Happy Wellness

While on vacation, I've been happily eating papaya. And yes, I eat the seeds too. Do you know why? - They support digestion thanks to their high fiber content and natural enzymes. - They have antimicrobial properties. Laboratory studies suggest that some of their compounds show activity against certain bacteria and fungi. - They may help support liver health thanks to their hepatoprotective properties. - They contain healthy fats. Papaya seeds are rich in oleic acid and other unsaturated fatty acids. You can eat them raw—just chew 5–10 fresh seeds together with the papaya flesh. They have a spicy, slightly peppery taste. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have gastrointestinal conditions, it's best to consult your doctor before eating papaya seeds regularly.

Looks like a perfect summer dessert! I'd leave out the honey, though—watermelon and strawberries are already sweet enough.

Any fellow fans of Santal 33 by Le Labo here? I've been devoted to it for years. For me, it's like a perfectly curated capsule wardrobe — timeless, reliable, and impossible to replace. Well, while in Paris, I discovered the brand's new fragrance, Violette 30. It reminds me a lot of Santal 33, but with fresher top notes. Absolutely perfect for warm summer evenings. I ended up getting it as an alternative to my beloved signature scent. Do you have a fragrance that's stood the test of time — that one bottle you'll never stop coming back to?

Why do I try to add microgreens to my salads? The reason is simple: young plant sprouts contain a very high concentration of vitamins, antioxidants, and enzymes. In some cases, their nutrient content can be several times higher than that of mature vegetables and herbs. So, here are a few favorites: Broccoli microgreens: rich in sulforaphane, a powerful compound associated with liver support and the body's natural defense mechanisms. Pea shoots: an excellent source of plant protein, folate, and vitamin C, which are important for cell growth and repair. Radish microgreens: pleasantly spicy, rich in essential oils and vitamin E, and known for supporting appetite and digestion. Basil microgreens: packed with antioxidants and flavonoids that help protect cells from oxidative stress and support the body's natural inflammatory response.

I’ve put together a useful cheat sheet for you: 5 biomarkers worth tracking after 30. Fasting glucose is your baseline blood sugar level. The optimal range is considered to be 70–80 mg/dL. It’s also worth using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to see how your blood sugar changes throughout the day in response to food, stress, and physical activity. After meals, glucose ideally shouldn’t rise much above 120. During workouts, spikes up to 150–180 can be normal, but levels around 200 or higher are already a warning sign. Fasting insulin. Ideally, about three hours after eating, insulin should be almost cleared from the bloodstream. If it remains elevated, this may indicate insulin resistance — a condition that tends to develop in many people with age. It’s considered one of the key mechanisms of aging and is linked to diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and even certain types of cancer. HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin). This marker reflects your average blood sugar level over roughly the last 100 days, giving a longer-term picture than a standard fasting glucose test. Prediabetes is generally considered to start at 5.7%. Cholesterol risk ratio. It’s important to look not only at total cholesterol, but also at the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, the so-called “good” cholesterol. The lower this ratio, the better. It’s a simple and accessible way to estimate cardiovascular risk without specialized testing. Free testosterone. This one surprises many people because testosterone is still often viewed as exclusively a male hormone, but it’s important for women too. Testosterone affects metabolism, muscle mass, insulin sensitivity, mood, memory, cognitive function, and cardiovascular health. Levels begin to decline after 30 by roughly 1–3% per year. For men, an optimal range is considered to be 180–250 pg/mL, while for women it’s around 6–30 pg/mL. How often do you do health check-ups?

