Today’s Solutions: February 16, 2026

Health

Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.

Public libraries are climate j

Public libraries are climate justice tools

We’ve written about how libraries should double as food banks, but did you know that public libraries are also essential to climate justice? As more regions face extreme temperatures due to climate change, libraries are increasingly serving as refuges for heat-vulnerable residents. For Read More...

“The Gathering Basket” is

“The Gathering Basket” is a growing collection of Indigenous recipes

Yucca, three-leaf sumac and chiltepin are all staple ingredients in Indigenous recipes, but the rich history of Indigenous cooking is often forgotten or overlooked, especially in Western kitchens. To highlight Indigenous recipes, ingredients, and chefs, Indigenous chef organization I-Collective, Read More...

Lego works to remove gender bi

Lego works to remove gender biases in its toys

The Lego Group, the world’s largest toymaker, now has promised to remove gender bias from its products. According to the company’s chief product and marketing officer Julia Goldin, they have been “working hard to make Lego more inclusive,” and that they want “to encourage boys and girls Read More...

9 ways to energize yourself (t

9 ways to energize yourself (that have nothing to do with sleep)

If you want to feel more energized, sleep is crucial—however, it’s not the only factor that contributes to our energy levels. Certified holistic nutritionist Kristin Dahl shares nine ways to fuel our systems every day that have nothing to do with sleep. Support the lymph system We can’t Read More...

Can you develop a food allergy

Can you develop a food allergy as an adult? New study says ‘yes’

Those who grew up with food allergies are used to reading food labels and asking about ingredients at restaurants, but did you know that you can develop food allergies at any age? A new study, currently under review, finds that 52 percent of American adults with a food allergy developed one or more Read More...

Belgium considers implementing

Belgium considers implementing a 4-day work week

We recently shared the results of the largest ever trial of a four-day working week in Iceland, which researchers hailed as an “overwhelming success." Now, inspired by those findings, Belgium is considering implementing the idea as part of a broader set of labor market reforms. According to Read More...

The compelling case for breakf

The compelling case for breakfast salads

When imagining a perfect breakfast, many may think of eggs and bacon, or perhaps fluffy pancakes dripping with maple syrup. Salad, on the other hand, rarely makes the cut. That said, there is a solid case for throwing together a salad for breakfast. Here are five reasons you should consider Read More...

3 Ways to cut back on sugar (w

3 Ways to cut back on sugar (without sacrificing too much)

If you’re like most people in the Western world, you’re likely eating more sugar than is healthy—but never fear, cutting out sugar doesn’t have to be a big sacrifice. Here are three relatively painless ways to slash your sugar intake. Read the labels Sugar is snuck into more foods than Read More...

Here’s how to overcome s

Here's how to overcome social anxiety and get that conversation going

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM So, you’ve been invited to a social gathering with strangers for the first time in a long time. You want to attend but feel that knot of anxiety in the back of your throat. One way to ease this feeling is to prepare in advance by thinking about potential Read More...

UN votes to make a clean and h

UN votes to make a clean and healthy environment a human right

The U.N. Human Rights Council has finally recognized access to a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental human right, adding it to others─like food, shelter, and freedom from slavery─laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The resolution was first discussed in the Read More...