Well, the Human Truth is “I want some good stuff in my bad stuff.”™ And, Burger King has just released a new grainy ciabatta bun that is a perfect example. So, you find yourself at a fast food counter but at least you can let yourself off the hook a little by ordering a burger with a bun that’s made from whole grains and provides less calories, fat, and sodium compared to other offerings. The spiel says it’s “a great addition to a nutritionally-balanced lifestyle, without compromising on taste.”

A spot on example that’s not hard to understand.

Well here’s a QSR that’s taking things to the next level. The NYC based 4Food mission is “de-junking fast food” by bringing “fast food that’s fresh, delicious, and nutritious to everyone. The restaurants are designed to function as community hubs, serving local appetites with healthy, customizable options. 4Food commits to using no fads, fillers or anything artificial in its product.”

Check out this cool video explaining their noble cause here.

So basically they are putting “good stuff” (substantially more nutritious and healthy food) into the “bad stuff” perception of fast food.  Their first store will open August 16, 2010  at 40th Street and Madison Avenue, but I have a feeling this is a concept that will take off.  We’ll be watching closely and let you know!

Apparently, you will able to: “consume your favorite drink just like any other solid food, without the hassle of carrying heavy glass bottles. Russian professor Evgeny Moskalev of Saint Petersburg Technological University has evolved a technique that allows turning alcohol into powder and packing it in pills. The new technique can solidify any kind of alcohol, including whisky, cognac, wine and beer. “Dry” vodka can be wrapped in paper and carried around in a pocket or a bag.”

Wait.  What’s the “good” side to this OD waiting to happen?  Well, the article says: “Vodka in form of a pill would come handy at parties when “consumers” would be able to calculate their exact required dosage.”

Hahaha. What’s a night out without calculating one’s “dosage?”   And, of course the girls I talk to about this pill all jump straight to: “NO CALORIES????”

Well, almost anything’s a good idea if it’s no calories …er… right? Hmmmmm

The “Mad Pride” movement originated in the late 1990s, primarily in London and the UK, and Mad Pride events have since been organized around the globe, from Australia to South Africa and the United States, drawing thousands of participants, according to Mind Freedom International, a United States mental health advocacy organization that promotes and tracks events spawned by the movement.

Through a series of mass media campaigns activists seek to reclaim terms such as ‘mad’, ‘nutter’ and ‘psycho’ from misuse, such as in tabloid newspapers.  The Wiki says “Mad Pride activists seek to re-educate the general public on such subjects as the causes of mental disorders, the experiences of those using the the mental health system, and the global suicide pandemic.”

This Newsweek article talks to a charismatic, energetic “mad pride” collective leader who wants to promote the idea that mental-health diagnoses like bipolar disorder are “dangerous gifts” rather than illnesses.
“We don’t want to be normal,” says Will Hall. The 43-year-old has been diagnosed as schizophrenic, and doctors have prescribed antipsychotic medication for him. But Hall would rather value his mentally extreme states than try to suppress them, so he doesn’t take his meds. Instead, he practices yoga and avoids coffee and sugar. Hall explained how the medical establishment has for too long relied heavily on medication and repression of behavior of those deemed “not normal.” Icarus and groups like it are challenging the science that psychiatry says is on its side. Hall believes that psychiatrists are prone to making arbitrary distinctions between “crazy” and “healthy,” and to using medication as tranquilizers.”

At first, I thought this would fit up in the “Self-Actualization” Maslow category but then it occurred to me that it is a great example of Flexible Flux™.   Whatever your personal opinions of these groups and what they are trying to achieve… you have to admit that they are certainly trying to find the “good stuff in the bad stuff”- which is what Flexible Flux™ is all about.

And interest racks up, some graduates managed to snag more than $2,000. As for girls who end up with buns in the oven, her money is divided out amongst the other girls still in the program. Not a bad deal.

Enticing teenagers to secure a better future through monetary means provides security not just for the individual girls, but for the college itself and society in general. Unfortunately, many young girls don’t have the family support and education needed to help them prepare better futures, and asking teenagers to place their trust in a such a program makes for an interesting safety net. Watch the news video here.

Sure, there’s definitely potential danger of nicotine overdoses, but used responsibly by adult smokers and some may find the Orbs better for the environment and their lungs –after all, these pills melt in their mouth and won’t burn in their hands, or anyone elses’ nostrils for that matter. Treehugger quotes that “the EPA estimates second hand smoke kills as many as 50,000 Americans each year”.

Our Flexible Flux wave represents those looking for equilibrium in their products and lifestyle, a give and take that represents a desire to be better without giving up all the bad. A more environmentally friendly tobacco product that’s less harmful to others directly around you might prove to be quite attractive for many smokers. Available in cinnamon and mint the RJ Reynolds Company is test marketing Camel Orbs in Portland, Indianapolis, and Columbus, Ohio with plans on introducing Camel Sticks and Camel Strips later this year. If the product takes off, we don’t doubt the human truth of “wanting some good stuff even in my bad stuff” might have something to do with it. Either way, we’ll be keeping our eye out on this one…

Here’s what we at CultureWaves® (who didn’t major in neurology, pharmaceuticals, or any health related science) know:

We know that we, the general public, LOVES sugar.

