront the consequences of violence indirectly, through imagination and narrative. A strong argument can therefore be made that exposing children to serious stories, rather than sanitizing all conflict from childhood, can help cultivate adults who understand the gravity of violence and therefore come to abhor it. On the other hand, shooter-type video games have a different effect, making violence seem natural and acceptable. The Stories One of my favorite examples is One Thousand a...
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are defined by the NOVA food classification system (developed by researchers led by Carlos Monteiro) as industrial formulations made mostly or entirely from substances extracted from foods (like oils, fats, sugars, and starches), plus additives (flavors, colors, emulsifiers, sweeteners, etc.), with little to no intact whole foods. They are Group 4 in the NOVA system and are designed to be hyper-palatable, convenient, and long-lasting. Not every item in these categories is automatically ultra-processed (it depends on the ingredient list and processing), but most commercial products in these groups qualify as UPFs. Here is a list of the main food groups/categories widely recognized as ultra-processed, with common examples: Sugary and sweetened beverages — Soft drinks, sodas, energy drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, and some sweetened juices or sports drinks. Packaged snacks (sweet or savory) — Chips, ...
