This probably seems like an odd choice of topic for a philosopher who is known for being a tad obsessive about good nutrition, on a website where you can browse and buy half a dozen different nutrition, performance and healthy habits plans.

Over the pandemic period, food has played prominently in our thoughts and deeds. That’s understandable, when there's not much else to do. On Cake is the third in a consumption-themed set of four Philosopher-In-Residence blogs, which will take a look at how our relationship with food is changing, and what agency we have in that agenda for change.

Having your cake and eating it has long been a benchmark for somewhere on the spectrum between greed and the holy grail in English idiom. Having spent over a year either cooking our own cakes, running out of flour, or having our cakes home-delivered, how has our relationship with the sweet stuff changed?

Cake Is The Drug

Brass Eye – the show that was “out out there” before “out out” was even a phrase. In 1997 Brass Eye memorably (unless you’re younger than this Philosopher-In-Residence) interviewed a Member of Parliament on the abhorrent dangers of the new drug Cake.

This was, of course, entirely made up for the entertainment of the viewing public. But, as many of us find our capsule wardrobes now consist of “what fits” after  a sedentary year away from the gym, with our Make Me A Plan nutrition planning specialist hat on, may we remind you that sugar most definitely is a drug, and a highly addictive one at that. So step away from the cake, or at least check out our regular sugarless/flourless recipe ideas over on our @makemeaplan social media platforms.

Cake Is The Celebratory Centrepiece

Cake just loves to be the centre of attention. You have to admire cake’s relentless self-promotion, securing a primetime TV slot and cult following with The Great British Bake Off. Whether it’s a technical challenge or showstopper bake, may we refer you to our earlier note of caution and remind all members of this great United Plandom that sugar rushes and sugar crashes are nobody’s idea of fun as we all head back tentatively to the office post-Covid. Home-made snacks and lunches, of the rich in natural proteins, fats, fruits and vegetables variety, need to be top of our unlocked-life-lists.

Cake Is Your Just Desserts

“I don’t eat pudding,” a former colleague used to announce, to much opprobrium. As someone who doesn’t eat bread, this Philosopher-In-Residence is well accorded to that prompting intrigued interrogation too.

Occasional cake should be just that – once cake becomes a habit, unless you are actively burning enough calories that regular sugary treats are a tiny percentage of your overall intake, you are essentially volunteering to be more likely to get diabetes or other diet-related diseases. That doesn’t sound like a nice way of putting it. But the nice way of putting it isn’t very effective in getting people to assess if their habits are healthy or in alignment with their long-term goals or not.

Next fortnight, the culinary-themed mini-series concludes for those of you who may be reflecting on the lockdown effect on waistlines and energy levels. On 29th April, I’ll be musing On Cream.

Please get in touch with any particular aspects of this topic you’d like me to write about.

In the meantime,

Happy Planning