After a decade pursuing international climate change solutions for non-profits, academia, and philanthropic organizations, Sachi Singh found her passion in seaweed, a transformative ingredient as it relates to health, climate, and local economies. After a year of experimenting with different recipes and testing them on her friends and family, Singh founded Rootless, a whole health company focused on bringing sustainably sourced seaweed into people’s diets with the Daily Bite. Here, Singh shares her love of seaweed and how her go-to for destressing.
What does wellness mean to you?
To me, wellness is feeling grounded in my mind and body. It is a consistent practice. As a founder, I am on an unpredictable, oftentimes frenetic daily schedule of meetings, travel, and code-switching between tasks. The practice of re-grounding—with the help of small, daily rituals—helps me navigate the day-to-day while making space for the creativity I need to build towards the big vision of creating a better seaweed-powered food system.
What is your greatest wellness achievement?
At Rootless, we’re helping women in various life stages—preconception, pregnancy, perimenopause, and postmenopause—get the adequate amount of bioavailable iodine to maintain a healthy thyroid and metabolism. I like to think about the thyroid as the master battery of your body. Iodine from your diet powers this battery, which fuels every cell in your body and helps you energize from within.
Recent research reveals that most women in the U.S. from 18 to 44 are iodine-deficient. This has severe implications on fertility, pregnancy health, and in severe cases, can impair fetal cognitive development. There is additional research to suggest that iodine deficiency exacerbates peri and post-menopausal symptoms, like hot flashes. My team and I have educated many pregnant women about their iodine needs, many of whom have started to intentionally supplement their prenatal regimen with iodine supplements or our Daily Bites. Seaweed is the most potent natural source of iodine, so we developed the Daily Bites to deliver 60 percent of daily iodine needs in addition to 40-plus essential macro and micronutrients. The opportunity to help women maintain a healthy pregnancy and gently ease into menopause is an honor, one that I do not take lightly.
What is the best piece of wellness advice you have ever received and from whom?
“Your food is your fuel!” Growing up in India, my mom and grandmom always talked about food as the ultimate medicine. This did not resonate with me until I started to build a food company and learn how food and supplements are made and regulated around the world. Today, I love and subscribe to this beautiful Ayurvedic philosophy that food is fuel and can help prevent and sometimes even cure ailments. I try to eat whole foods, and whenever possible, avoid ultra-processed food and pill and powder-based supplements.
What do you think is the most overused word or words in wellness?
I do not think there is a one-size-fits-all, singular path to wellness. I believe that wellness is about mind-body alignment. In its purest and most effective form, it can be a consistent practice that helps you feel aligned with yourself so you can truly show up for your company, community, job, family, and more. It unlocks your best, most true self and is an incredibly personal journey.
Do you have a secret health or wellness tip you would like to share?
Yes, I want everyone to eat more seaweed. It is one of the most nutrient-dense and diverse foods on the planet, and the regular consumption of seaweed has been linked with reduced rates of metabolic syndrome disease (cardiovascular, diabetes) in communities like Okinawa, Japan. It is also the most potent source of iodine, which maintains a healthy thyroid and metabolism. The thing about seaweed that I love the most is that it wasn’t created in a lab. It is one of the world’s oldest foods, and it might even have helped the human brain develop cognitively two million years ago. It has been used as a traditional, healing medicine around the world. In fact, the scientific and medical community are finally understanding why it is such a powerhouse of nutrition.
What is your favorite place for a healthy vacation or escape?
I am a water baby, and love being by, in, and on the ocean! I have been diving since 2016 and crave any opportunity to explore new dive sites around the world. Diving is one of the few activities that helps me get into a truly meditative, present, gratitude-filled headspace.
What is your go-to for de-stressing?
Movement really helps me calm my nerves. When confronted by a stressful stimulus, I try to be intentional about reacting versus responding. My instinctive, bodily reaction is panic, but if I breathe and go on a walk (ideally in the sun and in nature), I can start to regulate my nervous system. This allows me to think rationally and respond versus react to the stimulus.
What aspect of your wellbeing do you struggle with the most, or would most like to improve?
I strive to be consistent in my wellness practice, but I admit, I struggle. I am always traveling and have started to feel like I’m living out of a suitcase.) I love being in constant motion, but it does take a toll on my energy levels, and sometimes, my health. I’m learning how to build the small daily grounding practices into my day, no matter where I am and how frenetic my schedule gets.
What brings you joy?
My people bring me joy. I feel incredibly grateful to have a community of friends, family, colleagues, founders, and thought partners who I can think and feel deeply with. I love long, languid evenings with good food, good wine, and good people. There is no greater joy in the world!
