Salve Lucrum (2 of 2): SELF Framework to Reclaiming Health
Hooked, Hijacked, Harmed
Right now, every last one of us is an unwitting test subject in a heartless, profit-driven food scheme — one as insidious and destructive as the social media scam that has reshaped our society in recent decades.
Both were built for profit and unleashed like a contagion — no warning, no consent, no escape hatch. None of us volunteered to be lab rats. We weren’t asked. We weren’t even given a chance to resist. We were shoved — blindfolded and unsuspecting — into these twisted testcapes that hacked our cravings, short-circuited our instincts, and siphoned away our health. There were no guardrails or referees — just a rigged game where a select few feast while the rest of us pick up the check.
Just as social media rewired our brains, eroded our attention spans, and fueled an unprecedented mental health crisis, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) hijacked our biology, deepened our addictions, and wrecked our physical health. Both were designed to maximize consumption at the expense of well-being. Both manipulated our instincts and desires, rewarding short-term gratification at the cost of long-term health. And both have remodeled society in ways we’re only just beginning to grasp.
In January, I published an essay titled Salve Lucrum: Big Food's Poisoning of America, the shocking story of how a quartet of industries — Big Food, Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, and the U.S. healthcare system — broke the back of the American people by prioritizing profits over health and welfare.
This relentless pursuit of profit has triggered a series of overlapping crises: a food system dominated by UPFs, a healthcare model built around managing illness rather than preventing it, and a sharp rise in chronic disease — particularly among children and the working class. Given the mounting evidence exposing how these industries thrive at the expense of every man, woman, and child in the U.S., we should all be outraged.
Building on that first essay, this piece offers new insights into America's food problem and presents a simpler, updated approach to reclaiming our health — evolving from the FELTS Framework to the newly developed SELF Health Framework.
Let's get into it.
Getting Back to Basics in a World of Overwhelm
We all know something is wrong. We hear about the corruption of our food supply. We read the alarming statistics — skyrocketing rates of chronic illness, obesity, and cancer. We learn that even healthy choices come with hidden dangers: PFAS chemicals leaching into our water bottles, seed oils hiding in so-called heart-healthy foods, exercise routines designed more for aesthetics than longevity. The deeper we look, the worse it gets.
Instead of clarity, there's chaos — an avalanche of advice, conflicting studies, biohacking trends, miracle supplements, and experts who can’t even agree with themselves. Saturated fat: good or bad? Resistance training vs. cardio: which is the holy grail? Oatmeal: a wholesome breakfast or a blood sugar nightmare? Some of the information out there is legit. Much of it is noise. And an alarming amount of it is laced with problematic financial incentives, hidden conflicts of interest, and outright misinformation.
The people are overwhelmed. Even doctors, scientists, and researchers — people whose lives are dedicated to understanding these questions — admit they don’t know where to start. And if they’re lost, what chance do the rest of us have? The sheer volume of conflicting information is paralyzing. So most of us do what we always do in the face of overwhelming complexity — we freeze. We delay. We default to our current habits, even as they slowly kill us. All the while, the machine spits out profits like a gushing geyser, drenching the few at the top while the rest of us drown in the fallout below.
I kept encountering the same problem — caught in a cycle of information overload, paralysis, and inaction. And then it hit me: before we can reclaim our health, we need to rethink our approach. We have to cut through the noise and strip everything back to its core. We need to return to First Principles.
First Principles Thinking
The answer isn’t more information. It’s not better policies. And it certainly isn’t expert consensus, the latest trend, or another ultimate solution. Those all matter, of course — but what good are they if they only add to the noise?
They say knowledge is power, but in this case, it’s just another form of paralysis — more noise, more debate, and little action. The real solution isn’t found in chasing details, obsessing over optimization, or getting lost in minutiae. It begins with foundational truths—core, inescapable habits that lay the groundwork for lasting health. To uncover them, we must strip everything back to First Principles.
That means eliminating assumptions, conventional wisdom, and surface-level conclusions. Instead of tweaking existing solutions, chasing trends, and arguing over conflicting studies, we start from scratch by asking:
- What is inescapably and undeniably true?
- What does the human body fundamentally need to function?
- Where would we start if we were designing human health from the ground up?
First Principles thinking forces clarity. For example, instead of debating whether keto, paleo, or veganism is best, First Principles thinking would ask:
- What foods have we evolved to eat?
- What core inputs are non-negotiable for human health?
- How do we create a foundation of health so reliable and strong that the details take care of themselves?
