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Widowhood, in Indian society, is a dreaded condition of a woman after the death of her husband. It is an imposed performance that entails a set of ritualized practices and behavior to mark her transition to the state of a woman without. On many occasions, this state is ensured and maintained through multifarious rituals and practices, which range from restrictions on mobility, choices, and desires to injunctions on clothes, bodily demeanor, and food. This physio-social exercise of control and restraint alludes to a framework of religio-cultural discourse that renders widows as social and sexual non-beings. The present paper attempts to understand the state of widowhood through the analysis of two short stories in the collection, The Anger of Aubergines (1997) by Bulbul Sharma from the perspective of food. Food and eating, being the elementary aspects of everyday life, become important signifiers in studying the deprived state of widowhood. The paper intends to unpack the politics behind the imposition of a curriculum of gastronomic injunctions and food taboos on Hindu upper-caste widows. Further, the paper conceptualizes the appetite of widows as a subversive category not only in challenging the gender discourses behind their oppression but also in exonerating their status as desireless beings.

There has been no validated digital tool for measuring appetite with a visual analog scale (VAS) through a mobile app using participants’ smart phones for data collection in virtual settings. To fill the gap, we developed a digital VAS and conducted a digital cross-over clinical trial by comparing appetite responses measured by this digital tool versus paper-based VAS in 102 participants in a free-living environment. Participants consumed either a 230 or 460 kcal breakfast in randomized order in two virtual sessions, and their appetite was measured over the next 4 h using both tools. The results revealed no significant difference in hunger, fullness, satiety, or desire to eat measured by digital and paper VAS. Paper VAS resulted in a higher prospective consumption score than digital VAS; the difference (1.1 out of 100 points) was statistically significant but not practically relevant. Bland and Altman analysis also indicated consistency in the results from the two methods. In conclusion, digital VAS on a smart phone is a validated tool for appetite measurement in the real world; it provides a new way for researchers to leverage participants’ mobile devices for appetite data collection in digital trials.

Sodium plays a key role in the regulation of water balance and is also important in food formulation due to its contribution to the taste and use in the preservation of many foods. Excessive intake of any essential nutrient is problematic and this seems to be particularly the case for sodium since a high intake makes it the nutrient most strongly associated with mortality. Sodium intake has been the object of recommendations by public health agencies such as the WHO and this has resulted in efforts by the food industry to reduce the sodium content of packaged foods, although there is still room for improvement. The recent literature also emphasizes the need for other strategies, e.g., regulations and education, to promote adequate sodium intake. In the present paper, we also describe the potential benefits of a global healthy lifestyle that considers healthy eating but also physical activity habits that improve body functionality and may help to attenuate the detrimental effects of high sodium intake on body composition and cardiometabolic health. In conclusion, a reduction in sodium intake, an improvement in body functioning, and educational interventions promoting healthy eating behaviours seem to be essential for the optimal regulation of sodium balance.

Donald Davidson’s causal theory of action greatly influenced a dominant analytic interpretation of the argument, in Republic 4, for parts of the soul. According to Davidson, actions are caused by a combination of belief and desire (pro-attitude). In the interpretation inspired by this account, parts of the soul have distinctive beliefs and desires, which cause action; thus, parts are distinct agents. As well, the argument in Republic 4 is taken to show that, while reason desires the good, appetite is a desire which is good-independent. Then, since appetite is not a desire for the good, its being a distinct agent implies the possibility of akrasia—appetite could overcome reason’s judgment about the better course of action. In fact, the possibility of akratic conflict is taken to be integral to the distinction among parts. By contrast, this paper offers an interpretation which shows that the causal theory is not needed to establish the parts of the soul. As a consequence, akrasia has no role to play in distinguishing parts of the soul.

The survival of microorganisms inhabiting the intestinal tract depends on the nutrients provided by the host, with the latter obtaining them through food intake. It is hence not surprising that the co-evolution of gut bacteria and their hosts, including humans, shaped intrinsic interactions between their respective metabolisms with an impact on host feeding behavior. Understanding molecular pathways underlying such interactions may aid in the development of new therapeutic approaches for several pathological conditions accompanied by altered feeding behavior. A Special Issue titled “Gut Microbiota–Brain Axis in Regulation of Feeding Behavior” contributes to this topic of research, with eight papers covering its various aspects such as autoprobiotics, metabolic diseases and anorexia.

Several studies have found an association between eating behaviours and weight status and obesity risk in childhood. Children’s eating behaviours arise from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Parents appear to play a central role in their development as the main responsible for shaping children’s feeding environment and eating experiences. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on parental influences on eating behaviours across childhood, mainly focusing on parental feeding practices. The associations between parental feeding practices and children’s eating behaviours have been extensively studied. However, most of the findings come from cross-sectional studies, so the possibility of reverse causality cannot be ruled out (i.e., children’s behaviours influencing parents). Most recently, a few longitudinal studies with a cross-lagged design have shown that the relationship between children’s eating behaviours and parental feeding practices seems to be bidirectional, where it is not straightforward whether parental feeding practices are a predictor or a consequence of children’s eating behaviours. Children’s eating behaviours influence parents to adopt certain feeding practices, but these practices also influence children’s behaviours over time. Parental feeding practices may have the potential to shape children’s eating behaviours and should be targeted to promote the development of non-obesogenic traits. However, parent–child interactions are complex and therefore both parent and child characteristics and the family dynamics should be considered.