How Do You Know You Are Making Good Health Decisions?
And have you ever asked yourself that question?
My least-favorite aisle of all, yet somehow still also my favorite, is the supplement aisle at Natural Grocers.
I find this section of the store to be more fascinating than a reality show—equal parts hopeful, confusing, and slightly chaotic. It’s where big promises live in small bottles, and people stand frozen, scanning labels like they’re decoding ancient scripts. Every time I walk by, I wish I could just slide in next to someone and ask, “Want to think this through together for a sec?”
If you’ve ever stood in front of the supplement aisle, wondering if this is the product that will finally fix your fatigue, pain, weak bones, irritability, or foggy brain, you’re definitely not alone. The supplement aisle (online and off) is estimated to bring more than 170 billion dollars this year. This is where we see health decisions being made every day.
Seirously, I wish I could stand right beside every supplement buyer in this supplement aisle—coaching them through the moment. Not to say "yes" or "no," but to help them pause and think it through.
I’d probably start with, “What are you hoping this will do for you?”
Not in a skeptical way—just curious. What problem are you trying to solve?
Then I’d gently remind — “Have you already taken care of the Core 4? Exercise, nutrition, sleep, and hydration?”
Because no bottle, no matter how promising, can replace the Core 4.
I’d also ask if this supplement was something their provider suggested or something that popped up on their feed or podcast, just at the right time. I’d ask if they’ve checked whether it could interact with anything else they’re taking. And I’d ask if this choice is driven by fear or urgency. It’s easy to make health decisions when we’re panicked or hurting, but those rarely lead us where we want to go.
“How long are you planning to try this? How will you know if it’s working?”
I’d also ask if they know this supplement is safe. Without a clear answer, it’s easy to end up with a cabinet full of uninspected, possibly contaminated, mystery capsules and no idea which, if any, made a difference because they’re unregulated and unproven. I’ve supported the supplement industry aplenty, so there’s no judging here.
Another question: "Is this more of a placebo-effect purchase you want to believe will work so badly that it might actually work because you think it will? What if you just believe your body can heal, instead?”
Maybe the biggest question is whether this fits your health philosophy? If it doesn’t align with your beliefs, needs, or long-term plan, why let it take up space in your life (or medicine cabinet)?
That’s a lot of questions to ask before introducing an exogenous element or concoction of herbs and “cures” into one’s diet.
I don’t take health decisions in the supplement aisle lightly. It’s probably the place where we need to ask the most questions. (But if you know me by now, generally speaking, I don’t take health decisions lightly!)
Decisions, Decisions. How Do You Choose?
We live in a world where health decisions are constant, confusing, and often made under pressure. And yet, real progress rarely comes with confetti and a whoop and a holler that we’re cured.
It certainly doesn’t come after purchasing the supplement that will “fix” our issue. I must admit, though, that there is a sense of satisfaction after buying supplements that leaves us feeling like we’re finally doing something about our issue.
No, real progress doesn’t come at that time. It comes in quiet confidence that happens over time, each time we make a health decision that makes sense. It shows up in subtle shifts in how we think, choose, and bounce back when something doesn’t go as planned.
In a culture obsessed with outcomes, it’s easy to miss the progress happening beneath the surface.
But making good health decisions isn’t just about avoiding bad ones—it’s about building a system of thinking that helps you make better choices, consistently.
That’s where health intelligence comes in.
We Need to Increase Our Health Intelligence
Health intelligence isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about knowing yourself.
It’s the difference between reacting to your symptoms and responding to your situation.
It’s a skill, not a status. And like any good skill, it improves with intention, reflection, and strategy. That’s the heart of my newly released book Health Shift—a smarter approach to health that begins by asking better questions, not chasing better quick fixes.