The FELTS framework is useful, but it isn’t foundational — SELF Health is. This isn’t the ultimate solution; it’s just where the journey begins. SELF Health isn’t about chasing perfection or endless optimization — it’s about taking back control, cutting through the noise, and laying down a foundation that will support lasting health.
But before we get to SELF Health, we need to talk about ultra-processed food (UPF) — one of the greatest threats to our health today.
Ultra-Processed People: The Hidden Dangers of Our Food
In his eye-opening book, Ultra-Processed People, Oxford-trained molecular virologist Dr. Chris Van Tulleken lays bare a chilling truth: most of what we eat today isn't real food at all.
It's an industrially engineered product crafted not for human health, but for maximizing corporate profits. The industry’s ultra-successful core product — ultra-processed foods (UPFs) — makes up about 60% of the average American's diet. These UPFs hijack our biology, manipulate our appetites, and drive a global health crisis. Van Tulleken’s book serves as both a wake-up call and a roadmap for reclaiming our health.
Strikingly, while writing the book, Van Tulleken adopted a diet dominated by UPFs to experience their effects firsthand. Are these foods truly fueling overeating, metabolic dysfunction, and addiction-like behaviors, as many experts warned? Or is the real problem, as the food industry insists, personal responsibility — arguing that obesity and diet-related diseases aren’t caused by the products themselves, but by individual failure, lack of willpower, and poor choices?
The results were alarming. Within weeks, Van Tulleken experienced rapid weight gain, mood swings, and heightened anxiety. His hunger hormones surged, making him constantly crave more, and brain scans revealed neurological changes resembling those seen in substance dependency. Despite knowing the science, Van Tulleken was shocked by how quickly and profoundly UPFs changed his body and mind and altered his health.
UPFs are deliberately designed to keep us hooked. They override the body's natural hunger signals, fueling compulsive overeating and dependency. Research now links UPFs to obesity, metabolic disorders, and some of the world's leading causes of premature death. The sad, shocking truth is that their dominance in our food supply isn't an accident. Big Food operates like a modern-day mafia, not with violence, but with an iron grip on the global diet. The industry engineers hyper-palatable, addictive formulations, floods the market with aggressive marketing, and ensures regulators stay compliant or complacent. The result is a system where profits soar while public health crumbles.
At one point in the book Van Tulleken writes:
You're a participant in an experiment you didn’t volunteer for. New substances (UPFs) are being tested on all of us all the time to see which of them are best at extracting money.
Bottom line: ultra-processed food — factory-made, chemically engineered, and loaded with artificial additives — isn’t food. It’s a slow-acting toxin, masquerading as a meal. In a country already ravaged by a decades-long opioid crisis, the real threat isn’t just crack, fentanyl, or prescription painkillers — it’s what’s lurking in every grocery aisle, every vending machine, every drive-thru window. If it's designed to sit on a shelf for years and keep you coming back for more, it’s not food. It’s UPF. And UPF is poison.
In the introduction to the book, Van Tulleken challenges his readers to eat as much UPF as they want while reading the book. Why? He’s confident that once readers truly understand what these foods are made of, how they’re engineered, and the ways they manipulate the human body, they’ll be so disgusted that they’ll never want to touch them again. That was Van Tulleken's own experience — by the time he finished his research, the foods he once ate without hesitation had become utterly unpalatable.
Ultra-Processed People is a wake-up call and a battle cry. Reclaiming our health starts with exposing what’s really on our plates, demanding systemic change, and taking back control of what we eat. This book won’t just inform you — it’ll infuriate you. And that anger? It’s fuel for change — exactly what Big Food fears most.
Awareness isn’t enough. Knowing the problem won’t fix it. The real challenge is reclaiming our health in a world designed to sabotage it. We can’t dismantle the system, but we can take back control. The SELF Health Framework cuts through the noise with a science-backed, practical path — built on four non-negotiable pillars: Sleep, Exercise, Light Exposure, and Real Food.
SELF Health Framework: A First Principles Approach to Health
Health shouldn't be this complicated. But by drowning us in conflicting advice, endless trends, and ever-changing rules, the industries profiting from our confusion want us to believe otherwise. But real health isn’t found in the latest diet craze or a new set of restrictions — it starts with our bodies core evolutionary and biological needs.
By focusing on four foundational pillars of health — Sleep, Exercise, Light Exposure, and Real Food — we strip away the noise and return to what matters most. This is the SELF Health Framework: a First Principles approach to reclaiming our health in a world designed to sabotage it.
