Hey 5HTers 👋! Writing to you from Wellist Week in Miami ☀️. It’s the first year of the conference, and I’m already impressed. Expect a full debrief soon, but from what I’ve already seen I can confirm that the tox is toxxing 😆.

#1 My latest DEXA scan results

Last year was a pretty epic year for my health. I lost 40+ pounds, started curbing my chronic inflammation, and finally got serious about sleep. Naturally, I wanted to keep the momentum going. So I set a goal to reduce my body fat from 19.7% to 15% as part of my resolutions. 

Annnnd then I had some setbacks. 😬

I ended up needing two surgeries back-to-back—one in January (heart) and one in February (nose). Both came with recovery time and stopped me from working out the way I was used to.

So I was disappointed, but not exactly surprised, when my most recent DEXA scan showed I hadn’t made progress against my goal. I’d actually gone backward: up to 21.2% body fat. 😔

Now, to be fair, there’s a 🤏 chance the number got nudged a bit by bad DEXA etiquette. (I had worked out beforehand and gone to the sauna, which, er, isn’t recommended.) So, sure, maybe the result was a little off. Buuut probably not that off.

More likely, I went backward despite my best efforts.

I’ve continued microdosing GLP-1s, eating healthy, and staying as active as I can. But the reality is, when you can’t work out with the same intensity—or at all—and you’re burning fewer calories, it shows.

And yeah, it’s frustrating. It’s disappointing. But I’m sharing this because in a world of before-and-afters, I think it’s important to share the setbacks in the middle. Because they happen and they can happen to anyone—even someone who writes a health newsletter for a living. 

Anyway, in better news, I’ve always been lucky to have people around me who help pull me back. I was just in Miami visiting my Dad for Passover. He’s always been a real fitness nut. I genuinely don’t think the guy has missed a workout since I was born. His consistency has always been an inspiration to me—and being around him was a good reminder to get back at it.

So that’s what I’m doing. Because, despite this setback, I still very much intend to meet my goal. Consider this my way of continuing to hold myself accountable. 💪

#2 Feeding kids healthy foods

I have two daughters, three and (almost) five, and I spend a loooot of time thinking about what they eat. Like, how are you two surviving on three blueberries and vibes? 🫐😆

We’ve learned that when it comes to food, we decide what and when to serve… and they decide if and how much to eat. That's hard in practice and can be frustrating sometimes. So we’re constantly testing little ways to make feeding our kids healthier and easier.

Here’s what’s worked well, what’s worked somewhat, and what has not worked.

Working well ✅:

  • Only stocking healthy snacks. We do our best to keep the ingredients clean. (Reply “SNACKS,” and I’ll give you a list of my fave snacks we keep on deck.)

  • Pairing safe + new foods. Kids often need 10-15+ exposures (!) to accept a food, so we’ll pair something familiar with something newer.

  • Modeling healthy eating. We try to make sure they see us eating the good stuff, too.

  • Using tummy logic. We tell them eating too many treats can hurt their stomach. They now repeat this back to us, which is equal parts adorable and mildly alarming. But FWIW “tummy ache” really lands at three and five.

  • Owning breakfast: I wake up and make them eggs, toast, and fruit, or steel oats with bananas, blueberries, honey, and milk. On the weekends, we give them Magic Spoon or another healthyish option. (Kids like cereal? WHAT?)

Working somewhat 🤏:

  • Going on an adventure. Sometimes when introducing a new food, we frame it as an adventure. They’re usually open to trying it, buuut if the flavor is too intense, they’re out.

  • No snacking after dinner. We try to enforce this, buuut execution varies. Because when your kid comes up to you and says, “I’m hungry,” what are you gonna do?

  • Sorting foods. We’ve been talking about “sometimes foods” versus “everyday foods,” and that’s helped. Same with having them name foods as healthy: “broccoli is healthy,” “chicken is healthy,” etc.

  • Body scan. We’ve started asking questions like: How does this food make you feel? Do you feel full? Do you feel energized?

Has not worked ❌:

  • Making separate meals. Now they eat what we eat for dinner. And they’ve even started to like steak!

  • Expecting consistency. Just like we try to lower the pressure for them, we try to lower it for ourselves.

Ultimately, this isn’t about perfection. It’s trial and error. Annnnd, yes, some periods will have more errors. (We learned our lesson after Fruity Pebbles—no, not that Fruity Pebbles.) But we’re happy to do it cause these kiddos are worth it.

#3 Chiropractors, part I

Next up in my series on traditionally “woo” stuff is chiropractors. As most 5HT readers know, I’ve got a bad back, and I’ve tried everythinggg to get it in better shape—even chiropractic care. In fact, I once went to one of the best chiropractors in Austin.

To be fair, he was also a PT and pretty honest with me about the limitations of chiropractic. Maybe even too honest? 🤷‍♂️

Here’s the thing: People with acute low back pain can absolutely feel real relief after a chiropractic session. It’s happened to me! Mobility can improve and pain can drop. It seems… to work best when it stays in the lane of musculoskeletal care.

