Oncologist and bioethicist Zeke Emanuel takes a basic approach to maintaining good health in his new book, including tips like allowing yourself to enjoy ice cream. WeBond Creations/Getty Images hide title toggle title WeBond Creations/Getty Images If you’re craving a cool treat on a hot day, nothing screams summer like ice cream. And a doctor
Oncologist and bioethicist Zeke Emanuel takes a basic approach to maintaining good health in his new book, including tips like allowing yourself to enjoy ice cream.
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If you’re craving a cool treat on a hot day, nothing screams summer like ice cream.
And a doctor credited with shaping American health policy has a message: Go ahead and enjoy it.
Zeke Emanuel is an oncologist and bioethicist who served as an advisor to the Obama administration and helped shape the Affordable Care Act. He believes in a system that invests in prevention, one that aims to keep people healthy. So when he published his book, literally titled Eat your ice cream: six simple rules for a long and healthy lifeI asked him what motivated him.
“Mostly it will be against the welfare industrial complex,” Emanuel told me. He says the wellness industry is selling people all kinds of things that are expensive and not clinically proven, pointing to the latest trend in peptides, whole-body scans and “all kinds of supplements” marketed as anti-aging elixirs.
Emanuel Takes a Back-to-Basics, Evidence-Based Approach to Maintaining Good Health in His Book.
And although the title is a bit ironic, it points to evidence that people who have a habit of eating ice cream have a lower risk of metabolic diseases, even though it contains a lot of sugar and fat. Researchers have called this the “ice cream paradox.” There is data from 2015 that suggests “that ice cream is pretty good at preventing the development of type two diabetes, and dairy in general is good at preventing type two diabetes,” Emanuel says.
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Dairy contains whey protein that may benefit glucose regulation, which may partially explain the association, although the research does not determine cause and effect. Emanuel is also in favor of consuming more fiber and fermented foods, which points out the need to feed the bacteria in our intestines.
“Evolution would have gotten rid of them if they weren’t there for some reason,” Emanuel says. “And treating them well, by eating more fermented foods, whether it’s yogurt, cottage cheese or hard cheeses like Gruyere, kimchi or sauerkraut, is a good thing for us.”
Prioritize sleep and stay active
Emanuel’s other recommendations to increase your chances of living a long, healthy life are accompanied by a wealth of evidence about the importance of daily habits, including exercise, social connections, and enough sleep. A new study published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds that people who get little sleep for just six weeks begin to gain weight, in part because lack of sleep disrupts hunger hormones.
“We know that sleep is biologically important. We know it’s important to clean out the brain, basically empty the trash, so to speak. We know it’s important to consolidate long-term memories. We know it’s important for DNA to repair itself. So there are a lot of very important elements,” Emanuel says.
In short: sleep, he says, should not be underestimated.
Emanuel’s most controversial advice: Don’t retire. He notes that work provides structure and a schedule, “so you get up and go. It also provides a mental challenge and a social environment,” Emanuel says. Therefore, you need to think carefully about how you will find structure, purpose, and a social circle if you plan to leave a job that provides these elements.
He says that unless you consciously recreate this sense of purpose, you could increase your risk of cognitive decline. Instead, there are endless hobbies and volunteer opportunities to pursue. Research from UC Davis shows that people who report a greater sense of purpose in life are 28% less likely to develop cognitive decline.
“There are a lot of organizations that need help, you have skills and you can meet people,” says Emanuel, pointing out everything from volunteering at a school or food bank to signing up for a class or joining a club – all good ways to meet people.
People who want to meet up, he suggests, could also have ice cream.
“I enjoy it, that’s for sure,” Emanuel says. Chocolate with hazelnuts is their summer flavor. But of course, everything must be taken in moderation.
Here is a version of his six simple rules:
1. Don’t be an idiot! Avoid self-destructive risks. “Obviously smoking is not good for your health. Vaping is not good for your health either,” he says. Emanuel recommends limiting alcohol to 3 or 4 drinks a week, avoiding distracted driving, and says it’s probably a “foolish thing” to climb Mount Everest, pointing to a high risk of harm or death.
2. talk to people. Start conversations. “My standard when I get into an Uber is to ask the person, where are you from?” says Emmanuel. If you start a conversation, people are likely to respond. “People really like to interact. We are social beings. We are programmed to interact. So you just need to take the initiative.” Casual interactions are meaningful and can promote positive feelings.
3. Expand your mind. Emanuel says he realizes that most people eventually retire, but they take steps to maintain lifelong learning and stay curious. Finding ways to stay engaged and have a strong sense of purpose can reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
4. Eat your ice cream. A balanced diet is important and people should eat for nutrition and enjoyment. Make simple changes, such as limiting soda, sugary drinks, and snacks, while focusing on healthy meals and treating yourself at the end of the day. Everything in moderation.
5. Move! Regular movement is important, including aerobic exercise that increases your heart rate, as well as strength training. Walking after a meal is a great way to stabilize blood sugar and can help offset the damage of sitting.
6. Sleep like a baby. Sleep is essential for good health, and people who place little importance on sleep are more likely to gain weight and be more sedentary. Sleep aids don’t work well, so practice good sleep hygiene, including setting a regular bedtime and optimizing your bedroom for sleep.
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