Doing it night and day

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Oreos get a makeover, science says eating cheese can help ward off dementia, how to stay mentally healthy over the holidays, and celebrating 45 years of an Eagles classic 🎵

Let’s get into it!

Health consciousness isn’t a trend, but a lifestyle increasingly adopted by consumers. Still, everyone has a sweet tooth at some point, and everyone loves a sandwich cookie, so Mondelēz International is bridging the gap and taking a big leap with its top-selling cookie.

A big part of getting sugarless “sweet” treats off the ground is building the brand recognition. Consumers may want what the product offers, but they have to know the product exists. Oreo Zero Sugar doesn’t have that problem.

“Until now, the sandwich cookie category has been relatively absent from the sugar-free snack segment,” said Michelle Deignan, vice president of marketing for the Oreo brand at Mondelēz. “This gap presented an incredible opportunity for the OREO brand to step in and redefine what indulgence can look like.” 

According to the International Food Information Council, 60% of consumers are worried about the levels of sugar in their diet, and “low sugar” is frequently a top three priority for those watching what they eat.

A study published the other day in Neurology followed over 27,000 participants with an average age of 58 for an average of 25 years, tracking their consumption of high-fat cheese and high-fat cream.

Examples of the former included cheddar, gouda, and brie, and the latter included whipping cream, double cream, and clotting cream.

The study found those who ate 50 grams of high-fat cheese or more per day on average had a 13% lower chance of developing dementia than those who consumed 15 grams or less. The risk was lowered by 16% for those who consumed 20 grams of high-fat cream compared to those who had none.

“For decades, the debate over high-fat versus low-fat diets has shaped health advice, sometimes even categorizing cheese as an unhealthy food to limit,” Emily Sonestedt of Lund University in Sweden said in a release. “These findings suggest that when it comes to brain health, not all dairy is equal.

“While eating more high-fat cheese and cream was linked to a reduced risk of dementia, other dairy products and low-fat alternatives did not show the same effect. More research is needed to confirm our study results and further explore whether consuming certain high-fat dairy truly offers some level of protection for the brain.”

Even though it’s the season of joy and giving, Christmas can be pretty chaotic. High expectations coming from multiple directions; the urge to rise to the level of perfection seen on social media; the promise of tidy family gatherings—they can all make your head spin.

Psychotherapist and adjunct professor at Pepperdine and UCLA, John Tsilimparis says this: slow down, take a deep breath, give yourself a break, and try to get comfortable with saying no at times.

Last week, Stake covered a story on the perfect ways to say goodbye at a party. These lessons can be applied during the holidays to help you not overextend yourself, give everything you’ve got when appropriate, enjoy the big moments when you can, and avoid the the urge many have to give more than they have.

“The truth is that the holidays don't have to be perfect and that, over time, as families grow and change, so do our customs and rituals,” he wrote in an op-ed for Psychology Today. “So, we must be realistic, go with the flow, and remember that the holidays are not always a happy time.

“Don't compare past holidays with the current one. Stop comparing your behind-the-scenes life to everyone else’s highlight reel. When you compare, you despair. Remember who loves you and cares for you (not cheesy, simply true).

“Think about the less fortunate and summon gratitude for your life instead of hopelessness.” 🥰

“There are stars in the southern sky, southward as you go. There is moonlight and moss in the trees, down the seven bridges road.”

They just don’t write ‘em like that anymore, do they?

Seven Bridges Road was the last top 40 hit for the classic Eagles lineup, released Dec. 15, 1980. It was initially just a warmup tune they’d sing prior to going on stage, allowing each of the supremely talented musicians to get their vocal cords loose in one of rock ‘n roll’s most beautiful harmonies.

It was composed by Steve Young a decade earlier during one of those special moments when a song isn’t really written, but discovered or even revealed. He was driving down a highway outside of Montgomery, Alabama with Jimmy Evans and Wayne Greenshaw, when they stopped to marvel at the scene above them.

"Steve got out on the right-side fender," Evans said in My Heart Is in the Earth: True Stories of Alabama and Mexico. "We sat there a while, and he started writing down words."

"As you went out into the countryside, the road became this dirt road and you crossed seven bridges, and then it was almost like an old Disney scene or something, with these high-bank dirt roads and trees hanging down, old cemeteries and so on," Young told Jeff Moehlis in 2010.

A little of this, a little of that

Happy Friday, Staker! It’s time for another round of trivia à la carte, this time with a holiday spin 🎁

We’ve got a set of 10 random questions—the only thing connecting them is that they’ll make sense if you were born in the ’60s. So walk on down memory lane with today’s trivia!

Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified on Monday afternoon. Keep an eye on your inbox and don’t forget to check your spam folder!*