5 Healthyish Things, including deli meat and ending chronic disease

Deli meat has been getting a bad rap lately. And yes, we know processed foods are not great for health. But is quick and convenient access to a protein-rich food with healthy fats sometimes better than skipping protein all together? IDKID. 

But for me, the answer is yes—especially when you opt for minimally processed options like Applegate and fresh sliced meat from the deli. (And shouts to Robin Berzin MD from Parsley Health, who made a great case for deli meats in a recent email herself! 🙌)

Speaking of friends with newsletters, Justin Mares is back with another banger. His list of ideas for fixing the chronic disease crisis are smart and inspiring (and I reaaally hope we get to see some of them implemented sooner than later). I won’t give them all away, but—surprise!—increasing access to nutrition education and healthy foods would go a long way. They’re all great, but some of my less intuitive faves are:

• No soda on SNAP

• Reform crop subsidies

• New presidential fitness standards

In yet another friend’s email (how does anyone have time to write emails if they’re all reading emails?), Michael Karnjanaprakorn’s shares in his Tings newsletter how “there’s a growing trend of people flying across the country for executive physicals — intensive three-day medical check-ups catered to the ultra-wealthy,” plus suggested a business opportunity “in creating an accessible version focused on longevity and fitness.” 

Well… entrepreneur Jesse Levey is on it! I met Jesse a few years back, when he cornered me at a fintech conference to tell me about his vision to build “$100,000/year longevity doctors available to the masses for $10/month.” He’s since launched his company, Longevity Health—and they offer high-end preventative healthcare at an affordable price. Their membership product, “The Billionaire Bundle,” makes what the ultra wealthy are doing more accessible for people like me and you (👏) and includes:

• A longevity Executive Physical (which includes blood work, Dexa Scan, VO2Max test, CGM, etc.)

• A personalized plan that prioritizes various longevity-focused interventions

• And a “Personal Longevity Board” including a physician, nutritionist, fitness coach, and stress management coach.

Now, I haven’t signed up for Longevity Health yet myself, but I think it’s a fascinating product and I’m excited about more solutions like this. Jesse also asked if I’d pass along an exclusive offer to 5HT readers and, like, duh. So, if you’re interested in checking out this program, enter the code Healthyish at checkout and you’ll get $750 off.

I’m all about healthy snacks, but one man can only eat so many pistachios (my favorite). 

Luckily I stumbled upon this Reddit thread listing foods so good you can’t believe they’re healthy. Lots of good stuff in here, but honorable mentions include air-fried chickpeas, fresh fruit (mangos were very popular in this thread), kimchi, and cold water. Love the healthyish spirit in this!

We know alcohol is bad for health, even in moderate portions. 😬 And while more and more people are going sober (or at least sober curious), there are those who haven’t found success with the go-to methods, like cold turkey and AA programs. 

For those looking for a third option, now there’s naltrexone, a drug with potential to help people quit drinking. Naltrexone works by blocking the feel-good buzz that people get when they drink. The idea is that overtime, taken regularly, this reduces the “reward” people get from drinking, and in turn the urge to do so. I don’t know if this is the next GLP-1, but I think it’s worth monitoring…