The latest fad in wellness seems to be pursuing longevity — at any cost.
But longevity is not a goal for Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, the author of the new book out this month “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life,” tells TODAY.com.
“I distinguish longevity, which is trying to live as long as possible, which is not my goal, from trying to live healthily with as few morbidities, complications and problems as possible,” Emanuel explains.
To promote this type of healthy aging, Emanuel does follow a regular dietary routine. He eats many of the same types of food every day, with a focus on whole-food sources of fiber and protein alongside probiotic-rich fermented foods.
But Emanuel is also an avid home baker, and considers dessert an important meal in his day. Here’s how he balances his nutrient-rich diet for healthy aging.
Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, author of “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life.” (Sarah Miller) (Sarah Miller)
Breakfast
Emanuel follows the same morning routine almost every day, which starts with 20 minutes of yoga with his wife.
After yoga, he makes them both breakfast, says Emanuel, who trained as an oncologist and is now a professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
“I’m the breakfast-maker in the house, and it usually consists of three-egg and cheese omelet between the two of us,” he says. “So each of us gets an egg-and-a-half and one piece of toast.”
While there has been some debate about whether or not it’s healthy to eat egg yolks frequently, Emanuel is a fan of whole eggs. “If you get whole egg, it has almost everything you need but iron,” he explains. And while, yes, it has some saturated fat, it’s also “got a lot of protein,” he adds.
On the side, each of them will also have some Greek yogurt or kefir, which are both rich in probiotics and protein. That’s topped with fresh berries and homemade granola containing ingredients like hemp hearts, which adds a good amount of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to the meal.
“If I don’t have berries in the morning, I tend to have grapefruit or bananas,” he adds, which provide a “great combination” of potassium and magnesium to support bone health and heart health.
Emanuel also likes to have a glass of water and a large cup of tea with breakfast, adding up to about 20 ounces of liquid, he notes.
Brushing his teeth is also an important part of Emanuel’s morning routine, he says. That’s not just for dental health but also because “we know that bacteria in the mouth from infected or inflamed gums (is linked to) heart disease and diabetes,” he says.
Some research has also found associations between poor oral health and rheumatoid arthritis as well as Alzheimer’s disease, he adds.
Lunch
While breakfast is a major part of Emanuel’s routine, lunch is often an afterthought.
“I’m embarrassed to say I typically don’t eat a lunch,” Emanuel says. He generally just eats two full meals — breakfast and dinner — and then snacks in between. When he does eat between those meals, he reaches for nuts, whole-grain toast with peanut butter or cheese, or veggies and hummus.
“It’s pretty minimal,” he says. “It’s just the way I’m built.”
Dinner
When it’s time for dinner, Emanuel says, the meal is typically build around plant foods.
Often, that means a large salad full of greens or roasted vegetables. But Emanuel and his wife love to cook and entertain, he says. So they might bake lasagna or eggplant parmesan, for instance. (Trying new recipes is one of his favorite things to do on a device-free day.)
The couple is also “very big into soup,” he says, and they’ve “recently expanded our soup rotation” to include a delicious red lentil variety. They’re also fans of ribollita, a hearty Tuscan stew packed with fiber- and protein-packed beans along with kale.
And in warmer weather, he likes to make chilled soups, like gazpacho.
Dessert
As the title of Emanuel’s book might suggest, he is a fan of sweets — especially the ones he bakes himself — and considers dessert “an important meal.”
He recently made madeleines and, every few months, makes his mom’s cheesecake recipe. Otherwise, he’s a fan of fruit-forward desserts. “I love to make fruit pies and fruit crisps,” he says, adding that “apple crisp is one of my favorite things to make.”
Emanuel doesn’t eat that kind of dessert every day, though. Sometimes it’s a calming cup of tea and fresh fruit, like clementines or a special variety of apple. Other days it’s a homemade baked treat.
“Look, we can go around our whole lives trying to deprive ourselves,” Emanuel says, but that quickly depletes our willpower. Instead, dessert should be something we can enjoy mindfully and get excited about.
If you’re going to have ice cream, for instance, treat yourself to a high-quality brand, eat a regular serving size and really savor it, Emanuel recommends.
“Make it a special occasion — and make sure it’s nice,” he says.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com