Save the Date
Universal Summer Family Event
Saturday, July 25th!!!
Time to start planning for summer fun – we want to invite everyone from near and far to attend the 2026 Summer Event at Bruce’s Mill in Stouffville, Ontario. Bruce’s Mills is a beautiful facility just north of the city of Toronto.
The Events Committee is planning a fun filled afternoon of Food! Games! & Entertainment! – so clear your schedule and come out and have a great time! Stay tuned for more details!
Mark your calendars – Saturday, July 25th!
2026 Summerlicious Days - Save The Dates!
The Engagement Committee is now excited to announce the dates for our 2026 Summerlicious Days at Universal. As before, on set dates over the summer months, the Engagement Committee will arrange for a Food Truck to provide lunch for our Head Office staff, as well as an Ice Cream Truck to provide tasty frozen treats for those hot summer days – all courtesy of Universal Logistics! Following is the schedule – Save The Dates!
- Tuesday, May 26th – Food Truck
- Tuesday, June 16th – Ice Cream Truck
- Saturday, July 25th – Food & Ice Cream Truck at the Summer Family Event
- Tuesday, August 18th – Ice Cream Truck
- Tuesday, September 15th – Food Truck
Our Canadian Branch and US Offices are also going to enjoy lunch and treats at their offices on the above dates, arranged with options specific to their locations.
Something's Brewing
Contributor: Alice Yan
Best and Worst Diets of Today: What Science Really Says
In an era of information overload, the question of “what to eat” has never been more complex. However, not all diets are created equal. Some dietary approaches are supported by decades of clinical research and epidemiological studies, while others rely on short-term weight loss promises that may not be sustainable or healthy over time.
The following overview highlights the most widely recommended diets from 2025, as well as several controversial or potentially problematic ones for long-term use.
Top 5 Diets – Overall
- Mediterranean Diet – A traditional eating pattern featuring abundant whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil, fish, moderate poultry, and limited red meat and dairy.
- How It Works: Instead of restricting calories aggressively, the diet focuses on replacing saturated fats with healthy unsaturated fats and increasing plant-based foods.
- Health Benefits: Numerous studies link the diet with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain neurodegenerative conditions.
- Downsides: Virtually none; those with seafood allergies should exercise caution, and ingredients like fish and olive oil may be more expensive depending on location.
- DASH Diet – “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension” (DASH) was developed to help prevent and lower high blood pressure.
- How It Works: emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, beans, nuts, fish, and poultry, which provide potassium, calcium, and magnesium to support healthy blood pressure. Limits sodium, saturated fat, added sugars, and red meat, with typical sodium targets of 2,300 mg per day or 1,500 mg per day
- Health Benefits: Effectively lowers blood pressure, improves weight, modifies eating behaviors.
- Downsides: The strict sodium limits can make dining out or eating pre-packaged foods difficult.
- Flexitarian Diet – A primarily plant-based diet that still allows occasional meat or animal products.
- How It Works: Encourages increased intake of vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds while reducing meat consumption.
- Health Benefits: Studies associate plant-forward diets with lower risks of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
- Downsides: Without careful planning, followers may face deficiencies in Vitamin B12, iron, and zinc.
- MIND Diet – A hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, specifically designed to protect brain health.
- How It Works: Focuses on foods shown to benefit cognitive function, such as leafy greens, berries, olive oil, nuts, and fish.
- Health Benefits: Long-term studies suggest adherence to the MIND diet may reduce dementia risk and slow cognitive decline.
- Downsides: Requires consistent dietary adherence and may involve higher food preparation effort.
- Mayo Clinic Diet – Comprehensive weight loss program, a 12-week program developed by Mayo Clinic experts.
- How It Works: The program is broken up into two phases “Lose It!” and “Live It!“
- “Lose it!” The first two weeks of the program focuses on lifestyle habits that contribute to your weight, specifically adopting 10 healthy habits and breaking five unhealthy habits. You don’t count calories, and you can snack all you want on fruits and vegetables.
- “Live it!” In this phase, you’ll learn about making smart food choices, portion sizes, meal prepping, physical activity, exercise and committing to healthy habits for life.