S🟰Sleep
Sleep is the Cornerstone of Good Health. Since my initial essay on this topic, I've learned even more about the fundamental importance of sleep to our health and well-being. It's so essential and foundational that I decided to place sleep front and center in my revamped FELTS Framework.
After extensive research and discussions with dozens of doctors, scientists, biochemists, and health experts, I asked a simple question: Amid the flood of conflicting health advice, what’s the single most impactful action a person can take to improve their health? The overwhelming answer: prioritize sleep.
Historically, sleep has been overlooked, yet it's arguably the most critical pillar of human health. Fortunately, its importance is finally being recognized. Quality sleep regulates hormones, supports mental clarity, aids learning, and enables our bodies to repair and recover. However, modern habits — like exposure to artificial light, late-night eating, alcohol consumption, and irregular sleep patterns — interfere with these vital, restorative processes.
In a future piece in this series, we’ll take a deep dive into sleep — why it matters, how to prioritize it, and the most effective ways to improve it.
E🟰Exercise
Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercises are Powerful Forms of Medicine. Aerobic exercises — running, cycling, swimming — use oxygen to generate energy, improving cardiovascular endurance. In contrast, anaerobic exercises like weightlifting and sprinting focus on building strength, power, and muscle mass. Both are scientifically proven prescriptions for better health.
Studies show that regular physical activity dramatically reduces the risk of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis, by improving cardiovascular health, metabolism, muscle mass, and bone density. The Exercise is Medicine initiative — supported by leading health organizations like American Medical Association and World Health Organization — reinforces the idea that exercise is one of the most potent, natural interventions for preventing health issues. Research published in top medical journals like JAMA and The Lancet confirms that even modest increases in movement and resistance training can significantly enhance quality of life, reduce mortality rates, and transform health outcomes.
In a future piece, we’ll also take a deep dive into exercise — breaking down the key differences between aerobic and anaerobic training, which is more effective, and why. We’ll also explore the underlying mechanisms that make a well-designed exercise regimen so powerful in transforming our health.
L🟰Light Exposure
The Sun is Nature's Catalyst for Optimal Health. Natural light plays a crucial role in regulating our circadian rhythms — the internal clocks that control sleep, metabolism, and mood. Research from the National Institutes of Health and studies published in Sleep Medicine Reviews show that sunlight exposure, particularly in the morning, helps regulate melatonin production and improves sleep quality. On the other hand, excessive exposure to artificial light, especially before bed, can disrupt these processes, leading to sleep disturbances and metabolic issues.
Embracing natural light, particularly in the morning, while minimizing artificial light exposure at night, is a straightforward and effective strategy to restore your body's optimal function.
- Morning light helps set our circadian clock and regulates hormones like cortisol and melatonin.
- The myth that sunlight is inherently harmful overlooks its essential role in vitamin D production and overall health.
F🟰Food
Nourish Your Body with Whole, Unprocessed Foods. Choose natural, whole foods that your body recognizes — seasonal, organic, and minimally processed. Research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shows that diets rich in whole foods provide essential nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants that protect against chronic diseases. In contrast, industrial crops like corn, soy, and wheat are often processed to the point of nutrient depletion and contamination with harmful chemicals. Studies published in journals like the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and Food and Chemical Toxicology have linked these practices to substantial increases in inflammation and metabolic disturbances.
- Fresh, nutrient-dense foods reduce inflammation and support optimal health.
- Ultra-processed foods account for nearly 60% of the average American's diet and are directly linked to rising rates of obesity, cancer, chronic disease and inflammation.
Food — unprocessed, natural, and whole — is an immense topic. In an upcoming piece in this series, we’ll tackle practical, affordable ways to access this kind of food. We’ll explore strategies for integrating a sustainable shopping and cooking routine into your life, making it easier to prioritize real food. I’ll also provide an extensive list of resources and brands that you should know about, all of which can help you eat healthier and better.
Reclaiming Health with the SELF Health Framework
Modern life is rigged — our food, our routines, even our instincts have been weaponized against us. The way forward isn’t more hacks, more trends, or more complexity. It’s a return to what our bodies were built for: Sleep, Exercise, Light Exposure, and Real Food.
Like social media, the food industry has exploited our biology, fueled our addictions, and undermined our health for profit. Breaking free requires focusing on what truly matters. By committing to these four pillars, we don’t just improve our health — we reclaim control from a system designed to keep us sick.
We have a single, stark choice: remain a passive participant in this rigged experiment or reclaim the strength, clarity, and resilience that are our birthright. The SELF Health Framework isn’t just a guideline — it’s a rebellion against the forces profiting from our decline.