Health intelligence isn’t about memorizing medical facts or being the healthiest person in the room. It’s about awareness and knowing how you think, decide, and respond when your health is challenged. In my work, I break this down into four key areas:
🧠 Health Mindset – how you view your role in your health and whether you believe you can influence it
💭 Strategic Thinking – how you approach decisions logically, balancing emotion with evidence
🌸 Health Collaboration – how you augment and leverage people in your life to help you make better decisions and offset your tendencies to make irrational or emotional health decisions
💦 Core Health Practices – the basics: movement, nutrition, hydration, and sleep—your non-negotiable foundation (Core 4)
When you strengthen these four areas, your health decisions become less reactive and more responsive. You recognize when you’re stuck in old patterns, when emotions are steering the ship, or when you're skipping the very basics that matter most.
You start to develop a kind of quiet, grounded confidence. Not because you’ve mastered everything, but because you’re finally thinking clearly about your health.
Making Good Health Decisions Is a Skill
In my book, Health Shift, I teach that every person can upgrade their health intelligence—how they think, act, and feel about their health. And I don’t mean a PhD in physiology or psychology (though I do love one of those). I’m talking about the everyday smarts that help you make a good choice today—and a better one tomorrow.
When your health intelligence increases, you start to:
✏️ Recognize your decision-making patterns (like defaulting to Google instead of logic… no judgment, we've all done this)
✏️ Understand your values and make decisions that match them
✏️ Catch yourself when emotions, marketing, or peer pressure hijack your plan
✏️ Filter information wisely in a noisy, confusing, sometimes ridiculous health landscape
✏️ Move forward with purpose, not panic
In short: you go from reacting to responding. You stop grabbing and start guiding.
What Health Progress Looks Like
Here are a few signs you're making better health decisions—even if maybe you don’t feel like you are:
1. You stop saying “you need this” and start asking “why.”
You pause before jumping into a trend or buying something because others say so. Instead, you ask, “What is it I really need? Is it this, or is it something else? How do I know what it is I really need?” Curiosity opens the door to new possibilities.
2. You see the Core 4 as your health compass.
Movement, nutrition, sleep, and hydration aren’t afterthoughts anymore—they’re your starting point. If those are out of sync, you fix them first.
3. You have a plan. A real one.
You’re not bouncing from one thing to the next. Your plan is based on logic, fits your life, and is flexible enough to change with new information.
4. You’re humble, but not helpless.
Confidence doesn’t mean knowing everything. It means knowing when to ask, when to wait, and when to act.
5. You check in with yourself, not just your symptoms.
You notice patterns, triggers, and improvements. You journal. You reflect. You observe. (You don’t need a doctor’s appointment to permit yourself to do that.)
Organizations: Health Smarts Are the Real ROI
If you’re an employer, wellness professional, or public agency, this isn’t just a feel-good moment you’re aiming for. It’s a metric waiting to be measured.
When employees have higher health intelligence, you’ll see:
Fewer reactive healthcare decisions (like ER visits for things that could’ve been solved with planning)
More engagement with lifestyle programs, because people see why they matter
Improved use of benefits—strategic use, not just use for the sake of it
Fewer wellness one-hit wonders and more sustained change
And yes, these are measurable. That’s exactly what the Health Intelligence Assessment helps identify—patterns of mindset, decision-making, and behaviors that influence outcomes over time. Ask me for more information or to learn more about it.
Final Thought: A Bad Outcome ≠ A Bad Decision
Sometimes, we make the best decision we can… with the information we have, and we are still unwell. That’s not failure. That’s just life.
The difference is that a bad decision comes from skipping the process of letting fear, urgency, or ego take the wheel. A good decision—even one that doesn’t go perfectly—comes from intentionality. Let’s start making those.
The Health Shift isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being strategic.
See you next week Health Heroes,
Dr. Alice
A little more about Dr. Alice Burron and Strategic Action Health:
Dr. Burron is a co-founder of Strategic Action Health, dedicated to helping organizations help their employees make better health decisions. Come check us out here!
Catch us on Instagram: @the.health.navigator and @dr_burron
You can also connect on LinkedIn, if you want to be professional about it. 👓
Buy the book Health Shift here.
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