"Health is a process, not a list of rules"

"Health is a process, not a list of rules". This phrase comes from Dr. Cristina Petratti, a specialist in Obesity and Nutrition, who has shared advice on how to navigate vacation periods without letting changes in habits and activities harm our health. Although her focus is on her specialty—obesity and nutrition—it’s clear that these tips are valuable for all of us…

Pleasure is also part of health
Eating with pleasure is neither a mistake nor a lack of control. Food has social, emotional, and cultural dimensions that go beyond calories. The key is not deprivation but finding a point of satisfaction without discomfort, listening to what our body truly needs.
 
Movement nourishes body and mind
Movement is not an obligation or a way to “compensate” for what we eat. Science tells us the human body is designed to move, but not out of demand—rather, for well-being. Taking walks after meals, dancing, playing, or simply stretching are gentle ways to nurture our energy without pressure or self-criticism.
 
No restrictions, no excesses. Conscious flexibility
There are no forbidden foods. Evidence shows that demonizing certain foods only creates anxiety and an unhealthy relationship with eating. Instead of thinking, “I can’t eat this,” we can ask: How do I want to enjoy it? What makes me feel good?
 
Enjoy without haste
It’s not the last time we’ll eat certain foods. Eating anxiously out of fear that something will “run out” only distances us from true enjoyment. Mindful eating reminds us we can savor each bite slowly, without guilt or the need to seize everything in one moment.
 
Be kind to ourselves
Health isn’t measured by a number or defined by a single day. We don’t need to compensate or punish ourselves for what we eat. The goal is to return to habits that make us feel good, from a place of self-care, not punishment.
 
Compare only with ourselves
Everyone has a unique story, metabolism, and life context. Comparing ourselves to others pulls us away from our own reality. Listening to what we need, without pressure to fit someone else’s mold, is an acte of self-respect.
 
Consistency over perfection
Taking care of ourselves doesn’t mean banning things, but it also doesn’t mean completely disconnecting. Science shows the body benefits more from consistency than perfection. If we indulge more than usual one day, we can balance it with hydration, movement, and choices that feel good, without punishment or guilt.

Health without guilt, well-being without pressure
In conclusion, as Dr. Petratti emphasizes, vacation periods “shouldn’t be a battle between enjoyment and restriction. Well-being isn’t black and white; it’s not about doing everything ‘perfectly’ or indulging in harmful eating habits without measure. Health is a process, not a list of rules.”
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca”: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

Agrochemical products and “Safety Period”

The “safety period” refers to the minimum amount of time that must elapse between the application of an agrochemical product (such as an insecticide, fungicide, or herbicide) to a crop and the time of harvest. If the crop is harvested before this period has ended, toxic residues may remain on the produce, posing a risk of contaminated food reaching the market. However, if the harvest occurs after the safety period, any agrochemical residues on the crop will have dissipated or become inactive, allowing the produce to be sent to market with full safety assurances.

But why would any farmer consider harvesting before the safety period is complete? The answer lies in market demands: produce must be delivered at its peak ripeness. If the agrochemical was applied later than intended, farmers might feel pressured to harvest early—before the safety period ends—to avoid delivering overripe or poor-quality crops to the market. This is why it’s critical to clearly specify this information in promotional brochures, catalogs, and other materials, and why company sales representatives must explain it thoroughly during the regular meetings they hold with potential clients.

 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca” (Vicente Fisac, Amazon) is available in e-Book and print editions: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

"This food is crap": A "brown" humor anecdote

Surely, at some point, you’ve wrinkled your nose at a dish served to you and muttered, “This food is crap.” But have you ever stopped to think that crap can actually be food? No, I’m not talking about bacteria, flies, or other insects. This story is real, and I’m telling it just as it was told to me…

Luis García was a coworker who loved traveling to exotic countries. On one occasion, he shared some hilarious anecdotes from a trip to India. He and his group visited a small village where the humble locals welcomed them warmly. But then, Luis suddenly felt an urgent need to use the bathroom. The bathroom? What bathroom? They were in a remote spot with just a few huts in the middle of the jungle. How did people manage their urgent needs there?
 
