So, I'm sure you've all noticed the trend of energy drinks; from redbull to 5 hour energy there's been a long term effort to get us to boost our energy and productivity by ingesting products designed to make us stay alert longer. However NPR recently featured a product called lazy cakes that proposes to do the opposite.
Laced with Melatonin (the hormone that regulates the body's sleep cycle), valerian root and rose hips these brownies are designed to help you chill out rather than amp up. The article makes it clear that these brownies are not "magic" brownies, but rather FDA regulated supplemented ingredient brownies. The article continues to comment on the effect (one woman slept for 10-12 hours after eating a brownie), the possibility of poisoning small children. You can read the whole article here.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/04/134259889/lazy-cakes-leave-you-well-lazy?sc=fb&cc=fp
What amuses me about this product is the fact that people feel that they need to eat a melatonin laced brownie to relax. Maybe I'm missing the point of it's appeal, but it seems to me if a person thinks they need special potions to wake them up, and brownies to help them sleep, maybe they should stop using both and just go to bed early. I think this whole concept is awfully close to "better living through chemistry".
Shoot! The link's not working. Can you fix it?
ReplyDeleteI read this right after giving myself a serious talking to about overcompensating with caffeine. But if I balanced all that coffee with some lazy cakes...maybe my life would be a nirvana of balance and perfection. Right?