Health
Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.
Why the world must shift to plant-based diets: A doctor explains
Maybe you already believe in the idea that “you are what you eat.” Now, a powerful new study takes that a step further, suggesting that the health of our planet is also what we eat. In this new study, scientists calculated that eating more plant-based foods—and less Read More...
Mindful meditation may be the answer to relieving chronic back pain, study suggests
In 1992, Harvard neuroscientist Richard Davidson embarked on an unusual research project to study the brains of Buddhist monks who spent thousands of hours meditating. What he found was that not only did the practice activate different parts of the brain, it also seemed to impact the body in ways Read More...
9 people who are changing the future of food
A radical new approach to raising cattle helped fourth-generation rancher Cory Carman save her family’s land. Twelve years ago, Carman Ranch, a 3,100-acre cattle-raising operation in Wallowa Valley, Oregon, was struggling; the grass, fast receding, barely supported the 300-animal herd. So Cory Read More...
Study: Climate change makes French wines better
Climate change is not a good thing, but it doesn’t only have negative effects. A study shows that French wines are getting better because of warmer summers. Warmer summers mean earlier-than-average harvests, more frequently. And winemakers in the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions know that the Read More...
8 million fewer would die if the world went vegan
By eating less meat and more fruit and vegetables, the world could prevent several million deaths per year by 2050, cut planet-warming emissions substantially, and save billions of dollars annually in healthcare costs and climate damage, researchers said. A new study published in the Proceedings of Read More...
Meditation plus running as a treatment for depression
The fitness routine of meditation followed by running may be effective in treating people diagnosed with depression, a new study suggests. In the study, volunteers, some of whom had been given diagnoses of depression, took part in a treatment program twice a week for eight weeks where they did Read More...
From garden to plate: how schools benefit from growing their own produce
When Chris Collins left school aged 16 in the early 1980s, he wasn’t sure where his life was heading. “I just couldn’t sit still in the classroom,” he says. “All I knew was that I wanted to be outside.” Today, Collins has come full circle, dedicating much of his time to championing Read More...
Ooom: Colleges turn to meditation to help you destress
Meditation may be an ancient practice, but it has found a home on modern-day college campuses as schools use it to help tackle student anxiety. The American College Health Association found in a 2015 study that a whopping 85.6% of respondents felt overwhelmed by their responsibilities. And Read More...
Italy changes law to make all supermarkets give unsold food to needy
Italy is set to pass a law that will make supermarkets donate their waste food to charities. It will become the second European country to pass such laws after the French introduced a bill in February which bans supermarket throwing away or spoiling unsold food. The bill has recieved widespread Read More...
British supermarkets pledge to cut food waste 20% by 2025
Britain’s leading supermarkets have pledged to drive down food and drink waste by a fifth within the next decade. Retailers including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons are backing a voluntary agreement, which also targets a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions created by the food and Read More...