5HT: 5 Healthyish Things, including lead in protein and a sci-fi wellness pod

Did someone forward this to you? Join 95,000 readers finding their next health hack. Come hang→

Okay, so, everyoneee from media outlets to Redditors is talking about the Consumer Report testing 23 protein powders and shakes from popular brands and finding high levels of lead in more than two-thirds of the products. Cue panic from wellness influencers/talk show hosts everywhere 😱.

Frankly, I think this whole thing is stupid 😬. Yes, no level of lead is “safe.” And, yes, repeated lead exposure can cause serious health issues. But the panic over this is way overblown.

Here’s why: Trace levels of lead already show up in plenty of foods we eat like fruits, vegetables, nuts 🥜, and spices. That’s because trace metals show up naturally in soil, water, and crops. Does that make it okay? No. But will you be tossing all your spinach and cashews? Probably not. (Though, tbh, I’d support tossing Lunchables, which also tested high for lead last year.) 

Also worth calling out: The CR report used standards from Prop 65 in California, which is 0.5 micrograms per day per product. Meanwhile, the FDA standard for lead is 8.8 micrograms per day for women of child-bearing age (and 12.5 for men and post-menopausal women). So, basically, every protein product is fine by national standards, but CA standards are much stricter (and why you might see a warning label on some products). More on that here.

Is CA just being too extreme? The answer is IDKID—or at least unrealistic without foundational changes in our food system. Bad things are everywhere in our food because food-quality standards in the US suck. The U.S. is wayyy more lax with food regulations than other countries—and it shouldn’t be. (That’s likely a big reason lead keeps sneaking in everywhere.) But changing that will require a system-wide approach.

But back to protein powders. I personally like this health coach’s measured take: Choose third-party tested brands from trusted brands, use protein to supplement (not replace) real food, and, most importantly, don’t let wellness influencers sell you fear… or be convinced by Consumer Reports doing fearmongery clickbait to try to be relevant again (sorry).  FWIW I personally use Momentous’ unflavored grass-fed whey protein powder and really liked their response.

I’m very serious about cooking eggs 🍳. I’m talking every single morning, making a protein-packed breakfast with as many random veggies and spices I can find to mix things up.

I’ve been looking for cookware that’s both free from forever chemicals (because once you know what’s in your pans, you can’t un-know it) AND non-stick (so I didn’t have to do a ton of clean up later), buuut gave up on finding one that could do both. 

Recently, though, I discovered HexClad’s hybrid cookware. I’ve been using their Hybrid 12" Fry Pan—and it’s been game changing.

Here’s why I’m into it:

Their patented hybrid design basically combines the best of all worlds—stainless steel performance, cast iron durability, and nonstick convenience. Plus, it’s PTFE- and forever chemical-free 🙌, thanks to their proprietary TerraBond™ ceramic coating. Annnd, it looks great! (The textured honeycomb-like surface is very cool!)

If you’ve been looking for cookware to upgrade your everyday meals—I’m into this. Oh, and 5HT readers get up to 30% off select products!

While at Assembly, I tried the buzzy Ammortal Chamber, a wellness pod whose tagline is “the fastest way to reset, recharge, and rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit.” Spoiler alert: it didn’t quiteee live up to all that 😅, but I enjoyed it, and it looks very cool. 

Basically, the concept behind Ammortal is to combine a bunch of popular healing modalities into a single 30-minute session. 

So, inside this sci-fi-like chamber, you get:

All of these are layered together while you recline in a bed modeled on NASA’s zero-gravity body-positioning research. 🚀 Things started with a guided meditation, the chamber’s top dramatically came down, and… honestly not a lot happened after that. I guess maybe I was expecting a light show of some kind (😂)? I came out relaxed, yes—but also a little underwhelmed.

Then I looked up the price. The chamber costs $160K (or a casual $3K/month for I assume the rest of your life if you’re financing). I could see this making sense in an athletic recovery center or high-end hotel spa, but for everyday use? No chance.

Anyway, I’m not going to buy one. But, if you get the chance to try it (for free 🫣 or at least for cheap), I’d say go for it! I did sleep amazingly that night… so maybe there’s something to it after all. 🤷

Okay, so I wrote a thing and wanted to share. It’s a poem in the style of odes from Percy Bysshe Shelley on the epic, dusty garage gym (mine in particular). Tell me at the end if you think I nailed it… orrr if I should stick to writing health insights. 😂 

O noble garage gym
Hum beneath the flickering bulb
Our field, our forge, our cluttered Olympics
where gods wear sweatshirts
and glory smells faintly of WD-40

Amid our kingdom of dust and ambition
A-morning we greet the sun with squats.
Temple of half-finished projects,
The air thick with grass, chalk, and resolve.

Here, beside the stroller wheels and cardboard ruins
Push aside the pink scooter, reusable shopping bags
We sweep the floor like monks
To carve out six square feet of discipline
Devotion amid chaos. The box fan hums our hymn.

O Bowflex dumbbells, adjustable Excalibur
And holy Grail from Facebook Marketplace
clicking from ten to fifty-two with a sound like destiny—
you rest upon your plastic throne
a totem to all who believe strength can be assembled in pieces

O foolish relics of midnight scrolling resolve—
the ab wheel that squeaks like regret,
the Perfect Pushup that promised triceps of steel,
the Chirp wheel that mocks us from the corner—
False prophets of progress, still we believe.

I start another YouTube workout,
one always longer than the time we have,
for time is a trickster god—
I should have skipped the sweeping—
and now only twenty minutes remain.

While Dua and JT praise the dance floor divine,
our own music is the steady creak of aging joints,
the thud of lungs rediscovering life.

O jump rope snapping the morning air,
your cheap plastic psalm to the driveway—
when the house still sleeps, thou are church.

My partner calls from the stairs—
the eternal chorus of real life interrupting myth:
"Can you grab this? Just for a sec?"
And we descend from Olympus, mid-rep,
bearing laundry instead of lightning.

The foam roller, our Sisyphus stone,
is lost again beneath the lawn chair.
Surely conspiring still with the missing 10-pound plate.
We search, find nothing, and stretch against a wall instead.
Progress, like salvation, is always improvised.

O noble garage gym,
humble temple of chaos and clang
you are our unglamorous sanctuary,
where sweat redeems intention,
time under tension turns faith to form,
and progress hides in every repetition
Forgive our skipping reps and dropped plates,
our half-charged Theragun and not-yet-downloaded podcast.

When the final plank collapses,
we lie among the dust and dumbbells,
sweat dripping onto the sacred floor.
This is more truce than temple—
where we meet ourselves between desire and duty,
between what we want
and what we manage.
Grant us this grace:
the floor stays steady,
the Wi-Fi holds,
and the will returns tomorrow.

Okay, you now know what I’m curious about—but here’s what everyone else is Googling, according to a few trusty platforms.

👋 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.) 

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