A couple of Christmases ago, one of my nephews, Treowe (he was about 9 at the time), was given a book. The book was about the human body. It was written for his age group, in simple terms. If I remember rightly it had some diagrams that showed our anatomy in detail. What struck me about the book and why I still remember it to this day, is the fact that I actually learned something from it...

We all have found ourselves at the movies or elsewhere woofing down copious amounts of popcorn or some other, not so nutritious, junk food. What compelled us to keep reaching for the next handful even though the last wasn't that gratifying, I hypothesized, was that there's something in the junk food making it addictive. Truth be known, as I learned from a nine year old's book, the answer lies not with what's in it but what's NOT in it.

According to this informative publication, it is the lack of nutrition in junk food that keeps our bodies seeking more, in hope it will satisfy our nutritional needs. It would appear our body keeps telling us that we're hungry when it's not getting what it needs from non-nutritious foods and why we tend to over eat on bad food. E.g., eat a big bag of potato chips, enough for two, but you still want more. Eat an apple and one is enough, because it is good for you and it satisfies your body's nutritional needs.

But did this book have any affect on my nephew Treowe? The things kids learn and then disregard for a big Mac and a bag of fries.

Also of interest: Felicity Lawrence of www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story writes there is a link between violence and what we eat...