5 Healthyish Things, including productivity hacks and alcohol cancer risk

Suspiciously timed for Dry January, 🤨 U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently called for clearer labels on alcoholic beverages, citing heightened cancer risks (think cigarette-style warnings). His recommendation is timed perfectly with a broader cultural shift away from alcohol. In just the last two decades, 10% fewer adults under 35 are drinking, according to Gallup.

I, too, am aiming to cut back on drinking this year. And with so many great alternatives (looking at you, Athletic Brewing 👀), it feels doable. That said, this raises a curious question: Does everything potentially risky need a warning label? 

Now, it’s obvious alcohol isn’t great for us—and most studies claiming otherwise (a la "red wine is good for your heart") have been debunked or are heavily biased. But drinking can be fun, just like eating candy can be fun. And should we start slapping skulls and crossbones on Kit Kats with what we know about sugar? Nah.

Maybe this messaging will accelerate the shift away from alcohol and we’ll look back in 20 years and see alcohol like we do smoking. Or, given that moderate drinking has yet to be studied, future research could reveal nuances (just like it did with fats), and warning labels could be premature.

In a world where, as Emily Oster puts it, there’s a lot of “it could be” or “it might be” but not much “it is," what should we consume? IDKID. Let’s just get through Dry January first.

Lately, I've been using these fun dodecagon mini timers and I dig them! When I find myself distracted or need to knock something out real quick, I use this gadget to refocus. It comes with 11 countdown timers ranging from 1 to 90 minutes. All you do is place the timer with your preferred time facing up, and it automatically starts counting down. When time goes off, it beeps, and you’re done. It's simple and it’s fun!

Plus, it’s gamifying my productivity. Every time I set a goal and hit it, my brain gets a nice boost of dopamine. I get excited to flip the timer and hit my next goal. Will I keep it up? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Only time will tell (literally). 

Anything boosting your productivity lately? Hit reply to tell me.

Let’s talk bone broth. This sippable so-called “liquid gold” is made from simmering animal bones, tissues, and marrow for hours (yum!). The idea is that this process extracts a cocktail of nutrients like calcium, magnesium, collagen, and amino acids… but whether it works is murky at best.

Any studies referencing health benefits like better sleep, better gut health, and reduced inflammation usually look at the nutrients in isolation, not the broth. Very few broth-specific studies exist—and most are on mice. So, does a meaningful amount of nutrients make their way into the broth? The jury’s still simmering on that one. 

But hey, I’m not here to dish out too much criticism. After all, bone broth is delicious, has been a health staple in cultures worldwide for ages, and I suspect is at least a little good for you—maybe just not as much as all the hype would have you believe. 

It’s also worth mentioning there’s big business in broth. The broth market is projected to reach an estimated $11.73B by 2032 (!!) Of all the broths on the market, my favorite so far is Brodo, which recently started shipping nationwide. But if you have time on your hands…and a chicken carcass lying around (who doesn’t?), just remember you can make your own by adding the chicken to boiling water with some vinegar, salt, and herbs. The longer it simmers—and the meatier the joints (again, yum!)—the better. Not that I’m going to do this, but you sure can!

Speaking of health food, olive oil is pretty conclusively healthy. It’s rich in monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, and vitamin E, contributing to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet (arguably the healthiest, hippest lifestyle diet around). 

Like with bone broth, again most research linking health benefits to EVOO is observational and tied to the broader Mediterranean lifestyle, so while the oil itself is healthy, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how much of the benefit comes from EVOO alone.

If you want to get the most out of every drop, you want extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). EVOO is the gold standard of olive oils because it’s made by mechanically pressing ripe olives, avoiding high heat or chemical solvents. This process preserves valuable polyphenols, the powerful antioxidants behind many of the EVOO’s health benefits. Highly processed olive oils (non-extra virgin) usually lose these valuable chemicals.

Now, I wish it were that simple, but not all EVOO is created equal. The olive oil industry is surprisingly ripe with fraud—many oils labeled as "extra virgin" are actually diluted or mixed with lower-quality oils. 

To ensure you’re getting a high-quality product, look for single-origin oils that can be traced back to a specific region. (Blending different sources dilutes the oil’s flavor and benefits.) Also look for the harvest date to pick an oil at its peak freshness and flavor—before antioxidants and polyphenols break down. 

Everyone seems to be into brands like Graza and Kosterina recently, which check off most of these boxes.

Though EVOO is high in calories—about 120 per tablespoon—it’s more filling than other oils. If drizzling isn’t your thing, you can take it as a shot (chilled slightly with a wedge of lemon), slip it into smoothies, or blend a serving with warm water and some lemon juice.

Speaking of EVOO… Bryan Johnson, the man who thinks he’ll live forever (and has a new Netflix documentary), says EVOO constitutes 15% of his daily caloric intake and is his number one anti-aging food. According to Johnson, EVOO is better than resveratrol, cold plunge, sauna, and “your favorite podcast.” 🤔

Johnson also (of course?) has his own brand of EVOO, which you can buy as part of his “Blueprint Stack,” i.e., the whole shebang of his brand’s supplements, proteins, and powders. I’m always a bit skeptical of influencer product lines. At $35 a bottle, you may be just as well doing a little digging around your local grocery aisle and finding another single-source option. But hey, if you're feeling fancy (and have $35 to spare), give his olive oil a swig.