TODAY'S AJENDA #94

Last Thursday, I shared on Instagram that I was starting a 30-Day No UPF (Ultra-Processed Food) Experiment. It went viral, with hundreds of people commenting that they wanted to do this with me. So this January, I’ll be devoting Ajenda’s ‘Dose of Honesty’ to share weekly updates from the experiment and cover a concept related to UPF.  

The experiment is simple: For 30 days, I’m avoiding UPFs as much as possible and following six metrics: 

1. Energy Level

2. Body Weight 

3. Digestion 

4. Appetite

5. Sleep

6. Skin

To be clear, this isn’t a “detox” or a weight loss challenge. It’s about resetting the baseline and being aware of just how much ultra-processed food is around us. 

Let’s jump in! This week, we’re starting with definitions.

The Four Food Categories 

The NOVA Food Classification System breaks food down into four categories based on how much processing it’s gone through: 

Group 1) Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Foods 

Food that’s in its natural state (or close to it). Think fruits, legumes, grains, coffee, nuts, fresh meat, eggs, and coffee.   

Group 2) Processed Culinary Ingredients 

Ingredients extracted from natural foods or nature that are used for cooking in moderation. Oil (such as olive or avocado), sugar, honey, butter, lard, and salt are all fair game. 

Group 3) Processed Foods

Whole foods with a few ingredients added to preserve them or enhance their palatability, such as salt, sugar, or oil.  

For example:

• Cheese

• Plain yogurt

• Smoked fish

• Canned beans 

• Bread made with flour, yeast, water, salt

Processed foods aren’t the enemy. In fact, in many cases, it’s what makes healthy eating possible. Processing lets you open a can of beans instead of soaking them for 12 hours, have yogurt that won’t spoil in two days, and eat tomatoes in January.

Group 4) Ultra-Processed Foods

Industrial products made with ingredients you wouldn’t have in your kitchen. They’re full of additives designed to improve texture, extend shelf-life, and make them hard to stop eating. 

For example: 

• Frozen “ready meals”

• Chips, cookies, candy

• Packaged baked goods

• Sodas and sweetened drinks 

• Protein bars, powders, drinks and “diet” snacks (note: often described as ‘healthy’)

How to spot them: 

• Long, hard-to-pronounce ingredient lists 

• Contains additives like emulsifiers, stabilizers, flavors, colors

• Heavily packaged (think: plastic wrapper, inner liner, paper box) which may increase exposure to microplastics and chemicals. Note: This is an active area of research. 

The Sneaky Truth About UPFs

Now, you’d think spotting UPFs would be easy once you know what to look for. The scary truth is that when you opt for something that feels healthy, you’re likely grabbing an UPF.  

Take Hippeas Chickpea Puffs. The package says “plant protein.” The ingredient list looks clean: chickpea flour, rice flour, pea flour, spices, and yeast extract. The nutritional profile has 0 trans fats, 4 grams of protein per serving, low sodium, and less than 1 gram of added sugar. 

But it’s a “Trojan Horse.” While it might not scream “UPF,” it’s not a food that resembles its form found in nature.

• Zoom In: These puffs were industrially manufactured to have a long shelf-life, and each one smells and tastes identical. Those features mean it’s an UPF.  

While the label doesn’t have any glaring offenders, these are “empty calories” that’ve been industrially formed using artificial processes and compounds. Buyer (and eater) beware. 

The Midlife UPF Problem 

U.S. adults get about 53% of their calories from UPFs. Read that again. That is shocking. (And I never overuse the word “shocking.”) The research tells us very clearly why that’s a problem: 

• Science Says: A 2019 study of 20 people found that people on an ultra-processed diet ate 500 more calories per day and gained 2 pounds compared to those eating unprocessed foods. 

For us women in midlife, this is the last thing we need. We’re already fighting to maintain muscle, sleep through the night, and manage our rising cardiometabolic risk. An extra 500 calories a day from “food” that’s usually low in protein will not help us win the long game. 

Here’s one last test to help you spot an UPF. Ask yourself: Could this food be made in my mother's or grandmother’s kitchen using ingredients I recognize?  

