Radium in the Roaring Twenties, was a new kind of miracle substance that captivated America, promising not just a faint, ethereal glow but a newfound sense of vitality and health.

Discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898, radium was initially hailed as a miracle substance, marketed in products like cosmetics, toothpaste, health tonics, and even food items, believed to cure ailments from cancer to impotence.

Its most prominent use was in glow-in-the-dark paint, like *Undark, applied to watch and clock dials, compasses, and military instruments.

This paint, made by mixing radium with zinc sulfide, was especially in demand during and after World War I for its ability to glow without sunlight, unlike fluorescent paint.

The Radium Girls

The young women who worked with it were known as the Radium Girls.

They were employed in factories across the United States, meticulously painting the luminous dials of watches with radium-based paint.

To achieve the delicate brushstrokes needed, they were instructed to lip-point — shaping the fine brushes with their mouths, unknowingly ingesting the deadly radioactive material with every pass.

They were told the substance was harmless, even beneficial, and often left work glowing faintly in the dark, a silent testament to the poison they carried.

Health Effects

The promised glow, however, hid a horrific reality.

As the years passed, the radium began to wreak havoc on their bodies from within.

Their bones began to crumble, their jaws rotted, and they suffered from severe anemia and cancers that doctors could not yet diagnose.

When the women began to sicken and die, their employers denied any connection, altering medical records and bribing doctors to cover up the truth.

The companies that had celebrated their beauty and skill now turned their backs on them.

La Porte v. United States Radium Corporation

It was only when a few courageous survivors, facing unimaginable pain and imminent death, took their fight to court that the truth began to emerge.

Their landmark legal battle against the U.S. Radium Corporation in the late 1920s became a turning point in American history.

The Radium Girls not only exposed the lethal greed of a powerful industry but also laid the groundwork for modern labor laws and workplace safety standards.

Their story is a haunting and tragic reminder of the human cost of corporate indifference, but it is also a powerful testament to the resilience of those who, with their final breaths, fought for justice and forever changed the world for the better.

sources —

La Porte v. United States Radium Corporation, 13 F. Supp. 263 (D.N.J. 1935)

Macro-friendly foods are those optimized for their macronutrient profile—most often high in protein, lower in fats and carbs, and providing more food volume for fewer calories. The term is popular among people tracking their macros (protein, carbs, fat) for specific fitness or weight loss goals.

Foods described as macro-friendly often have a higher protein-to-calorie ratio, making them supportive of muscle-building or fat-loss diets.

Often, these foods are processed or modified versions of traditional foods (e.g., protein wraps, low-fat sauces, sugar-free syrups) to help meet calorie or macro targets while feeling fuller and more satisfied.

Macro-Friendly Example Swaps

Pros of Macro‑Friendly Foods

• • Help you eat larger portions for the same or fewer calories
  • Facilitate easier adherence to calorie/macro-based diets, crucial for weight loss or muscle building
  • Prioritize protein intake, supporting satiety and muscle maintenance

Limitations & Considerations

• • Macro-friendly foods can be heavily processed to fit specific dietary goals. They may lack the micronutrients or other health benefits of whole, minimally-processed foods.
  • Focusing solely on macros can lead to choices that neglect food quality, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
  • Long-term health is best supported by a foundation of whole foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean meats, nuts, and seeds, which provide nutrient density beyond macros.

Macro-Friendly vs. Actual (Whole) Food

Actual food (whole food) refers to minimally processed, nutrient-rich foods that naturally contain both macro and micronutrients essential for overall health.

Macro‑friendly foods prioritize macro ratios and calorie control but may lack the complexity and nutritional value of whole foods.

Personal Thoughts

Whenever I think Macro-friendly, I often imagine some scientist in a lab somewhere pouring over a stack of spreadsheets.

Whenever I think of actual food, I’m reminded of how I’ve eaten the real deal my entire life. Whole milk, cheese, butter, beef, salad, sugar, and so on and so forth.

Somehow I’ve managed to stay as close to a real diet as possible though, and even after all of these years my weight has varied ever so slightly from when I was in high school.

Some might call me lucky but I don’t think luck has much to do with it. There’s nothing wrong with a little exercise and sunshine — it does a body good, and so does real food.