The recipe for a happy, healthy, vibrant human being is as simple as the recipe for a cake. A basic cake has seven ingredients: sugar, flour, butter, vanilla extract, eggs, baking powder, and milk. Each ingredient has a narrow range of the amount needed. If any ingredient is shorted or left out, the cake will not really be a cake. For the same reason, putting in too much of any one ingredient will also ruin the cake. So it is with life.

The basic ingredients for a happy, healthy, vibrant life are oxygen, sleep, stress reduction, nutrition, movement, good relationships, and sun. Let's go through the ingredients and the relative amounts most people need. I will summarize the ingredients below, but if you are interested in reading my original post from 2018, here it is.

Oxygen

Oxygen is absolutely needed for life. We can go about six minutes without it. Many people, including children, are chronically short of oxygen due to obstructive sleep apnea. The complications include fatigue, high blood pressure and heart problems, obesity, blood lipid problems, liver problems, and diabetes. Symptoms to watch for are snoring, waking up gasping, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, short attention span, and irritability. If these are present, evaluation by a sleep specialist—and often airway assessment by a knowledgeable dentist—can be life-changing. (1)

Sleep

Sleep is far more important than most realize. Most people don't get enough and often claim that's all they need, but none of us are superhuman. We require seven and a half to eight hours each night. According to a Gallup report, the average American gets about 6.8 hours of sleep, with 40% sleeping 6 hours or less. The risks mirror those of sleep apnea. Prioritizing sleep hygiene makes an enormous difference.

Stress Reduction

Stress literally kills. We all face it, but we can change how we respond. Stress components can be remembered with the mnemonic NUTS: Novelty, Unpredictability, Threat, and loss of control. Effective techniques include meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, massage, journaling, volunteering, mindfulness, religion or spirituality, and apps such as Headspace, Calm, or Insight Timer. Guided videos on YouTube also help.

Nutrition

I favor the flexible paleo diet template, but many dietary patterns work when personalized. Water counts as a nutritional element—drink when thirsty. Identical triplets with different activity levels (marathoner, bodybuilder, couch potato) need tailored nutrition; one-size-fits-all does not work. Whole, minimally processed foods that match your lifestyle and season form the foundation.

Movement

Be active most of the day. Walking is foundational. Add about 3 strength-training sessions weekly (bodyweight training works fine), mix in cardio without overdoing it, and include occasional intense bursts, such as Tabata intervals. Resting less between sets or using supersets efficiently combines strength and cardio.

Good Relationships

We need a small number of people with whom we connect deeply. Strong relationships contribute to longer, healthier, happier lives. Loneliness carries risks comparable to smoking or obesity. Reliable friends lower stress and improve health outcomes, while toxic relationships do the opposite.

Sun

Moderate sun exposure is beneficial, not something to avoid entirely. Humans evolved outdoors. White skin is relatively recent; earlier populations obtained vitamin D from food despite darker skin. Proper exposure strengthens bones, improves sleep and mood, and supports immunity—without burning. Balance is everything.

In my dental practice, I prescribe these basic ingredients as I would pharmaceuticals. Addressing sleep, stress, airway, nutrition, movement, relationships, and sun exposure often resolves issues such as teeth grinding before more invasive interventions are needed. Conventional medicine has its place, but lifestyle fundamentals come first for motivated patients. Change is hard, yet small, consistent shifts transform destinies.