If yes, it’s probably whole foods or (minimally) processed foods/ingredients (and fine). If not, it’s probably ultra-processed (and worth limiting or avoiding entirely).

If your hair has started to feel dry, dull, or just…tired, you’re not imagining it. This is one of the most common complaints I hear from women in midlife, and it’s rarely about a single product or bad haircut. I’ve been struggling with this too.

Before menopause, my hair was shiny and bouncy. But even with the help of HRT (hormone replacement therapy), my hair hit a wall and was fine, flat, and not in a good place. 

It wasn’t until I started Wellbel* that my hair came back to life. I started using their shampoo, conditioner, and Women+ supplement (specifically for perimenopausal and menopausal women) back in August, and it worked surprisingly fast. I’ve seen a huge response. After a few months, my hair is fuller, shinier, bouncier, to the extent that others noticed.

But here’s the thing: hair dryness is almost always a biology and behavior issue: what’s happening inside the body and what we’re doing to hair on the outside.

Biology

Estrogen keeps hair in its growth phase for longer, which is why pre-menopausal hair is voluminous and shiny. 

But when menopause hits and estrogen levels decline with age, hair shifts into its resting and shedding phases faster. The result? Thinner strands, slower growth, and a scalp that produces less sebum. 

Sebum isn’t “dirty.” It’s the natural oil that coats hair, keeps the cuticle smooth, and gives hair its shine. Less sebum means hair becomes more vulnerable to dehydration, friction, and breakage.

Behavior

We also have to look at the mileage we’ve put on our hair. For me, 20 years of professional hair styling for Good Morning America and network television took a toll. Between the high-heat tools, studio lights, and alcohol-heavy sprays, I was killing my hair for the camera, every single day. 

Then think of all the times you’ve gone through stress: raising children, managing careers, navigating loss. Spiked or sustained cortisol can absolutely disrupt your hair cycle. 

And finally, diet. Hair is made of protein (keratin). If you’ve spent years under-eating protein, skipping meals, or not prioritizing iron, biotin, zinc, and omega-3s, you just can’t build strong strands.

What To Do About “Meh” Hair

Food: Protein, Omega-3s, and Micronutrients

When you’re low on nutrients, your body triages. It sends nutrients to vital organs first, and deprioritizes your hair. Cue slowed hair growth and gobs of hair in your sink.   

If dry, dull hair is your issue, focus on foods that support lipid production, protein structure, and antioxidant defense:

• Protein: Eat protein at every meal. Eggs, Greek yogurt, fish, poultry, tofu, or legumes.

• Omega-3s: Salmon, sardines, walnuts, chia, and flax. These support scalp health and fight inflammation. 

• Micronutrients: Iron, zinc, biotin, and niacin. Think leafy greens, beans, seeds, seafood, and fortified dairy.

• Water: This is the most overlooked hair “product.” Dehydration worsens dryness and brittleness. 

No supplement will rescue hair if the diet is chronically under-fueled.

Topical Care: Repair, Protect, Don’t Overdo

On the outside, the goal is simple: repair damage, reduce moisture loss, and prevent new injury.

One product category that has real science behind it is bond repair. Oils and conditioners can coat hair, but they don’t fix structural damage. That’s where products like topical oils can come in. 

Some products target broken keratin chains inside the hair shaft, which can improve softness and shine over time, especially in color-treated or heat-damaged hair. Think of this as internal repair, not surface gloss.

Leave-in moisturizers are another essential. Look for formulas with humectants (like glycerin), lightweight oils, and silicones that smooth the cuticle. These don’t “suffocate” hair. They reduce friction and moisture loss, which is exactly what dry hair needs.

And then there’s heat. Styling tools aren’t the enemy, but unprotected heat absolutely is. Always use a heat protectant before blow-drying, curling, or straightening. Heat damages the cuticle, allowing moisture to escape and leaving hair rough and dull. Over time, that damages compounds.