Since you’re developing a pattern of healthy eating to follow for life, no food group is completely off-limits.
- How It Works: The program is broken up into two phases “Lose It!” and “Live It!“
- Health Benefits: Encourages balanced eating, improved metabolic health, and sustainable weight management.
- Downsides: Requires long-term commitment and self-discipline to follow structured program
Five Diets That May Be Problematic for Long-Term Use
- Raw Food Diet (often associated with extreme versions of the Paleo Diet) – A diet based primarily on uncooked and minimally processed foods.
- Why it can be problematic: May lead to insufficient calorie intake and deficiencies in protein, vitamin B12, iron, and calcium.
- Who it may benefit: Short-term detox or individuals emphasizing whole foods, but it requires careful nutritional planning.
- Herbalife Nutrition Meal-Replacement Programs – Commercial nutrition products such as shakes and supplements marketed for weight loss.
- Why it can be problematic: Heavy reliance on processed supplements instead of whole foods, and results often depend on continuous product purchases.
- Who it may benefit: under professional guidance as a supportive plan
- Zero-Sugar Diets – Diets eliminating nearly all sugars and sometimes most carbohydrates.
- Why it can be problematic: Extremely restrictive and difficult to maintain long term; may limit fruits and other nutritious foods that naturally contain sugars.
- Who it may benefit: Certain individuals managing metabolic disorders under medical supervision.
- Ketogenic Diet – A very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet designed to push the body into ketosis.
- Why it can be problematic: Long-term adherence may increase intake of saturated fats and restrict many healthy foods such as fruits and whole grains.
- Who it may benefit: Certain medical conditions or medically supervised weight-loss plans.
- Dukan Diet – A high-protein diet with four stages emphasizing protein while limiting carbohydrates and fats.
- Why it can be problematic: Highly restrictive and may increase strain on kidneys while lacking dietary balance.
- Who it may benefit: Short-term weight loss situations when medically supervised.
The right attitude toward dieting is to stop “dieting” and start nourishing. A sustainable plan asks: “Can I eat this way in five years?” Prioritize whole foods and balance over restriction. If a regime causes hunger or isolation, it’s a burden, not a health plan. Focus on consistency rather than perfection for long-term metabolic health.
A. The Vinegar and Water Diet
B. The Cotton Ball Diet
C. The Sleeping Beauty Diet
D. The Cigarette and Coffee Diet
Click on the question above, submit your answer to Sharon, and you’re eligible to win!
Submission deadline
Monday, April 6th (Noon)
Prize
$25 Tim Hortons, Starbucks or Amazon gift card for the 2 winners
(If more than two contestants have the right answer, we will pick the winning names out of a hat)
Growing again
In Universal & You, we want to introduce all new employees. We have new additions at Head Office. Please join us in welcoming Yash Bhatt, Sumin Liu, and Emily Li to the team!
Name: Yash Bhatt
Team: Canadian Customs Operations
Start date: March 16, 2026
Name: Sumin Liu
Team: Ocean Services
Start date: March 23, 2026
Name: Emily Li
Team: Canadian Customs Operations
Start date: March 25, 2026
Book Buzz
Contributor: Barbara Mulatinho
Thriller Roundup: Marriage, Murder and Misdirection
My Husband’s Wife
Artist Eden Fox comes home to find her key no longer works, a stranger in her house, and her husband insisting this other woman is his wife.
From there, the novel twists into a sharp, unsettling story about identity being stolen in plain sight.
Barbara’s Bit: 4.5/5⭐ My Husband’s Wife grabbed me from page one and didn’t let go! The story is super engaging, packed with secrets, twisted relationships, and enough psychological tension to keep you flipping pages late into the night.
The pacing sneaks up on you, slowly peeling back layers of the characters while keeping the suspense just right. And the plot? Wow. Every twist feels earned, leading up to a jaw-dropping ending that totally flips the story on its head. Truly a page-turner!
Anatomy of an Alibi
A carefully planned scheme to expose a controlling husband unravels the moment he turns up dead.
What begins as an act of desperation quickly becomes a murder case built on lies, timing, and two women who know more than they can safely admit.
