That’s not to say the information from these studies isn’t useful—it’s just that, for the average person, figuring out how to put it all together is pretty hard. Fortunately, that’s exactly what world-renowned physician and researcher William Li, M.D., has done in his new book Eat To Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. Pretty cool. But that got us thinking: What does the man who literally wrote the book on eating to beat disease actually eat on a daily basis? I was lucky enough to chat with Li to find out. While he emphasized that no day is “typical” and that there are a variety of ways to eat a healthful diet, he did share some meals you might find him eating on a pretty regular basis. Occasionally he’ll have a slice of toast as well. Not just any toast, though—whenever possible, Li opts for a high-quality sourdough. “I eat it for its impact on my microbiome,” he says. “Sourdough is made with Lactobacillus reuteri, a healthy gut bacteria that helps activate our immune system and speed healing. It also activates our brain and prompts it to release the social, feel-good hormone oxytocin. The research has shown that even when the bacteria is killed by the cooking process, the remnants of the bacteria will still have all those benefits. It’s quite amazing.” Consider our minds blown. When Li is traveling, he might add in a couple of pieces of hard cheese such as Gouda, Muenster, or Camembert in the morning, which are often part of the European breakfast spread. The reason for hard cheeses, specifically? They’re a great source of vitamin K2 (also found in egg yolks and chicken thighs), which is not only heart-healthy but anti-angiogenic as well, meaning it helps slow the formation of blood vessels that promote tumor growth. (Fun fact: Li rose to fame in 2010 when his TedTalk on anti-angiogenic foods, Can We Eat To Starve Cancer?, went viral. We highly recommend watching.) From time to time, Li will skip lunch altogether. “Skipping a lunch or breakfast now and then reduces caloric intake, which improves your telomeres—the caps of DNA on the end of your chromosomes—and is associated with cellular longevity,” he says. “I don’t purposely fast to lose weight or become ketogenic, but I’m mindful that doing this a couple of days a week has some benefit.” He’ll even eat pasta from time to time, but he knows exactly how to ramp up its disease-fighting potential. First, he’ll go for whole-wheat pasta, with the shell of the grain present, which contains anti-angiogenic and immune-boosting properties. As for the sauce, all varieties of tomatoes (when cooked) contain a highly absorbable form of the powerful, cancer-starving carotenoid antioxidant lycopene—but, whenever possible, Li will opt for San Marzano or cherry tomatoes, which have the highest lycopene levels. Then, he’ll add a glug of olive oil for even more disease-fighting benefits. But not just any olive oil. “I always look at the bottle to see if they identify the type of olive,” says Li. His top choice? Extra-virgin olive oil made with Greek Koroneiki olives, which are a particularly potent source of hydroxytyrosol, an immune-enhancing, anti-angiogenic, DNA-protecting polyphenol compound. To top it all off? He might add some capers, which pack a hefty dose of the antioxidant quercetin, which is anti-inflammatory and may help inhibit the growth of several types of cancer. For more from Li, check out our excerpt from Eat To Beat Disease on foods that stimulate the immune system.
