Wellness Evidence Study: Ultra-Processed Foods Are the Weight Gain Villain – Not Sugar, Fat, Carbs

An important new study from the National Institutes of Health is the first randomized trial to show that ultra-processed foods actually drive people to overeat and gain weight compared to whole/less processed foods. Those on an ultra-processed diet ate 508 more calories a week, gaining two pounds over the two-week study period, versus those on the unprocessed diet who lost two pounds a week. Key…

The “Do No Harm” Principle Will Become a Travel Destination

The recent landmark UN report on biodiversity comes to the sobering conclusion that the decline of the world’s biodiversity is such that “it is eroding the foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.” Demographics are a major culprit: We were 1.5 billion people a century ago, 6.1 billion in 2000, and 7.2 billion today, but what the report also…

We Know Nature Is Medicine, Now We Know the Dosage: 2 Hours/Week

There is a mountain of research on how time in nature impacts people’s physical and mental health, from lowering stress and blood pressure to increasing life expectancy. Which is why more doctors are now actually prescribing nature. But what’s the right dose? A new UK study (20,000 people) provides an answer: two hours a week. People who spent 120 minutes outdoors each week reported being in…

Must-Reads from the Wellness World (Week of July 2, 2019)

The Future of Marketing Is Bespoke Everything (especially for wellness) – The Atlantic, June 11, 2019 Thanks to advances in manufacturing, data collection, and the direct-to-consumer nature of online shopping, personalization is becoming the hot new thing at much more accessible prices—especially in the wellness space (whether customized vitamin cocktails or face serums). This trend taps into something powerful: the idea that we’re all special enough…

August | Kids

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” — Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa Are our children well—and are they becoming well adults and responsible citizens? This question isn’t just for parents; every organization, large and small, has a stake in the answer. Because when it comes to the welfare of today’s…

July | Move

Physical activity is a natural medicine to stave off illness and disease, and regular exercise leads to a sense of empowerment. To move isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity, a basic, biological drive as essential to your health as sleep or connection or food. Let the following ideas move you, your coworkers and your family during July and beyond. What constitutes a good life? First…