The NEWSTART program shares this philosophy but packages it as a comprehensive, immersive experience. NEWSTART stands for Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunlight, Temperance, Air, Rest, and Trust (in God). It is a physician-monitored, scientifically researched residential lifestyle-change program offered at Weimar University in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. Participants typically stay for 11 or 18 days and receive education, cooking classes focused on whole-plant-based meals, hydrotherapy, massage, structured exercise, and holistic support in a beautiful natural setting. (2)

NEWSTART aims to prevent and reverse chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and more through natural means. A community version of the program has demonstrated measurable benefits, including reduced diastolic blood pressure, lower intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, and increased moderate-intensity exercise. (3)

Direct Comparison

Both frameworks rest on nearly identical foundational pillars:

Nutrition: NEWSTART emphasizes whole-food, plant-based vegetarian cuisine with cooking education. My approach is more flexible (paleo template with personalization) but equally prioritizes nutrient-dense, minimally processed foods. Since plants don't contain all of the nutrients we need, veganism is risky as a long-term sustainable choice. Otherwise, the overlap is strong; both reject ultra-processed diets.
Movement/Exercise: NEWSTART promotes regular physical activity, outdoor movement, and strength work. My recommendation of daily walking, three weekly strength sessions, and occasional high-intensity bursts aligns closely.
Air/Oxygen: Both stress fresh air and proper breathing. NEWSTART highlights pure mountain air and conscious breathing; I focus on airway health and recognizing sleep apnea.
Rest/Sleep: NEWSTART teaches "early to bed, early to rise" and multiple forms of rest. I emphasize 7.5–8 hours nightly plus sleep hygiene. The principles match perfectly.
Sunlight/Sun: Both recognize sunlight's role in vitamin D, mood, sleep, and immunity when exposure is balanced, and burning is avoided.

Key Differences and Complementary Strengths

NEWSTART adds Water as a distinct principle—internal hydration plus external hydrotherapy (alternating water applications followed by massage) to support circulation and detoxification. I fold hydration into nutrition, but do not emphasize hydrotherapy.

Temperance (moderation and self-control in all things, including avoiding harmful substances) in NEWSTART helps manage excesses that fuel stress and disease. My explicit stress reduction practices (meditation, mindfulness, etc.) directly target the psychological load. These two elements overlap usefully.

Trust (in God/Divine Power) gives NEWSTART a spiritual dimension that supports decision-making, resilience, and community. My good relationships principle focuses on human connection and social support, which research consistently links to longevity and lower stress. Both recognize that isolation and lack of purpose harm health; NEWSTART integrates faith-based community, while I highlight reliable personal friendships.

NEWSTART is a structured "health vacation" ideal for people needing intensive education, accountability, and a reset—especially those with advanced chronic disease. My recipe is an everyday, accessible framework anyone can implement immediately without travel or cost, emphasizing personal agency and balance in daily life.

The cake analogy applies beautifully to both: too little or too much of any ingredient ruins the outcome. NEWSTART provides an immersive environment to learn and practice the recipe under guidance. My version distills it into seven daily priorities that fit the realities of modern life and dental/medical practice.

Conclusion

The NEWSTART approach to health is remarkably similar to mine. Both champion lifestyle as the most powerful medicine, focusing on balanced fundamentals rather than solely on pharmaceuticals or procedures. NEWSTART offers depth, community, hydrotherapy, and a faith component within a proven residential model. My recipe adds explicit stress-management techniques and relationship emphasis while remaining simple and immediately actionable. Whether you begin with the structured NEWSTART program or adopt the daily "cake ingredients" one by one, the message is the same: small, consistent attention to oxygen/air, sleep/rest, stress management/temperance, nutrition, movement/exercise, relationships/community (and trust), and sun creates vibrant health. Balance these elements, and you build a life—not just a cake—that truly sustains you.

Footnotes / References

NEWSTART Lifestyle Program. https://newstart.com/ (accessed June 2026).
NEWSTART detailed principles and program description. https://newstart.com/about/ (accessed June 2026).
Connerton CS, et al. "NEWSTART: An 8-Week Faith-Based Health Promotion Program to Reduce Chronic Disease Risk Factors in the US." PubMed, 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37326768/.
User-provided personal health framework and clinical observations (integrated throughout). https://drscottsolomons.com/blog/2018/11/2/new-blog?rq=Cake

A New Start on Wellness: Comparing the NEWSTART Program to My Seven Essential Ingredients for Happiness and Health