HealtH in tHe new Year

by Sandra Yeyati

Every new year marks the convergence of endings and beginnings—an opportunity to assess where we’ve been and anticipate where we’re going. As this dynamic relates to our health, this year promises an intensification in the development and adoption of several trends that have been years in the making.

The consensus among researchers is that filling our plates with colorful vegetables and fruits improves health and reduces our risk of developing a number of chronic degenerative diseases. “This approach, along with eating less meat and avoiding sugar, is wonderful to control blood sugar, lower uric acid and nurture your microbiome, which is fundamentally important to reduce inflammation, increase your body’s production of antioxidants and vitamins and help maintain the integrity of the gut lining so that you don’t get leaky gut and, therefore, inflammation,” says boardcertified neurologist David Perlmutter, author of Grain Brain and four other New York Times bestsellers.

Awareness of the devastating effects of industrialized meat production is also accelerating. “Avoiding animal products is probably the first and most important ethical choice one can make,” says Princeton University bioethics professor Peter Singer, author of the seminal Animal Liberation. “That’s going to dramatically lower your carbon footprint. You will no longer be complicit in the suffering of tens of billions of factory-farmed animals, and you won’t be contributing to the increasing risks of viruses being bred in factory farms.”

According to market analysis firm CB Insights, “As COVID-19 spread across the globe, shifting consumer behavior and virus outbreaks in factories has dealt major blows to the meat supply chain, with the beef industry alone facing an estimated $13.6 billion in losses.” Several U.S. meat processing plants were forced to close their doors.

In response, a growing inventory of plant-based alternative proteins is emerging, offering new products that seek to mimic the experience of eating a juicy hamburger (Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods) or crispy chicken nugget (Simulate). Banza makes high-protein pasta from chickpeas. Retail sales of plant-based meals in the U.S. have grown by 25.5 percent over the past two years, and other manufacturers joining the field are Plantible Foods, Rebellyous Foods, Livekindly and InnovoPro. A recent survey found that 36 percent of consumers intend to increase their consumption of alternative protein sources in the near future.

Perlmutter cautions, “Just because they’re plant-based doesn’t give them full sanction. They may contain unfermented soy, which may not be non-GMO or organic, and per an article in the New York Times, their carbon footprint may be a lot higher in production of these products than we have been led to believe. Do a little research on these manufactured foods and go for plant-based options that aren’t processed. Shop the periphery of the grocery store.”

According to management consultants McKinsey and Company, when COVID-19 began, the level of telemedicine increased in America 78-fold, peaking in April 2020. Although it has been declining since then, the use of telemedicine is still at a 38-fold increase compared to pre-pandemic times. “While it has leveled off, we are going to see persisting use of telemedicine in situations that involve basic communication with a patient,” says Perlmutter, citing compelling attributes such as cost savings, convenience and a lower carbon footprint because people don’t have to commute to a doctor’s office.

Perlmutter also anticipates an amplification of the use of wearable devices and home testing to provide biometric data that informs people about their health status and inspires them to modify lifestyle choices. The Oura Ring records the time it takes to get to sleep, how many times the wearer awakens during the night and how much time they spend in REM and deep sleep. This information enables people to modify day-to-day activities to improve the quality and quantity of sleep.

Apple Watch aficionados are increasingly relying on the device’s biofeedback features, including its newest metric, blood oxygenation, while diabetics and non-diabetics alike employ continuous glucose monitoring systems to pinpoint how lifestyle choices like food, exercise and sleep affect blood sugar levels. “That is not only trending now, but will increase quite dramatically as consumers push to learn more about themselves,” Perlmutter predicts. “No longer is this information going to be siloed in the doctor’s office. People are becoming more and more empowered to learn this data about themselves and act on it.”

“Our evolving understanding of epigenetics—how we can change our gene expression—is bringing more people on board to the idea that our lifestyle choices matter,” Perlmutter says. “When I went to medical school, we thought our DNA was locked in a glass case and that it would determine everything about us. Nowadays, we know that the expression of more than 70 percent of our DNA that codes for health and longevity is under our control and influenced by our lifestyle choices. The food we eat, whether or not we slept well last night, the stress in our lives, whether or not we spent time in nature—all of these things, moment-to-moment, change our gene expression. Holy Toledo! We now know that cer-

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tain lifestyle choices are good for you because they favorably change gene expression. They teach it in med school now. It’s a breathtaking reality.”