We’ll consume it in any form we love it so much. We’ll drink it, bake it, deep fry it, grill it, and embrace imitators such as high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. It doesn’t matter. If it is sweet, we’ll consume it all. We consume so much in fact that the majority of us suffer from obesity, all because we lose our willpower to the insatiable sweet tooth.

Luckily, the masses are pretty aware of this fact.

Jennifer Gibson, an actual doctor of pharmacy, asked an interesting question in her post at BrainBlogger, “Is Sugar the New Cocaine?” Her argument:

Many studies have uncovered commonalities between sugar intake and drug abuse… Both sweeteners and drugs of abuse stimulate dopamine receptors in the brain, which are critical to reward and learning pathways.

There is also a cross-tolerance and cross-dependence observed between sugars and drugs of abuse. For example, animals that consume large quantities of sucrose are tolerant to the effects of morphine. Also, naloxone, an opiate antagonist, precipitates signs of opiate withdrawal in animals that consume large quantities of sugar.

Further, people addicted to morphine demonstrate a preference for foods containing large amounts of sugar.

Last, adaptations in the brain of obese humans, namely in the regions involved in pleasure and emotions, are the same adaptations seen in humans addicted to cocaine and other drugs of abuse.

In a nutshell we can see how sugar acts like an addictive drug we can’t do without.

You say maybe?

Like any drug problem, the first step towards recovery is acknowledgement.

So where’s the good news in this bad news? This finding points the way to new treatments for obesity based on the battle between addictive neural pathways and those of control. Again, from the article at BrainBlogger:

The addictive potential of food is intuitively appealing as many people struggle to gain control over their weight and eating habits and may offer new treatment options for obesity and its related metabolic consequence.

Like most our pieces found in our Flexible Flux wave, we’re a society looking for equilibrium. We want to know that not EVERYTHING is bad news. Articles like these give us hope. In the short term, maybe this out of control sugar and fat intake REALLY IS out of our hands. Additionally, it may just give the experts a way to, well, help us return to ‘skinny’.

That’s right folks, a treadmill for dogs. We won’t spend too much time on this, but it was worth a mention as a classic piece expressing the hedonistic behavior that makes up our Flexible Flux™ wave. For this ladies and gentleman is proof that wanting good stuff even in your bad stuff includes providing a positive substitute that allows us to continue our habits or behavioral traits, (in this case laziness). Sure we may not want to walk the dog, so for those who can still afford to drop half a grand, you can get back to what you prefer blissfully and uninterrupted.

The natural beer promise is that its:

1. Made From Only Natural Ingredients.
2. Brewed Naturally.
3. Free From Artificial Additives or Preservatives.

And that’s all…verbatim. Obviously, a return to nature with or without you is in full force here. But the more interesting part of this product is that instead of infusing beer with vitamins and healthy “stuff” as other brewers have done in the past, the Lion Nathan Brewers have decided it’s better to just leave all the additives –out. Stripping beer to its natural refreshing beauty, this is a very attractive twist to the usual pieces that make it into our Flexible Flux wave. We usually see manufacturers seeking to enhance health tabooed products in order to make them more attractive to the health conscious consumer, and putting a little good in something we know adds serious pounds to our waistline was a great idea. But stripping all the man made extras? Now that just sounds better for you.

How good these beers taste is yet unknown, but we’ll have to check with our Aussie colleagues to find out. For now, we are wondering if a more “natural” beer cuts down on the intensity of the “hangover” the next day.

Perhaps even the most conservative of conservatives will find some humor warmth in the otherwise sad and distraught producing message. Or maybe you’ll just succeed in pissing someone off if he/she finds the attempt offensive and rude. For the messenger sending one of these e-cards, it’s a gamble that could go either way depending on the nature of the “bad news”. But it’s a gamble that creators Amanda McCall and Ben Schwartz are hoping will help both parties ease the pain, sorrow, guilt, they might feel. Break Bad News with Baby Animals is web service all about putting a sweet picture to bad news, putting that little bit of sweetness to the bitter, some good with the bad. And by the looks of the popularity of the website, there seems to be plenty of people out there relieved a Grandma’s Dead message doesn’t have to be a TOTAL shipwreck. (And let’s not forget how much easier it is to send a print message than a verbal one).

Since the product hasn’t hit the American market just yet, we’ll clearly define it here: Snus is tobacco that comes in a pouch and is placed inside the cheek, delivering shots of far stronger nicotine than offered by smoking a regular cigarette. Apparently, it’s been a big hit in Sweden where smoking in general is prohibited. So to wean the Swedes off of this stuff, one company has developed a tobacco placebo. Catering to all those who still want that shot of home grown energy and appearance of using a popularly accepted habit, Choice has developed a tobacco free ‘snus’.

Using a formula that includes herbs, ginseng, carrot and/or apple fibers and green tea, and cornstarch, Choice’s new Smokey flavored no-tobacco snus is organic certified through the Swedish KRAV certification. Consumers have long been looking for a little good in their bad, its called yes I’m flexible, just meet me half way.