Harvard cancer doctor William Li has recently opened up on his daily diet routine, which he uses to stay healthy and to reduce the chances of getting chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer, in an interview with American food magazine Cooking Light.
Dr. Li is a Harvard graduate, specializing in the field of internal medicine. He has been working on disease cure through medicine and nutrition for the last 20 years.
After extensive research spanning over two decades, he has been able to identify around 200 foods that complement the body’s five defense mechanisms and help reduce the chances of suffering chronic diseases like dementia, cancer, and diabetes.
These foods work at various levels, from improving our body’s microbiomes to helping us reproduce healthy and functional cells, and much more. That’s why they are seriously worth adding to our daily diet.
Before we dig deep into Dr. Li’s daily diet plan, rest assured that it is a really delicious way of living and it doesn’t ask you to buy anything special or strange.
Breakfast:
Dr. Li starts his day with a cup of green tea or coffee. He has named these two drinks “grand-slammer foods” as they are very good for activating all the five defense mechanisms of the body. The doctor particularly likes matcha green tea due to its high antioxidant content.
The second option that Dr. Li prefers for breakfast is fresh fruits like mangoes or berries served along with fiber-rich oatmeal.
Lunch:
Dr. Li believes in keeping the lunch as simple as it can be. Mostly, lunch for him means green salad, rich in kale, arugula, spinach or radicchio. Dr. Li would always eat something green every day, and when we say green, we’re also counting in avocado!
To keep his energy levels high throughout the day, Dr. Li likes having some legumes for lunch to get a rush of plant power. Legumes are one of the healthiest diets as they are loaded with fiber, protein, iron and a lot of vitamins as well as essential minerals.
Legumes are a constant in Dr. Li’s daily routine, and he takes them with balsamic vinegar, lemon juice or refined olive oil. Now this combo isn’t only healthy but also incredibly tasty.
Snack:
Dr. Li regularly consumes a handful of tree nuts.
He personally likes walnuts the most, because the omega-3 fats in walnuts boost the brain and augment the immune system. They are also a good source of vitamin B and magnesium.
When in the mood of having something sweet, Dr. Li prefers dark chocolate.
According to Dr. Li, the best variety of chocolates is the one with more than 70 per cent cacao.
Dinner:
Fish is one of the foods Dr. Li loves the most to have in the dinner. He likes it served with whole-wheat pasta, tomato sauce rich in antioxidants, with garlic and lemon.
Dr. Li believes that carbohydrates are very important to fight diseases – you just have to choose the right carbs.
He suggests whole grains, beans, fruits, and sourdough bread rather than processed carbs to get the maximum disease-fighting benefits from them.