Promoting healthy eating at Well+Good Roslyn
WELL+GOOD Roslyn is the result of a lifestyle change made by Unichem Roslyn Pharmacy owners Amy and Andrew Hou.
The cafe´ and wellness hub next to the pharmacy in Roslyn Village was recently launched because of their decision four years ago to eliminate sugar consumption in their family.
Andrew says they’d done some research into the strong links between a high sugar diet and metabolic diseases including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, before making the difficult leap.
‘‘We thought, ‘let’s give it a try’,’’ he says ‘‘We expected to lose a bit of weight, and obviously there are health benefits associated with that. But there were other things we found — I’d been a lifelong asthmatic and eczema sufferer, and they both just stopped. I could not explain that.’’
As Andrew explains, some foods cause inflammation in some people, and this can lead to various health issues, including asthma, eczema, arthritis pain, and stomach problems. He estimates that around 70% of the medicines dispensed at Unichem Roslyn Pharmacy are related to diet.
Due to his own dramatic weight loss in the wake of eliminating sugar, pharmacy customers began asking Andrew about his lifestyle changes.
‘‘Our whole mantra at the pharmacy is to make our community a success,’’ he says. ‘‘I fully recommend it for everybody, but it is really hard to break those habits.’’
Through his conversations with customers, and Amy completing a healthcoaching qualification with the Institute of Integrated Nutrition in New York, the idea for Well+Good Roslyn emerged.
Through a desire to help the community, they devised a welcoming environment that promoted healthy eating, particularly low sugar, but also including glutenfree and vegan options.
‘‘There are so many different dietary requirements these days,’’ Amy says. ‘‘The whole concept is that the health system is not keeping up with demand, and we are trying to fill the gap with a holistic approach to health and wellness. So we’ve got the food, and we also have a naturalhealth offering to support that, and we have a beauty treatment room as well.’’
There is a strong emphasis on locally sourced organic products at Well+Good Roslyn, and the beauty service, which offers facials, massages, and other treatments, uses organic handmade products.
In the cafe´, there is a tempting range of breakfast and lunch options, and a great selection of drinks, including locally roasted Allpress coffee. Also of note is a fillyourown peanut butter machine, churning out a delicious highprotein spread containing nothing but roasted peanuts.
As well as customers from Unichem Roslyn Pharmacy, Well+Good Roslyn has attracted a further group of healthconscious customers.
While the obvious lack of sugary options means it isn’t for everyone, the team have also managed to convert some customers to healthier eating.
‘‘It’s something we firmly believe in,’’ Andy says. ‘‘If we can make a change to just a few people in our community, we feel we’re heading in the right direction.’’