Yesterday you were craving salty food, today it’s sugar? Sounds familiar? These cravings aren’t random. They’re often your body sending very specific signals. When your diet lacks enough protein, healthy fats, or minerals, your body looks for the fastest way to compensate — which is why you suddenly crave sugar, salt, or fried foods. If you’re craving sour foods… This can sometimes point to a vitamin C deficiency. It may also be linked to low stomach acid, which makes the body instinctively reach for acidic foods. What to add: lemon water, berries, fermented vegetables, diluted raw apple cider vinegar, citrus fruits. If you’re craving salty foods… Your body may be low on electrolytes or fluids. Often this is connected to dehydration, low sodium levels, or a general mineral imbalance. What to add: coconut water, olives, leafy greens, fatty fish, eggs. If you’re craving sweets… Most likely your body needs more protein and steadier blood sugar levels. What to add: eggs, chicken, Greek yogurt, tofu, salmon. If you’re craving chocolate… This is often linked to low magnesium levels. Magnesium supports the nervous system and affects mood and muscle function. What to add: avocado, almonds, spinach, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate 70%+ with no added sugar. If you’re craving fried foods… Very often it simply means you’re not getting enough fats. And healthy fats affect everything from hormones to satiety. What to add: olive oil, chia seeds, avocado, walnuts, flaxseeds. If you’re craving carbs… Your body is asking for quick and sustained energy. Common reasons include fatigue, poor sleep, or simply not eating enough. What to add: bananas, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, quinoa, whole grains. Do you often notice unusual food cravings?

Friends, here’s a great breakfast idea! Baked sweet potato with Greek yogurt, pecans, and maple syrup (this one’s for those with a sweet tooth). Bake the sweet potato at 200°C (about 400°F) for 20–30 minutes.

Meet natto — fermented soybeans that can look pretty off-putting to an unprepared person: sticky texture, strong smell. But in Japan, it’s an everyday food. The product is made through fermentation involving the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. During this process, vitamin K2 is produced, which plays a role in calcium metabolism. At the same time, nattokinase is synthesized — an enzyme associated with the breakdown of fibrin. Fibrin is the protein that forms the “scaffold” of a blood clot, and nattokinase helps break it down, supporting blood flow and reducing the risk of thrombosis. On top of that, it’s a fermented food that supports the diversity of the gut microbiota. By the way, when I was traveling in Japan, I tried natto yogurt. Absolutely awful — but the locals were drinking it with pleasure.

This is interesting! Did you know that taking an evening shower is actually more beneficial… in the dark? Here’s why. Gentle relaxation of the nervous system. Darkness removes the main stimulus for the brain — light — allowing the body to release the tension accumulated throughout the day more easily. Sleepiness comes faster. Light signals wakefulness, so when it’s absent, melatonin production begins, and the desire to drift off to sleep comes naturally, without effort. The body relaxes more deeply. Warm water already softens the muscles, but in darkness this effect becomes even more pronounced. Stress levels decrease. The steady sound of water combined with the absence of visual stimuli works like a mini meditation. After a warm shower, body temperature slightly drops. For the brain, this is a signal: it’s time to sleep. A break for the eyes. After a day of screens, a dark shower gives them a pause where they don’t have to stay constantly engaged. Heightened body awareness. With nothing to look at, attention turns inward, and the state naturally settles and balances. Has anyone tried it?

The greatest victory is the victory over oneself. — Marcus Tullius Cicero

I recently came across something fascinating—and honestly quite surprising—about sleep. Evening rituals (like airing out the room, putting gadgets away, taking a bath, and doing a short meditation) absolutely matter. But there’s something else that turns out to be just as important: the amount of fiber in your diet. Research suggests that people who eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and similar foods tend to spend more time in deep sleep. That’s the kind of sleep you wake up from feeling truly restored, as if your body has actually recovered. At the same time, a diet high in sugar and saturated fats is more often linked to light, fragmented sleep. Here’s the mechanism. Fiber feeds the gut microbiota, which in turn produces compounds that influence inflammation, energy levels, and even the neurochemistry of sleep. It also helps stabilize blood sugar, preventing those spikes and drops that can wake you up in the middle of the night. How are you sleeping?

"I walked and walked, shivering with cold, through endless corridors, peering into every door in the hope that the next one would surely be the Door into Summer." — The Door into Summer, Robert A. Heinlein

Recently I came across a sociological study that explained what exactly leads women to burnout. So, let’s read — and see where you recognize yourself: Life organization. Planning absolutely everything: from kids’ schedules and travel to holiday gifts for relatives. Emotional support. Tracking the moods of loved ones to step in at the right moment — to support, smooth things over, talk things through. Relationship management. Making sure everyone stays connected: children, partner, friends, relatives. Organizing holidays and birthdays — in short, all the things men usually just don’t remember. Self-care. Not about rest, but about constantly keeping yourself in shape and meeting expectations (whether your partner’s or society’s). Safety. Ongoing background monitoring of everything: how the kids got to school, their health, nutrition, vitamins, and so on. Meta-care. Thinking about how to live “the right way” in general — how to be a good mother, partner, human being. The main problem is that this load has no clear boundaries — you can’t just switch it off. Especially if you have a big family (like I do, for example). And on top of that, there’s work — which no one has canceled. The good news is that some of this can be restructured with the help of psychologists or coaches. Whatever can be delegated — delegate it. And allow yourself mistakes and weaknesses. Which of these are part of your daily routine?

