An oncologist who’s ‘vehemently against’ the wellness industry says only 4 diet changes actually matter for lowering disease risk

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel spends his days thinking about cancer risk and health policy. He also, apparently, spends some of them eating ice cream. Over a bowl of pen-and-paper-flavored ice cream in London this June, the 68-year-old oncologist, public health professor, and former Obamacare advisor laid out the diet advice he actually gives people — stripped of wellness-industry noise, and built around four changes he says give you the most benefit for the least effort.

“I’m anti the wellness industrial complex,” Emanuel said. He’s “vehemently” against tracking, obsessing over, and optimizing every input of your health, and argues wellness should fit around your life, not the other way around. His approach, laid out in his new book, comes down to four starting moves.

Key Takeaways

• Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist and public health professor, recommends four starting changes: eat fermented foods, cut back on soda, reduce ultra-processed snacks, and get more fiber.
• He calls fermented foods “the easiest small change with big benefits” for gut health.
• Drinking 1-2 sugary sodas a day is linked to a roughly 26% higher risk of type 2 diabetes, a figure that matches a well-established medical research meta-analysis.
• Most Americans already get enough protein but fall well short on fiber, getting roughly half the recommended amount.

1. Add Fermented Foods

Emanuel’s first recommendation is also, in his view, the easiest: foods like sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, and kefir. Fermented foods contain both prebiotics (plant fibers your body can’t fully digest) and probiotics (live bacteria), which together feed beneficial gut microbes. Research has linked regularly eating fermented foods to a more diverse gut microbiome — generally considered a marker of good health — along with a lower risk of obesity and a stronger immune system. “Pick whichever ones you like,” Emanuel said. “They’re really, really good for you.”