Death by chocolate

I overindulged over the long Easter holiday - not in beer - as is the local custom - but in sugar.

Family from home sent us a care package of yummy chocolate bunnies, eggs and truffles. And my 16-year-old daughter has discovered baking (thanks a lot, Preppy Kitchen!). She spent most of her spring break keeping us supplied with Osterbrot, lemon cake, and cookies.

Not the best nutrition for my post-menopausal self. Thus I finally pulled the trigger and bought the audiobook of Mary Claire Haver's The Galveston Diet.

I've been a follower of Dr. Haver's for some time. (See this post here.) I like her advice and advocacy for women in midlife. And I subscribe to her newsletter, The Pause Life.

Diet-wise I have mostly been following her recommendations for making sure I get enough magnesium, fiber, and omega 3s and vitamin D. But, as of April 1, I am going in whole hog. (Hey, it's low carb!)

The beginning weight-loss phase involves a pretty strict keto eating plan + 16:8 intermittent fasting. This is the schedule for the first four weeks. After that, you gradually transition to the maintenance phase, which is more balanced fat, carbs and protein.

Wish me luck?

Like the weather

Now that it's April, it appears Berlin is going to finally get some warmer temperatures. After a lingering cold snap, Easter Sunday was brilliant - with temps in the teens (Celsius - that's in the 60s F) and sunshine.

The effect was somewhat marred by seriously bad air quality, due to the perfect storm of coal-burning stoves and migrating Saharan sand.

Parts of Europe were clouded on Saturday by an exceptionally rare haze of dust swept up from the Sahara desert.
The dust cast an orange tinge in the skies over parts of France, Switzerland and southern Germany.

- DW. Sahara dust cloud smothers, Germany, France, and Switzerland. 3.30.24

The air quality is back to being fine today, but rain is also moving in. Heading up to Weißensee with a picnic will have to wait for the weekend.

Random link love

I am really loving the stories I find via the Longreads website. Dedicated to "the best nonfiction storytelling on the web."

This week, I was alternately entranced and terrified by a series of essays from Pioneer Works: Broadcast titled Club Med, which covers the spiking rate of Adderall addiction in the U.S.

The Berliner, one of my favorite Berlin magazines, is officially "getting rid of its toxic Ex."

Well, this certainly won't combat the munchies ...

Finally, legal weed comes to Germany! As of April 1, the possession of small amounts of marijuna are decriminalized. And people are very excited. Before anyone gets on a plane or train, be aware that there are limits.

In concrete terms, this means that from April 1, people over 18 in Germany will be allowed to own and carry 25 grams of cannabis for consumption. What's more, hashish enthusiasts can now grow three cannabis plants in their own homes and store up to 50 grams of dried cannabis.

- DW. Cannabis now legal in Germany. 01.04.2024.

If you want to know all the ins and outs, this Reddit megathread on r/berlin has got you covered.

Coming Up

Next week, everyone goes back to school and work. I will be posting travel tips for Amsterdam over on my Berlin newsletter, Alte Frau, New Life. In Friday's issue, I will take a look at Germany's revision to its citizenship requirements.

On Medium, I am working on an explainer (some might call it a rant!) about Substack's changing policies regarding Google search integration.

I'll post links once the articles are live.

What's new in your world, this Wedneday? Feel free to share in the comments.