Minutes drag on slowly, but years fly by in an instant. Albert Einstein

Sardines have suddenly become the new beauty food. Gen Z has once again “discovered America” and now calls canned fish almost a natural Botox. They believe that if you eat sardines regularly, you can achieve the effect of glass skin — clear, glowing, almost translucent. The trend has even reached celebrities. Mila Kunis admitted in one interview that she loves sardines, and Eva Longoria reportedly eats them every day for breakfast. Sardines do contain substances that are beneficial for the skin: omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA. They have anti-inflammatory properties and help the skin better cope with photodamage caused by ultraviolet radiation. However, expecting an instant effect would be unrealistic. Omega-3s work more as a long-term preventive support. Besides, these fatty acids are found in many other foods as well: salmon, mackerel, herring, anchovies, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, and more. Do you eat fish often?

You can achieve everything you once dreamed of and still discover an emptiness inside. No one prepares you for that part. All your life you are told to work hard, stay focused, sacrifice comfort. And a person does exactly that. Builds, pushes through, improves. Gradually, the life once imagined begins to take shape. From the outside it looks impressive. Ordered, controlled, successful. But inside, for some reason, it becomes strangely quiet. The world applauds progress. But it almost never asks whether the person moving forward still feels alive. And sometimes the hardest truth sounds like this: success by itself does not bring meaning. It only amplifies what was already inside. Eckhart Tolle

A recent study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology found something interesting: sleeping on a very thin pillow or even without one may help reduce intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma. Elevated intraocular pressure is considered the main factor that damages the optic nerve and is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness. The mechanism is related to the position of the neck. When the head rests on a pillow, the angle of the neck changes and the jugular vein can be partially compressed. This can interfere with venous drainage and the circulation of fluid that nourishes the tissues of the eye and helps maintain stable pressure inside it. Personally, I like sleeping without a pillow or on a very thin one. What about you? What are your preferences?

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to move forward despite it. — Nelson Mandela

Two eggs for breakfast are considered a classic, but let’s be honest — it’s not really a high-protein meal. Two eggs contain only about 12 g of protein. For the body, that’s closer to a light snack than a signal to build and maintain muscle. Research shows that to noticeably stimulate muscle protein synthesis, most people need around 30 g of protein in a single meal. So if your goal is energy, stable appetite, and a healthy metabolism, it’s worth strengthening your breakfast a bit: add Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken, or at least a few extra egg whites. For people with healthy kidneys, this is not harmful, despite what used to be believed. Why is this important for those trying to lose weight? 📌 Protein is more satiating and has a higher thermic effect: the body spends about 20–30% of the calories from protein just to digest it. For comparison, carbohydrates require only about 5–10%. 📌 A high-protein breakfast also helps reduce appetite during the day, stabilizes blood glucose levels, and lowers the likelihood of evening overeating. Daily protein intake: For fat loss: 1.8–2.2 g per kg of body weight. For muscle gain: 1.6–2.2 g per kg. How much protein do you usually eat for breakfast?

Until recently, gray hair was considered irreversible. But recent research suggests it’s more complex. Hair doesn’t age on its own — what actually happens is that the pigmentation system stops functioning, and in some cases, it can switch back on. Here’s the mechanism: severe stress depletes melanocyte stem cells — the cells responsible for pigment. Yet in part of the study group, color in gray hairs was restored after stress levels decreased. So working with stress is not only about feeling better and keeping peace at home — it may also mean postponing gray hair. But there’s an important nuance. It turns out that switching into a “gray mode” may be a natural protective response against the risk of developing cancer. So it’s worth thinking not only about restoring color, but also about regular screening and checking cancer markers. What about you and gray hair? When did you first start noticing it?