After explaining—more with gestures than in English—what he required, the villagers directed him to climb a small tower where a shack was perched, supposedly for doing his business. Luis found it odd to have a toilet several meters above the ground, but necessity trumped curiosity, so he climbed the ladder to the tiny shack at the top. Inside, there was nothing but a hole in the floor, presumably for his waste. He peered through the hole and saw only bare ground below—no pile of excrement, which puzzled him. If people used this spot regularly, shouldn’t there be something down there? For a moment, he wondered if they were playing a prank on him, but with no time to hold it in and demand answers, he decided to proceed. At least the shack offered some privacy. So, he dropped his pants and underwear, aimed at the hole, and got to work.
 
Barely had the first “sausage” dropped when a commotion erupted below—running, shouting, grunting. He had no idea what was happening down there, but finishing his business took priority. He hurried through it, stepped out of the shack, and started down the ladder—only to freeze halfway at the sight below: several pigs were scrambling and fighting over the “sausages” he’d just released. In that hungry region, even human waste was a delicacy to the pigs. Later, they explained that the shack was placed high up precisely to keep the pigs from charging at you the moment you dropped your pants. Luis was so stunned that, for days afterward, he kept glancing around nervously every time he used the bathroom—even in a city hotel room—half-expecting a pig to pop up nearby.
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca”: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

Why has the price of Coffee risen so much?

Suddenly, in just a few weeks, the retail price of coffee (both whole bean and ground) has risen dramatically. What's the reason? In reality, there isn't just one reason but a combination of several:

Adverse Weather Conditions in Producer Countries: Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer, has experienced one of the worst droughts in decades, significantly impacting Arabica coffee production. Meanwhile, Vietnam, the leading producer of robusta coffee, has been hit by severe typhoons, reducing its export capacity.

Increase in Global Demand: The demand for coffee continues to rise, particularly in emerging markets like China, where imports have grown exponentially in recent years.

Logistical and Geopolitical Issues: Problems in shipping routes, such as disruptions in the Red Sea, have forced ships to be rerouted, increasing transportation costs. Additionally, the strength of the dollar has raised the cost of coffee imports for countries with weaker currencies.

Speculation and Market Adjustments: Coffee roasters and traders are buying earlier and in larger volumes, fearing future shortages, which artificially drives up prices.

European Regulations: To top it off, the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation has added pressure on prices. This regulation requires that imported products, including coffee, do not come from recently deforested areas, leading traders to increase their reserves in anticipation of possible future restrictions.
 
This issue of rising coffee prices not only affects Spain but also other European countries. In Germany, for example, there has been a significant increase in retail prices for both ground and whole bean coffee; this trend is reflected in other major coffee markets in Europe due to the aforementioned factors that globally affect supply and demand.
 
In summary, adverse weather conditions impacting production, commercial policies preparing for periods of scarcity, geopolitical issues disrupting normal goods transport, and stringent and overreaching environmental legislation are all closely interrelated in influencing coffee prices in the European market.
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca” (Vicente Fisac, Amazon) is available in e-Book and print editions: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

Intermittent fasting: Risk of death

According to researchers, eating only for eight hours a day and then fasting for the rest of the day might be associated with an increased risk of death from heart attacks and strokes.

Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Hugh Jackman, Kourtney Kardashian, and Scarlett Johansson have praised such fasting regimens.
 
However, while researchers have linked fasting with better short-term outcomes regarding blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, the same does not hold true for long-term results, as suggested by one of the first studies on this topic, according to "The Times."
 
After following around 20,000 adults in the United States, it was found that those who reported eating within an eight-hour window were nearly twice as likely to die from heart attacks or strokes compared to those who spread their meals and snacks throughout the day.
 
Perhaps the results of these studies are not as conclusive as one might hope, but what is clear is that intermittent fasting is bad for health; in general, anything that goes against human nature and our body's requests (through the mechanism of hunger) to eat several times a day is harmful to health.

 

An enthralling story of love, friendship and honor in the Olympic Games (2,600 years ago)
“Life debt” (Vicente Fisac, Amazon): https://a.co/d/hono34C