Dr. Steven Masley: Healthy Eating Doesn't Have to Be Gross | Big Think

So I'm a physician, a nutritionist, and a trained chef. If you want people to eat healthy food, it has to taste good. It has to meet their palate needs. So when you're looking – I'm trying to find out specific foods that are nutrient-rich that you might enjoy. So what will it take to get me to get you to eat food more often? It's about finding what you enjoy, what tastes delicious. It's easy to prepare. You can find the ingredients in a local grocery store.

I mean, essentially that's why I went back to The Four Seasons and did a chef internship. I wanted to make it easy and fun for you to add healthy food. So, for me, when I think of adding food – and we're gonna add number one, fiber. Not in breakfast cereal. I think of flour and sugar in the same thing. So I'm looking at adding fiber as in vegetables, fruit, beans, and nuts. And getting 30 grams a day, and it's pretty easy to do if you actually show people how.

The biggest bang we're gonna get for any effort – the return on lowering healthcare costs, on better brain performance, on less sick days is adding fiber. So it should and is number one. But most people don't emphasize it. Number two is about lean and clean protein. Many people eat junk. It's mean protein. It's anything but lean and clean. So lean and clean like wild seafood, free-range organic poultry. If you're eating a steak, it should be grass-fed, organic.

I mean, some things are simple but people don't get that their protein is hormone and pesticide-enriched, and it makes them sick. And then three is healthy fat. Certainly not a low-fat diet. It's about adding healthy fat. So using more olive oil, of course, hello. And then nuts, avocados, and seafood. Those are healthy fats, and we need more of them. And I like people to cook with nut oils as well. So avocado oil, nut oil, and olive oil. Those are the oils I have people cook with.

So when I give them those and their food tastes great, it's easy. The fourth food is beneficial beverages. You have to be really specific about what you drink. Of people who are really overweight, have major health problems, they get 20 to 35 percent of their calories from what they drink. That just makes no sense. But they're caught up in these super sugary drinks. So more water. Yes, you can have a cup or two of coffee, it's great for your health, but limit it at that. Green tea's fabulous.

I love to start the day with a protein smoothie. I want to transform America with a protein smoothie in the morning. You know, easy – two minutes. You add a scoop of protein, almond milk, one cup of berries, a little shot of chia seed. It's two minutes, you're done, you're out the door. It's awesome. You feel great. It improves your job and brain performance all day.

And the fifth group – here's a surprise. Fabulous flavors. Your food has to taste awesome or you're not gonna eat it. So we need more flavor if we're gonna change the way Americans eat. And here's the thing. Your brain is biochemically attracted to flavor. So Italian spices, curry spices, chili spices – they taste good, they smell good because we have a biochemical affinity.

Slow aging – they decrease inflammation. They raise your metabolism for weight loss. And then don't forget you have to have dark chocolate every day. It's a critical component to have one ounce, 28 grams, of 70 percent cocoa. When I say dark, we're not talking milk chocolate. When I give those people those five foods, it makes it easy to add them. We have enormous success in transforming eating with foods they can – you know, I help them pick which foods do you love that you could eat more of. Well, that's an easy sell...