Today’s Solutions: February 19, 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.

Study: Dietary swaps could pre

Study: Dietary swaps could prevent 2/3 of heart disease deaths

Heart disease kills more people globally each year than any other illness, but diet can be quite effective in preventing it. In fact, a new study found that 2 out of every 3 deaths from heart disease could be prevented through healthy diet changes. When you consider that heart disease kills 9 Read More...

10 tasty alternatives to deli

10 tasty alternatives to deli meats for your sandwiches

When you need to whip up a last-minute lunch for your kids, deli meats can seem like a savior. Just slap a slice of ham on bread, add some cheese, mustard, and lettuce, and you’re good to go. But for all the convenience that comes with deli meats, there are downsides for the health of your child Read More...

Study: Reproductive autonomy a

Study: Reproductive autonomy and infant health go hand in hand

There are a multitude of factors that affect fetal and infant health including access to medical care, socioeconomic status, and environmental factors, but a new study from the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health has narrowed down the relationship between Read More...

A daycare built a ‘fores

A daycare built a 'forest floor', and it changed kids' immune systems

Time in nature is valuable for children’s physical and mental health, so one daycare in Finland decided to invest in a playground that replicated the forest floor. The results were amazing.  Adding indigenous forest species to the playground The daycare replaced their sandy playground surface Read More...

This pungent Japanese breakfas

This pungent Japanese breakfast delicacy is packed with health benefits

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM If you love Japanese food and want to spice up your breakfast diet, then we have the perfect thing for you: Natto. A staple in Japanese cuisine, natto is a notoriously pungent delicacy comprised of heavily fermented soybeans. It’s the ideal dish for Read More...

New skin test can provide an e

New skin test can provide an early diagnosis of Parkinson’s

In order to diagnose patients with Parkinson’s disease, physicians rely on clinical signs and symptoms. The problem, however, is that this method of diagnosing is not entirely accurate, which complicates clinical trials of potential treatments. Not to mention the fact that if a patient is Read More...

This skin-like device could he

This skin-like device could help ALS patients communicate more easily

People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) gradually lose control over the muscles that allow them to speak. And while there are some communication devices for ALS patients, most of them are quite cumbersome to use on a daily basis because of their bulky size and the fact that they’re Read More...

Spice up your cooking skills w

Spice up your cooking skills with one of these online classes

Are you one of the many who have gotten a little more adventurous in the kitchen during the pandemic? From sourdough to whipped coffee, cooking trends have kept us somewhat sane during long hours at home, but whether you’re a fad cooker or an aspiring lifelong chef, these seven online courses Read More...

Grocery delivery service Insta

Grocery delivery service Instacart will now accept food stamps

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, grocery delivery services such as Instacart have faced unprecedented demand as more people are eager to avoid crowded stores. The problem is that people who receive food stamps are not able to access grocery delivery services. But that is about to change Read More...

This chef uses food waste to f

This chef uses food waste to feed and empower her community

After moving from a small town to Rio de Janeiro to become a chef, Regina Tchelly wanted to incorporate food waste reduction into her recipes to help give a second life to ingredients that would otherwise be thrown away.  Pumpkin rinds, banana peels, and seeds are just some of the ingredients Read More...