Barbara’s Bit: 4/5⭐ Anatomy of an Alibi genuinely caught me off guard. I was convinced the story was heading in one direction, carefully following the clues and forming my own theories – only for it to take a completely different turn halfway into the book. The shift was surprising, though not necessarily in the most satisfying way, as it challenged the expectations the narrative itself seemed to build.
That said, the plot is cleverly built and layered. The turns feel deliberate, not random, and the story keeps you guessing right to the very end. Overall, it’s a fun, twisty read that surprises and entertains.
It’s Not Her
A trip to the family cottage ends in horror when Courtney Gray finds her brother and sister-in-law dead, and her young niece gone.
The search for answers pulls open a darker, more intimate mystery than anyone first realizes.
Barbara’s Bit: 4.5/5⭐ The premise of It’s Not Her immediately grabbed my attention, especially with such a shocking opening scene that sets the tone right away. From the very beginning, there’s a strong sense of tension and intrigue that makes you want to understand what really happened and how everything connects. It’s the kind of start that promises a bold and unsettling mystery. Although I found the development of the story a bit slow at times, the conclusion is so well crafted and impactful that it significantly elevates the entire book – something that’s not easy to achieve in the mystery genre. In the end, the powerful resolution makes the journey feel worthwhile.
Culture and Entertainment
Contributor: Barbara Mulatinho
Three Series to Add to Your Streaming Queue
Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model
This three-part documentary revisits America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) and examines how the series became a defining reality TV phenomenon. Through interviews with former contestants, judges, producers, and Tyra Banks, it explores both the show’s massive cultural impact and the controversies that complicated its legacy.
Barbara’s Bit: 3/5⭐ If you grew up watching ANTM, this documentary is a surprisingly juicy and eye-opening trip down memory lane. It spills plenty of backstage tea, shedding light on moments that once felt iconic, but now land a lot differently. Hearing former contestants share their side of the story adds a whole new layer to a show that basically defined early 2000s reality TV chaos.
That said, when it comes to accountability…things get a little shaky. The people in charge mostly sidestep serious apologies and end up passing the blame around instead. I couldn’t help but wish the filmmakers had pushed a bit harder for real answers. With a little more pressure and a little less deflecting, this could have gone from interesting to truly impactful.
His & Hers
This psychological thriller follows Anna, a former journalist, drawn back to her Georgia hometown after a murder shakes the community. As she investigates, she finds herself at odds with her estranged husband, Detective Jack Harper, and both begin to suspect the other may be hiding something.
Barbara’s Bit: 4/5⭐ His & Hers totally surprised me, in the best way. What starts as an intriguing mystery quickly turns into a full-on “just one more episode” situation. The twists roll out at the perfect pace, constantly making you rethink your theories. It’s one of those shows that knows exactly how to keep you hooked without overcomplicating things.
The detective is possibly one of the most frustrating investigators I’ve ever seen on TV. The questionable decisions! The missed clues! And yet, somehow, it works. The story itself is strong enough to carry those flaws, and the ending really pulls everything together in a way that feels both satisfying and impactful.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Set in Westeros long before the events of Game of Thrones, this fantasy drama follows knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire, Egg, as they travel the realm. What begins as the story of an unlikely duo gradually unfolds against the larger political tensions of the Seven Kingdoms.
Barbara’s Bit: 4.5/5⭐ I’ll admit it, I wasn’t that excited to watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. But wow, did it sneak up on me. What starts off quietly ends up becoming such a cozy, genuinely enjoyable watch. The shorter episode format works, keeping the pacing tight and the storytelling focused.
Every scene feels intentional, and the characters are so captivating that you can’t help but get attached to their smaller, more intimate journeys. It’s a delightful treat for fans of Game of Thrones and the perfect little appetizer while waiting for the next season of House of the Dragon.
A charming return to Westeros that proves you don’t need massive battles to tell a great story.
Health and Lifestyle
Contributor: Veena Ramesh
2026 Fitness Trends
As we transition into spring, our primary focus often shifts toward regaining our fitness. But what does being fit truly mean? It can vary significantly from person to person. At its core, being fit refers to the body’s ability to function efficiently while feeling strong and healthy. In simple terms, it means being able to carry out your daily tasks without excessive fatigue.
