Homegrown

Hello friends, and welcome to Progress Pulse! If you’re new to the blog, add your email below to ensure that you receive my next piece in your inbox. If you want to read more of my posts, check out my archive here.

Over the past 6 months, Nvidia has been on an absolute tear.

Fueled by the A.I. bull rush and exponential demand for its chips across automotive, cloud computing, and gaming, the stock is up more than 120%, climbing to all-time highs almost every day.

Yet, what if I told you that a salad bowl start-up has outperformed the chip giant over the same time frame?

Sounds crazy right? Check out the numbers.

In the last half-year, fast-casual chain Sweetgreen, loved by vegetarians, IG models, and macro-obsessed frat bros alike has popped 128%, icing out the technology giant.

Over the year, it’s up an eye-watering 305%!

Stepping into a Sweetgreen this past weekend for an impromptu lunch, I could easily see why.

The salad spot buzzed with techno/pop music, fresh vegetables, and vibrant colors on every wall.

The food was carefully prepped to order, kindly served, and left me full but not feeling bad about it.

Around the country, Sweetgreen locations are popping up like springtime flowers, with more than a thousand coast to coast as of Feb. 2024.

Along with stellar growth, the whole-food-based chain has increased revenue by double digits every year since 2021. Investors are geeked about it.

Healthy chains like Sweetgreen and recently IPO’d Mediterranean powerhouse Cava (which is also up more than 100% in the last 6 months) are taking over the country, and for good reason.

Americans, especially younger groups like Gen-Z and Millenials, are transforming what ‘healthy living’ means in the U.S.A.

Wellness Winning Out

Consulting behemoth Mckinsey & Company recently surveyed more than 5,000 people from China, the U.S., and the U.K. as part of their “Future of Wellness” research.

The report focused on what trends are shaping health and fitness spending and sentiment for different age groups around the globe.

Across the board, Gen Z and Millenials are much more interested in wellness than their older counterparts, outspending Baby Boomers & Gen X in physical fitness products, meditation services, and healthy eating.

There are several reasons why we are seeing this boom in wellness among younger groups.

#FitTok

First and foremost is the power of internet influencers.

Fitness stars like Sam Sulek and Michelle Luwin have encouraged millions to get in the gym or lift weights on popular social platforms.

Entire online communities are being built up through these individual profiles that regularly garner hundreds of thousands of views.

Many of these individuals have sponsored partnerships with nutrition companies or personally branded supplements, encouraging followers to buy into their own health journeys.

On the podcast side, listeners everywhere are receiving Ph.D.-level insights into what they eat, drink, and do.

The Huberman Lab Podcast, which has held Spotify’s #1 spot in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness, has millions of listeners each week.

Led by Stanford Professor and Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, the podcast lengthily delves into topics ranging from circadian rhythms to alcohol consumption.

He has amassed a cult-like following, with millions of young people around the country adhering to his morning sun routine and fitness ‘protocol’.

Huberman and other popular hosts like him have given Americans across the country free and detailed health guidance in an easily digestible way.

Greener (Pastures) Menus

In the 21st century, fast food is changing.

Calorie-conscious, fast-casual chains like Sweetgreen and Cava, have filled the need for whole-food-based clean options on the go for young professionals.

They offer organic & locally sourced menus while maintaining low costs (cheaper than a Big Mac!) and high nutritional value.

Traditional fast food giants have had to completely re-think their approach, with many providing their own nutrient-conscious offerings in recent years to compete for shaky market share.

While the likes of McDonald’s and Taco Bell still dominate food on the go, we will continue to see healthy chains expand and provide health-minded consumers with greater optionality.

Wearable Wonders

The third trend we are seeing is the rise of wearable fitness tech. Younger generations are unsurprisingly more tech-savvy and early adopters when new products enter into industry.

Americans aged 25-44 make up nearly 2 out of every 3 ‘gym bro’ in the wearable fitness tech market, which is expected to 4x in size in the next 10 years.

Since the mid-2010s, devices like Apple Watches and FitBits have given people around the globe a much easier way to track their sleep, workouts, and heart rates.

Very recently, even more advanced devices have become accessible like WHOOP, the Oura Ring, and Lumen.

These wearables allow users to study blood-glucose levels, see detailed metrics on respiratory rates, and even determine how many Natty Lights are “metabolically efficient” by evaluating one’s CO2 levels.

OK, so young people are more interested in looking good and feeling good.

Who cares?

The 6th Deadly Sin

In America, we have an obesity problem.

Since 1990, obesity rates in adults have doubled and more than quadrupled in adolescents.

Traditional fast-food restaurants and sedentary lifestyles have led to a society plagued by diabetes, high blood pressure, and unhealthy cholesterol levels.

As a result, heart disease (which is largely spurred by obesity) has become the leading cause of death in America, killing more than 600,000 people a year.

Today, more people around the globe die from over-eating than undereating every year.

We have managed to build spaceships, self-driving cars, and computer systems smarter than we are.

Yet, we haven’t figured out how to keep our bodies and minds running efficiently.

Healthy, Happy, and Wealthy

Younger generations who are making health a priority have the power to save hundreds of thousands of lives.

By promoting healthy living and making wellness the ‘status quo’, Gen Zers and Millenials can both encourage their elders and serve as examples to those after them.

When we have a society set on personal health it doesn’t just improve our physical well-being.

Around the world, our healthiest countries are the happiest and the wealthiest.

Per the World Bank, “Self-reported life satisfaction tends to correlate with other measures of well-being—richer and healthier countries tend to have higher average happiness scores”.

With our youngest generations focused on their health and wellness, they can change the trajectory of how Americans live everywhere.

Not only are we more likely to be in better physical shape, but we could see improvements in our macro-environment, mental health, and overall happiness.

Back To The Roots

The surest way to a rich or poor life is based on your health.

We often equate wealth to physical possessions, crypto wallets, and bank accounts, but so much of our wealth in life depends on the physical state of our bodies.

While America is one of the most unhealthy countries today, seeing this data gives me hope that we can reverse the country-wide narrative of obesity.

When I was younger I found it so strange that Airline staff encouraged you to put on your oxygen mask before helping others given a drop in cabin pressure.

Isn’t that a selfish way to think?

Yet, when I consider it now, it makes total sense.

You can’t help anyone else if you are unconscious or dead.

To most effectively aid the greatest number of people, you must ensure you’re ‘OK’ first.

If our young people continue to invest in their bodies, I think we will more effectively be able to tackle the state of our families, our communities, and our planet as a whole.

So, take a cold plunge, get some sun, or eat a Sweetgreen bowl. Whatever floats your boat.

You AND those around you are going to be better off for it.

-John Henry

If you enjoyed this piece, make sure to subscribe to get the next one in your inbox.