Life hackers and high-performance junkies are looking to leverage something called hormesis, which involves introducing low-level stress to the body for a positive outcome, so that when the body repairs itself from that condition, it doesn’t just repair back to the previous level, but to a new one with an advantage. This includes exposing the body to a hot sauna or cold exposure through cryotherapy, as well as intermittent fasting or timerestricted eating. “People are starting to see how good things happen when we engage in things that push us in places that are perhaps a little bit uncomfortable, activating mechanisms that help with metabolic health, immunity, cognitive function and even the growth of new brain cells,” Perlmutter explains.

When U.S. gymnast Simone Biles dropped out of the 2021 Summer Olympic Games citing mental health challenges, she created an opening for other people to speak up. If a world champion could reveal her vulnerability on the global stage when the stakes were so high, certainly so could they. Her compelling story is emblematic of an emerging trend: Mental health is gradually becoming destigmatized.

“It’s becoming acceptable to talk about our feelings and ask for help, and this trend is shattering unhealthy cultural myths, like the erroneous assumption that if we talk about our emotions we’re going to fall into a pit of despair and sadness,” says Licensed Integrative Psychotherapist Leslie Davenport, the author of Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change. “There’s a boldness among younger generations that are challenging the status quo and demanding to be accepted as they are. Tucking away anything that might not be socially acceptable is a part of the past. Kids want their families and adults to accept and love them exactly as they are.” On Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, #itsoknottobeok is a popular hashtag.

Mental health surveys show that eco-anxiety in particular is prevalent among the young. Late last year, scientists at the University of Bath, in England, interviewed 10,000 youth between the ages of 16 and 25 across 10 continents. In the U.S., 68 percent said that the future was frightening. Almost half admitted that they had distressing feelings related to climate change on a daily basis, 42 percent believed that the things they valued most would be destroyed and 35 percent feared that their family security would be threatened.

According to Davenport, “In addition to therapy becoming more acceptable, I’ve seen coaching become more common as another option in which people don’t have to examine their past and can instead look forward. A coach can help them make sense of their life, set goals and hold them accountable.”

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In a few decades, mindfulness practices have catapulted from Buddhist monasteries to corporate boardrooms and have become a billion-dollar industry in the U.S. with an 11 percent annual growth rate. “Mindfulness has been emerging for a while, but at this point, it’s a household word,” Davenport says. “People are talking about mindful eating or

mindful conversations. Core concepts like being present in the moment or taking in the other person in an empathetic way are rippling out into so many aspects of life.”

Redefining the conventional, in-person therapy session that is 50 minutes in a quiet room, therapy apps allow people to have short phone calls, video chats or text exchanges with a therapist for a low monthly fee. Notable therapy apps include BetterHelp.com, OnlineTherapy.com, BrightSide.com and Calmerry.com. For meditation, Calm.com, InsightTimer.com and HeadSpace.com are dominating the field.

Many people that were devastated by isolation and loneliness during the pandemic sought social engagement via streaming and app-enabled webinars, exercise routines or art classes. Suddenly, virtual conferences attracted participants from all over the world. Davenport relishes the fact that she was able to take tap dancing classes from a renowned New York City teacher, even though she lives in Washington State. “In a surprising silver lining, we’ve come to appreciate the convenience of these virtual experiences, which we likely wouldn’t have attended in person before the pandemic.”

Sandra Yeyati is a professional writer and editor. Reach her at SandraYeyati@gmail.com.

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by Sheila Julson

Anew year offers an open door to reflect and consider how we can be our best selves going forward. This quest has traditionally led to new year’s resolutions related to achieving hard or fast goals. However, setting intentions allows us to focus on the all-important journey toward our desires. Get inspired by members of the Natural Awakenings community as they share their intentions for 2022.

co-founder and executive director of the Kula Kamala Foundation (KulaKamala Foundation.org), says her intention has been the same for many years, but grows deeper with each orbit around the sun. “I vow to be grateful, to see the sacred essence of each moment—even the difficult ones—and to allow the potential of goodness to guide my relationships and steward my commitments,” she shares.

