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An 1800s Dietician's Take on Content Consumption 🧠

The ROI and Dangers of Content

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Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, a leading dietician in the early 1800s, famously said, ā€œTell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.ā€ Over time, that idea evolved into the phrase we all know today: you are what you eat.

Modern research backs it up:

  • 95% of serotonin (the ā€œfeel-goodā€ neurotransmitter) is produced in the gut, linking diet directly to mental health.

  • Diets high in processed foods increase the risk of depression by up to 60% compared to whole-food diets.

  • Hydration plays a key role in brain performance. Even mild dehydration (1–2% loss of body water) can cause mood dips and reduced focus.

In short: good things in, good things out.

Fasting also has its place. Studies show that giving your body a break can bring surprising mental benefits:

  • Participants practicing intermittent fasting for 8–12 weeks reported a 58% reduction in negative emotions (anxiety, tension, anger).

  • Regular fasters showed 32% higher endorphin levels, associated with elevated mood and alertness.

  • Fasting reduces cortisol (stress hormone) levels by 20–30% on average.

Said differently, taking a break from eating helps your mind perform at a higher level.

What if our relationship with the content we consume (and choose not to consume) intellectually is no different?

Like with food, you become what you consume and what you choose not to.

āžž The ROI & Danger of Content Consumption

In the world of content, there’s potential for both return on investment and danger when consuming it.

When it comes to ROI, there’s no shortage of high-quality or high-quantity content today. You can answer questions about your industry during a podcasted commute and add new skills to your tool belt with a single leadership book. Information is everywhere, fueling not just effective growth, but efficient growth.

The danger, however, is content gluttony. We start living out the voice and skill set of someone else rather than discovering our own. We numb doubts, questions, and frustrations with information, thinking another podcast or book will fix the problem. And sometimes, we feed our minds and souls with unhealthy content, which, like junk food, slowly but surely produces negative results felt by those around us.

You become what you consume, for better or for worse.

āžž The ROI & Danger of Content Fasting

In certain seasons, perspective is found not in the noise but in the silence. Creating space, through intentional content fasting, can bring a real return on investment.

When we quiet the noise, thoughts, emotions, and desires (both positive and negative) rise to the surface. That space allows for response, either to express gratitude for what’s good or to address what’s not and move forward in a healthy way.

That kind of clarity doesn’t come in the noise of constant consumption. It happens in the quiet and unseen.

At the same time, we live in an age of unprecedented access to valuable information. Swinging too far from content fasting to starvation can lead to stagnation and lack of inspiration, both of which carry their own risks.

Like food, taking a break from the noise can give your mind a boost by renewing perspective, gratitude, hope, vision, and rest. But too much fasting? Watch out.

āžž Find Balancing, Not Balance

An older friend once shared that life is less about balance as a noun and more about balancing as a verb. In other words, making it a discipline to constantly reassess where to place more or less focus.

Content consumption is no different.

In some seasons, books, podcasts, and classes bring tangible growth. Perspectives expand, skills sharpen, and vision takes shape. In others, the same growth comes not from more input, but from creating space in the silence to rediscover those things.

It’s nuanced. It requires self-awareness, discernment, and feedback. But it’s a worthy wrestle, the ongoing act of balancing.

āžž My Story

I have sat first-class on the pendulum ride between content gluttony and content starvation. So, if you’ve made it this far, know that I’m on the same journey of balancing content as well.

I’ve lived days fueled by the constant buzz of information and noise, mistaking it for progress while my soul quietly suffered. And I’ve lived days avoiding meaningful input altogether, believing everything I needed could be found within myself, all in self-sufficiency.

Gluttony and starvation. Neither was healthy. Both rooted in pride.

However, where little moments of health were found, I noticed pockets of time in the margins of life where I could both consume and fast.

For example (I credit Dave Matthews, who I write this newsletter with, for these habits. Take this as a nudge to ask an older friend for wisdom šŸ˜€):

  • Turning a 15-minute break between meetings into a no-podcast walk.

  • Rather than doom-scrolling during lunch, replace it with a few pages of a book.

  • Choosing a handful of trusted mentors rather than trying to hear from everyone.

I don’t live out the above nearly as consistently as I’d like. But I firmly believe that these quiet rules of life and many like them, practiced consistently over time, create real value, for God’s glory, the benefit of others, and our good.

āžž A Quick Takeaway

Modern culture is rich with content, offering opportunities to consume and fast wisely or to slip into content gluttony or starvation. Like with food, developing a healthy relationship with content matters, because you become what you consume.

So, take time to discover what content balancing looks like for you in this season, and anchor it with quiet rules of life that help you grow with intention.

āžžTheYoPoll

šŸ‘€ Which discipline do you practice better?

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