What Kindle Fire Taught Me

When I bought my wife a Kindle Fire last year I didn't know it would change my life.

If you're not familiar with the device, think of it as the world's largest library with movie-watching, web-surfing capability squeezed into a sleek, lightweight design larger than a smartphone, but smaller than an I Pad. You can down load and read whole books on the device at a fraction of the cost of buying the book in hardcover or paperback. The Kindle is back lit, so you can easily read in bed in the dark if your partner is snoring so loud you can't possibly sleep.

The book she had downloaded was "Salt, Sugar, Fat...How the Food Giants Have Hooked Us" by Michael Moss.  Never before have I had such a clear understanding as to how processed food have impacted American's health and wellness than after reading this book.

We have tried to eat well. Several years ago we made the decision, based on Dawn's extensive research, to begin weaning ourselves off red meat and dairy products. Over time we have evolved to a nutritarian diet. I enjoy an occasional burger, but by and large try to limit animal protein as much as possible.

The latest science is fast zeroing in on our Nation's health crisis as the result of our consuming lots of highly processed foods. Food loaded with salt, sugar and fat. I knew this from everything my bride shared with me, and especially after getting hooked on reading about nutrition myself. I became a fan of John McDougall and his starch-based approach to diet in the Starch Solution.

What I learned from Dawn's Kindle was about the concerted effort food manufacturers have made since the 1960's to chemically mess with our food supply, creating whole new products and redesigning products we already consumed. With few rare exceptions, these Conglomerates had little regard for the consequences of eating the stuff they produce. The Kindle opened my eyes to how far reaching and insidious the entire food manufacturing industry has become, and how their lab creations are killing us.

I fell in love with the Kindle for how versatile it is. How handy a tool to have in my possession. I bought my own device, a Kindle Fire 7” HD model and can watch "Fringe" in full high definition audio and sparkling clarity without bothering another living soul. Besides anyone looking over my shoulder at the series without a strong stomach would be freaked, anyway.

Frankly, I've never felt this way toward a piece of hardware before. It's scary how much I enjoy using the thing.

I hope I don't need therapy...