The clock is ticking. According to Michael Roizen, Cleveland Clinic chief wellness officer and chief medical consultant on The Dr. Oz Show, our bodies are designed to process food with the rising and setting of the sun. “You have a circadian rhythm to your metabolism,” he says. “A calorie in the morning is like nine-tenths of a calorie, but a calorie in the evening is 1.1 calories.” The What To Eat When Cookbook, which Roizen co-authored, hits shelves April 13 and guides readers through 135 recipes timed throughout the day. Roizen shares what he eats in a typical day with us.
5:30-6:30 A.M.
One large cup of black coffee
“In small amounts, [caffeine] revs up your metabolism and your metabolic rate,” says Roizen. “It decreases liver disease, Type 2 diabetes and decreases nine different cancers between 20-30%.”
11:30 A.M.
Grilled veggies and a salmon burger
“In the middle of the day, we metabolize our food much more efficiently,” says Roizen. “The salmon is beneficial for brain functioning, and then I’ll have whatever veggies I’ve roasted, like broccoli or cauliflower, Brussels sprouts or spinach, and that will decrease your risk for cancer.”
4-5 P.M.
One ounce of walnuts
“Their fat and their protein content satisfy my hunger,” says Roizen.
6:30 P.M.
Salad with lettuce, celery, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, vinegar and olive oil
“You want 75% of your calories before 2 p.m.,” says Roizen, who turns to a salad as a final low-calorie meal. “Those ingredients will increase my fiber and decrease my risk of all the chronic diseases.”
