Netflix’s official entertainment site Tudum published a curated list of nine documentaries and docuseries recommended “to improve your health and wellness” as the calendar resets for the new year. The list, posted on January 5, 2026, by writer Ashley Lee, spans topics ranging from gut health and meditation to longevity, sleep, mental health, sexual health, and everyday lifestyle habits.
The release comes amid continuing concern over lifestyle-related health risks in the Philippines. According to the 2023 National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), about 39.8% of Filipino adults were classified as obese, with higher prevalence among women (45.4%) and urban residents (44.5%). Health authorities describe these levels as high and consistent with global trends.
UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) data similarly show that excess weight remains a major public-health issue, with nearly four in ten Filipino adults considered overweight or obese under WHO body-mass-index criteria. Globally, WHO reports that noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)—including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes—account for about 74% of all deaths worldwide.
Against this backdrop, Netflix positions its wellness selections not as clinical guidance but as narrative-driven content that introduces viewers to factors linked to health and quality of life. The approach reflects a broader cultural shift in which wellness increasingly intersects with media consumption and daily routines.
READ: Obesity Surges as Malnutrition Grips Filipinos’ Health
Wellness as a cultural and consumer trend
Consumer research supports this shift. McKinsey & Company’s Future of Wellness analysis describes wellness as a “daily, personalized practice,” particularly among younger adults, extending beyond diet and fitness to include mental resilience, sleep quality, and stress management.
However, wellness trends do not always align neatly with public-health realities. While nearly 40% of Filipino adults were obese in the most recent nutrition survey, more than 30% of households still experienced moderate to severe food insecurity. The contrast highlights how health aspirations often collide with socioeconomic constraints.
WHO continues to emphasize that sustained behavior change—such as regular physical activity and balanced diets—plays a central role in reducing NCD risk. The organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week for adults. In this context, informed entertainment can act as a prompt, particularly when viewers connect it to credible local data and realistic habits.
READ: 9 Documentaries to Improve Your Health and Wellness in the New Year
The nine Netflix wellness titles
According to Tudum, Netflix’s wellness slate includes a mix of documentaries and docuseries that explore physical, mental, and emotional health.
“Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut” examines digestive health and the gut microbiome through expert interviews and personal stories. For Filipino viewers, where “tiyan” complaints often surface in everyday conversations, the documentary’s strength lies in encouraging pattern recognition—what you eat, how you sleep, and how stress affects digestion—rather than promoting miracle supplements.
The animated series “Headspace Guide to Meditation” offers an accessible introduction to mindfulness and stress management, alongside companion content on sleep and relaxation. Its practical value lies in normalizing discomfort for beginners and encouraging short, consistent practice rather than performance-driven goals.
For longevity, “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” explores regions such as Okinawa, Sardinia, and Nicoya, highlighting lifestyle systems built around food, movement, social connection, and purpose. The series resonates locally by framing family and community ties as health resources, while cautioning viewers against treating longevity as a checklist rather than an environmental redesign.
“The Mind, Explained,” part of Netflix’s collaboration with Vox, breaks down topics such as anxiety, attention, memory, and habit formation. By helping viewers name what they experience, the series aligns with the spirit of the Philippines’ Mental Health Act, which promotes integrated mental-health awareness and care.
“The Minimalists: Less Is Now” approaches wellness through intentional living and reduced consumption. In a country where many households navigate rising costs and online impulse buying, the film reframes financial habits as mental-health considerations rather than aesthetic choices.
“The Playbook,” a docuseries featuring elite coaches, presents lessons on discipline and resilience. Viewed through a wellness lens, its most relevant insights focus on systems—recovery, consistency, boundaries, and support—rather than hustle culture.
“The Principles of Pleasure” tackles women’s sexual health using expert commentary and animation to address topics such as consent and communication. While not a substitute for comprehensive sex education, the series can help normalize informed discussion in a context where formal education remains uneven.
“Stutz,” featuring psychiatrist Phil Stutz and actor Jonah Hill, offers practical frameworks for managing negative thought patterns. The documentary may help reduce stigma around therapy, while making clear that it does not replace professional care for serious mental-health conditions.
Completing the list, “You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment” follows identical twins assigned to different diets over eight weeks. The series provides insight into how researchers design dietary studies and measure outcomes, rather than prescribing a single “correct” diet.
Taken together, the titles reflect a multidimensional view of wellness that mirrors how public-health institutions define well-being.
What Philippine health data add to the conversation
The 2023 National Nutrition Survey covered more than 36,000 households and 115,000 individuals nationwide, providing a current baseline for policy and program planning. The data show persistent challenges: high adult obesity alongside substantial food insecurity, illustrating how under- and overnutrition coexist.
These realities matter because households facing food insecurity may struggle to act on wellness advice presented in documentaries. That gap underscores the need to pair inspiration with supportive programs, accessible food environments, and credible local guidance.
From watching to acting
Health experts caution that documentaries, even well-researched ones, do not function as medical guidelines. Still, they can introduce concepts—sleep hygiene, stress management, gut health—that align with evidence-based public-health advice.
To translate inspiration into action, Philippine data offer measurable reference points. If obesity affects nearly four in ten adults and physical inactivity remains common, small, sustained changes in diet quality, movement, and sleep can deliver long-term benefits.
Netflix’s wellness list may prompt reflection, but the challenge lies in sustained behavior change. When viewed alongside national nutrition data and global NCD trends, these documentaries can serve as catalysts for informed conversation and incremental improvement.
Ultimately, the measure of success is not the number of titles streamed but whether viewers pair inspiration with verified health guidance and habits that endure beyond the New Year.
Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash
Data Sources
- Netflix Tudum
- Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- UNICEF
- McKinsey & Company (Future of Wellness)
