Health + Wellness Frustrations, Fiona Apple + Graza Olive Oil
A little bit of everything this week -- I voice my frustration with the capitalistic nature of the wellness industry, share my love for an olive oil brand, and more. Read up for a trip into my psyche.
Hello again — and welcome to my second newsletter blast of 2023.
A lot has happened in the past week or so since I last wrote! I started 2023 in New Hampshire with my family, soaking in some quieter mountain time before heading down to NYC last Wednesday to move into my new apartment. Moving is never fun, but I love the place… and am easing my way into a new routine. I love falling into routines — they are how I can feel at home in any location.
However, being back in NYC (and the U.S. at large, I might add) has reminded me of many exorbitant societal inequalities — in this instance, mostly in the the socioeconomic and health sense.
A Rant on Health and Wellness
It is no secret that I am very into “health and wellness” — and while I definitely think I can sniff out a lot of scammy products and marketing ploys, I do also take a multivitamin, could recite back to you the benefits of a number of adaptogens, and listen to various health podcasts. Wellness is a huge interest of mine, and is something I have invested my time and disposable income in since I was about sixteen.
However, the older and more I have advanced in my education, the more I have examined my presence in the space. Wellness is a massive industry, and is currently valued at over $4.5 trillion. It is pushed at us everywhere… the idea of self-improvement, self-actualization, self-this, self-that… it’s all over and has grown even more substantially as a result of the pandemic.
In my opinion, many of the solutions basic wellness offers should not be far-fetched. Supplements should be regulated by the FDA, organic produce shouldn’t be harder to access or more expensive (and we shouldn’t even have to know what the “dirty dozen” is.) But unfortunately, this is not the case — much of the pressure to learn and implement “healthier” lifestyle choices is placed on the consumer.
In addition, this consumer needs to be privileged at a number of different capacities — they need to have disposable income and adequate time to implement lifestyle, exercise, and dietary changes. Obviously this is already elitist — why should wellness be awarded to those who can afford it? This only further exacerbates existing economic divisions. Finally, the likelihood that those who can’t afford wellness are the ones who need it most — they are more likely to work high-stress jobs, struggle to put food on the table, and experience chronic stress — which heightens disease risk further down the line.
I’m not sure what the solution is — government intervention, greater regulation, fairer wages, universal healthcare? But the way things are working now is not fair, or sustainable. Something needs to change.
Food
Being back in NYC has meant access to some pretty great food. I’ve reunited with some of my favorite meals and products this past week… Saigon Shack’s Vegetarian Banh Mi, La Cabra’s matcha latte, Pickle Guys’ pickled onions… but most significantly of this week, I finally indulged myself in the Sizzle & Drizzle combo from Graza.
I use olive oil very regularly, and being raised in a Greek-Finnish-American household, it was a building block in many of our dishes. However, after growing more literate in cuisine over the years, I have learned that most olive oil isn’t really meant to be cooked with… its smoke point is very low, sitting between 325 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s why this combo is so cool to me — Graza makes two varieties of their oil, with one being meant for cooking (the sizzle version), and one being for raw consumption (the drizzle variety). And you can really taste the difference. I’ve been using it all week and am thus far very impressed.
Music
I’ve done it. After years and years of being recommended Fiona Apple, I’ve really given her discography a go. And all I have to say is why didn’t I do this sooner? There are so many newer artists I listen to that have definitely gotten their inspiration from her, such as Mitski. I can already tell she’s going to be my winter soundtrack this year.
Running
I’ve been (finally) getting back into a training groove after being abroad a months of encountering several hiccups overseas. I’m building up mileage again, and incorporating more strength work than I ever have prior. Currently, I’m aiming for 3-4 strength sessions a week, 4-5 days of running, one day of cross training, and one day of complete rest. This is what has usually been my sweet spot in the past — where I’m able to increase volume enough to increase my endurance, but not over-stress my body and get injured from too much running volume. I have a couple races on the spring docket, so I’m just focusing on getting back to a spot where I’m confident racing again in a couple months. So far, so good! I’m also excited to be back in the NYC running scene — there’s nothing like it.
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Anyway, that’s all I got this week! Catch you next time :)