Over the years, the concept of fitness has evolved, moving away from strict, regimented routines toward more holistic approaches that also include mental well-being. The use of technology to monitor fitness has also become increasingly popular.
Today, I would like to discuss the fitness trends anticipated for 2026. Current industry reporting suggests that fitness trends in 2026 will place a strong emphasis on longevity, healthy aging, personalization, and sustainable habits.
Wearables and AI Personalization: Devices such as Apple Watches and Oura Rings have advanced significantly beyond earlier step trackers. They can now track a much wider range of health data, including activity, sleep, heart-related metrics, and, in some cases, signs associated with blood pressure changes.
Some platforms also offer AI-driven insights and personalized coaching, while glucose tracking may rely on integration with a separate biosensor rather than the wearable itself.
Regenerative Fitness: Workouts are increasingly being designed to support mobility, balance, bone health, and strength for long-term wellness, with a growing focus on longevity and quality of life. Fitness programs for older adults and training that supports healthy aging are among the leading trends for 2026.
Micro-Workouts: Short workouts, including 10 to 15-minute sessions, continue to appeal to people trying to fit movement into busy schedules.
This trend also overlaps with the growing popularity of mobile exercise apps.
Social and Outdoor Fitness, or Community “Third Spaces”: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a noticeable increase in outdoor sports and community-focused activities, such as pickleball and large-scale in-person races. These activities offer both physical benefits and opportunities for social connection.
Neuro Fitness: This includes brain training and forms of exercise that combine movement with cognitive tasks to support coordination, focus, and neuroplasticity. Interest in the connection between physical activity and brain health continues to grow.
Ethical and Value-Driven Fitness: Younger consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, continue to push for brand transparency, inclusivity, and social responsibility across industries, including fitness. This mindset is shaping the way many fitness brands present themselves and connect with their audiences.
Currently, one popular lifestyle trend is JOMO, or the Joy of Missing Out.
This concept encourages people to move away from FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out, and instead take pleasure in their present activities. It emphasizes self-care and doing what genuinely feels good, without worrying about what everyone else is doing.
IT Corner
The IT Corner now features a rotating mix of practical content across five helpful categories:
💡 Quick Tips & Best Practices – Simple tricks to make your day smoother
🔒 Cybersecurity Awareness – Stay safe and secure online
🛠️ Tools & Tech Tips – Get more out of the tools you already use
🤝 Working Smarter Together – Collaborate more effectively
🧠 Learning & Development – Bite-sized skill builders for continuous learning
Each edition will spotlight a tip or two that you can put into action right away.
💡This Month’s Quick Tips & Best Practices
“Spring Clean Your Desktop”
A cluttered desktop can slow down your PC and your brain. Here’s how to tidy up for a smoother workflow:
- Move outdated files into folders and archive them
- Create shortcuts only for the tools you use daily
- Group related items into folders (e.g., “Invoices 2026”, “Project Docs”)
- Use a consistent file naming system (more on that below!)
“Name That File!”
Avoid mystery files like Final_v3_updated_EDITED.docx. Try this instead:
- Use names like: 2026-06-16_ClientName_ProjectName.docx
- Use underscores (_) or dashes (-) for spacing
- Add dates in YYYY-MM-DD format to sort easily
- Keep names short but clear for easy searching
🧠 This Month’s 5-Minute Tech Skill
“Snipping Tool: Your Secret Screenshot Weapon”
Need to show someone exactly what you’re seeing? Or you want to show the IT Solutions Team which part of the document you want converted? Snipping Tool lets you:
- Capture part of your screen with just a few clicks
- Highlight or mark up images right away
- Save or paste into emails or chats for faster troubleshooting
Try it now: Press Windows + Shift + S or search for Snipping Tool to launch!
Calling all Universal Employees!
We are looking for volunteers to contribute short articles for Universal & You. Topics can be team or industry-related or you might want to share a personal experience (e.g. volunteer work or travel) with your fellow employees.
Please forward your ideas to Sharon Fong.