Saraswati believes that this past year has reinforced the truth of the most valuable lesson any of us can learn: no matter what difficulties we face, focusing on unity, love and supporting the well-being of those around us will help us navigate obstacles feeling less defeated and far more grateful.

“The year 2022 will be a year of living courageously and boldly from a place of deep inner truth. It will also be a year to continue to embody ahimsa (nonviolence), daya (compassion) and seva (service),” she concludes. “2022 will be a year of bhakti (devotion) toward the divine mother and a time to continue sharing her powerful wisdom. May 2022 be the year we all achieve liberation from suffering and come to know true happiness.” For nearly two years, the current health crisis has swept many of us into a virtual existence, leading to isolation and fewer opportunities to

engage with those that help make our lives whole. This coming year, therapeutic writing teacher Melissa Greene, of Write From the Heart (WriteFromThe Heart.us), intends to reacquaint everyone she knows and loves with laughter. “Art remains the place I call home,” she says. “Art can take us all home to who we are. Add some humor, and creativity is like riding the wind with no hands. If we let go of preconceptions, it can’t help but lead us out of fear and despair.” Greene notes that in a world that’s losing sight of its soul, she intends to use writing to share the joy, healing and freedom still possible to everyone. Ashley Smoker, of Nature's Intuition (NaturesIntuition.net), intends to remain Swamini Shraddhananda Saraswati open to receiving abundance, happiness, pleasure and all the gifts the universe has to offer. “I am really going to give myself permission to welcome it all in,” she enthuses. Smoker notes that over this past year, she practiced not just goal-setting, but appre-

Melissa Greene

ciating the journey toward I feel like I am learnthat goal, while keeping ing to embrace my own an open mind during life’s imperfect humanity. I meandering, rather than am much more gracious trying to force something towards others, but I am to work if it is no longer learning that unless I also meant for her highest extend that grace to mygood. “It is perfectly ap- self, I don’t understand propriate to be flexible grace.” and to grow and change In 2022, Harnish wants every day. Ask your body to be more playful, laugh if the direction you are more and see, hear and going feels right, and if Ashley Smoker feel the joy in the world on you listen, your body a regular basis in order to will give you a, ‘Heck balance the bombardment yes’ or a, ‘No, let’s of negativity and pain broadsee what needs to cast from our screens. shift.’ The answers are In 2022, Heather Kreider, already within.” co-owner of Hempfield

Throughout the new Botanicals (Hempfield year, Smoker plans Botanicals.com), says her to follow her blissful intention is to give as much pleasures and to find love and joy to others as she balance between being can. “My heart is so full, a businesswoman and a and being able to share that growing human. “I will love with others is very also intentionally put away technology and Malinda Harnish Clatterbuck important to me.” For Kreider, the past consciously be with the year has taught her that ones I love,” she affirms. when one door slams

We are living in times shut, another one always that can be trying for even opens. “It may not be the most positive among the exact same type of us, observes Malinda door, but it can be an Harnish Clatterbuck, of amazing door,” she says. Malinda Harnish Counsel- “Sometimes we think ing (MHarnishTherapy. that a certain situation com). “I know I can only or a certain person is the control myself, so my key to success or happidesire continues to be ness, but that's not always to cause as little harm as possible to myself, to Heather Kreider reality, and sometimes that major change is actuthose around me and to the Earth,” she ally needed.” This year, says. “With every word I say and every she plans to continue to be the true, kind, action I take, I will allow all of who I am to loving person within, no matter what is be an intentional agent of truth and love, reflected back at her. justice and grace.” As we enter a new year full of possibili-

Time has taught Harnish to develop a ties, setting intentions by the year, month deep appreciation for her own human- or even each day, helps empower us to ity. She strives to do the right thing in decide what we want to achieve and how every situation and to seek justice for all, we want to experience life. particularly the most marginalized and oppressed. “I don't always live up to my Sheila Julson is a freelance writer and conown expectations, but no one is perfect. tributor to Natural Awakenings magazine. a creative THRIFT experience

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