A few unglamorous but powerful tweaks:

• Wash less often if possible, and avoid harsh clarifying shampoos unless needed

• Lower the heat on tools — you don’t need maximum settings

• Be gentle when detangling, especially when hair is wet

• Don’t chase shine with constant treatments; consistency beats intensity

As I mentioned earlier, Wellbel was the first thing that really moved the needle for me. I was convinced to try it after spending time with Wellbel’s founder, Dr. Daniel Yadegar, a cardiologist with advanced fellowships in functional medicine. I was impressed by Wellbel’s formulations and thought I had nothing to lose by trying it in earnest. 

And I’m very glad I did! I’m definitely going to keep using Wellbel, and can’t wait to see what my hair looks like a year from now. Hopefully, by then I will look like Simba! (My 25-year-old daughter started taking Wellbel herself and she's seeing results too!) 

Wellbel has kindly extended a 15% discount to all Ajenda readers. Use the code Ajenda15 for 15% off any Wellbel order with free shipping. And if you decide to do a quarterly subscription, you’ll get another 20% off.

For many of us, holiday reading is a juicy mystery or the latest romance novel. I love those! But this year, I spent my vacation glued to The Healing Power of Resilience, by my friend and colleague, Dr. Tara Narula. 

Dr. Narula now holds my former position at ABC News (Chief Medical Correspondent) and is someone I’ve known and admired for years.  Before she came to ABC, she was at CNN and CBS News.  

As a cardiologist and television medical correspondent, Dr. Narula has spent decades immersed in the front lines of heart disease: the leading cause of death in the United States. 

We all know the usual prescriptions: medications, procedures, diet, exercise. But this book shines a light on what’s often missing:  resilience. Not in a vague, motivational-poster sense, but as a measurable, teachable, biologically relevant skill that shapes outcomes.

The Missing Gap In Medical Care

What Dr. Narula argues, convincingly, is that resilience isn’t a “nice to have” after a diagnosis. It’s fundamental. We need it to absorb the shock of new information, show up to appointments, follow treatment plans, and recover from surgery. Without it, even the best medical advice falls flat.  

Over her career, Dr. Narula noticed a persistent gap in care: physical health was treated in isolation from mental and emotional readiness. That observation reshaped the trajectory of her work. 

In this book, she bridges medicine and psychology, weaving evidence from landmark trials, emerging research, and personal patient stories into a framework she calls the “Resilience Response.”

The Resilience Response 

When the body encounters stress, it has a physiological reaction that can worsen disease and slow healing. The “Resilience Response” offers tools to interrupt that cascade, from acceptance without resignation, lifestyle adjustments, facing fears rather than avoiding them, cultivating purpose and hope, prioritizing connection, and practicing self-compassion. 

None of this is fluffy. It’s grounded in science and clinical reality, and it deeply resonated with me as a physician and as a person. I recognized so much of the psychology she talks about after having lived it after the suicide death of my ex-husband, Rob. 

By blending personal anecdotes with science and medicine, Dr. Narula takes the reader from the clinic to the classroom to the living room of real life. The result is an accessible and important read. 

But what makes The Healing Power of Resilience especially compelling is its broad relevance. While rooted in cardiology, its lessons extend far beyond heart disease, from cancer diagnoses, autoimmune conditions, recovery from surgery, and even everyday stressors. 

This book is a reminder that thriving through a health challenge requires more than prescriptions. It requires preparation of the mind alongside care of the body. We will ALL face health challenges at some point in our lives,  so why not get prepared NOW? 

Dr. Narula makes a powerful case that resilience is not something you either have or don’t: it’s something you can build. In doing so, she offers a genuinely new way to think about what it means to live well, at any age. I am proud to enthusiastically recommend her book.

Well done, Tara!

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ABOUT DR. JEN

In her former roles as chief medical correspondent for ABC News and on-air cohost of “GMA3: What You Need to Know,” Dr. Jennifer Ashton—”Dr. Jen”—has shared the latest health news and information with millions of viewers nationwide. As an OB-GYN, nutritionist, and board-certified obesity medicine specialist, she is passionate about promoting optimal health for “the whole woman.” She has authored several books, including the national best-seller, The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier & Fitter—One Month at a Time. And she has gone through menopause…

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