Buuut it gets weird 🥴 when chiropractic care pretends to be whole-body medicine. It’s become increasingly common for chiropractors to claim spinal alignment can do alllll sorts of things, from helping asthma to infertility.

The science is actually fairly clear here. Medical guidelines generally agree that spinal manipulation can help with certain kinds of low back pain and, sometimes, neck pain. When it helps, spinal manipulation seems to work about as well as physical therapy or exercise-based rehab. But that's where the evidence mostly stops. 

There's no good evidence that chiropractic care can treat systemic disease. 

There are also real risks, which is what freaks me out and why I always tread lightly. Certain adjustments, like high-velocity neck manipulation, carry a small but real risk of arterial injury and stroke. 

Look, I get why some people swear by it. Touch matters. Movement helps. Placebos are powerful. And for acute back pain, it’s proven to provide relief. But IMO, chiropractic care is often over-sold 😬. To me, the good ones are likely those who focus on movement, encourage exercise, and take a more conservative approach. 

Bottom line, though: PT, strength training, and medical evaluation are what I’d opt for—and what I continue to focus on.

#4 Chiropractors, part II

I know Easter is behind us but this is still living rent free in my head. (Sorry 😂.)

Instagram post

#5 Dog longevity

Last week, I talked about how we’ve crossed over a new threshold of pet health with cat Ozempic. Buuut that’s not the only thing reshaping the category.

Enter: dog longevity. 🐶

Loyal is a dog longevity company I’ve been following for a while now, and they’re quietly building something historic: what could become the first FDA-approved drug designed to extend lifespan in dogs.

Loyal has already cleared two of the FDA’s three big checkpoints for LOY-002: Reasonable Expectation of Effectiveness in February 2025, and the Target Animal Safety package in January 2026. The final piece is manufacturing.

The drug, LOY-002, is a daily pill aimed at targeting metabolic dysfunction to extend the number of healthy years a dog lives while supporting quality of life as they age. (They’re also developing drugs for giant breed dogs 🐕—LOY-001 and LOY-003—who can have lifespans roughly half as long as smaller dogs.) 

To test the effectiveness of LOY-002, Loyal launched what it says is the largest clinical trial in veterinary medicine: the STAY study. It’s placebo-controlled and double-blinded, aka the gold standard for clinical trials. The company enrolled 1,300 dogs aged 10 and up across 72 vet clinics in the U.S., which is just… so crazy cool.

My dog, King Arthur (friends call him “Artie”), is only five, so he unfortunately doesn’t qualify (yet). Tragic for me, because I want him to live forever. (Though we can always clone him like Tom Brady did to his dog.)

My hope is that this becomes proof of concept that aging itself is a treatable condition, which would have implications far beyond dogs.

And if dog longevity keeps taking off, my plan is to have King Arthur launch his own newsletter so he can woofout on the healthyish things he strongly likes and dislikes. (Don’t worry, you’ll be the first to hear about it 😉.)

⚡ Neural hacks

Directions: Copy, paste, and fill in the prompt below to create a series of accountability emails to help you achieve a healthyish goal.

Act as a thoughtful, practical health behavior coach. Help me create a series of accountability emails I can schedule to send to myself for a healthyish goal I’m struggling to stay consistent with.

Start by asking me this first:

  • What’s one health goal you’re struggling to hold yourself accountable for? (i.e. drinking more water or going to bed earlier)

Next, ask 5 quick questions to personalize the emails, such as:

  • Why this goal matters to me

  • What usually gets in the way

  • What tone motivates me best (gentle, funny, firm, motivational, no-BS, etc.)

  • What time of day I most need the reminder

  • Whether I want very short nudges or slightly longer emails

Then create:

  1. A recommended cadence for a series of 5 emails.

  2. 5 email drafts I can send to myself, with each one serving a different purpose in the accountability journey.

  3. For each email, include: subject line, body copy, and a suggested timing for when I should schedule it.

Keep the emails concise, encouraging, realistic, and actually motivating. Make them sound human, not robotic. Prioritize consistency over perfection.

🍿 Brain snacks

Shoutout to Jenny P, Amy M, Erinn M, Cory Z, Steph G, Stefanie S, Sharon G, Michelle, Vanessa C, Saralyn W, Shaun C, Kara G, and Sarah B for sending emails or contributing to 5HT+ Slack community!

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👋 Who are you again? I’m Derek Flanzraich—founder of two venture-backed startups in Greatist (👍) and Ness (👎). I’ve worked with brands like GoodRx, Parsley, Midi, Ro, NOCD, and Peloton. I now run Healthyish Content, a premium health content & SEO agency (among other things).

Every Thursday, I share 5 health things I feel strongly about so you can live healthyish. (Disclaimer: I’m more your friend with health benefits. None of this is medical advice.) Also some links are affiliate links, but they influence my decisions zero.

Oh, you also feel strongly about some health things? Hit reply—I’d love to hear it.

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