What if the key to living long and healthy into your late 80s isn't relying on expensive supplements but secretly adding something to your daily meal? This 89-year-old nutritionist's grocery list and daily menu demonstrate that a longer life can result from simple, consistent food choices.

On January 6, Today highlighted the story of Marion Nestle, Ph.D., a former New York University professor, who has been a renowned nutrition expert for decades. She believes longevity is all about nutrition, not genetics.

The rule is simple for her when it comes to nutrition. She says healthy eating means avoiding ultra-processed foods with artificial ingredients and mostly eating plants in moderation.

According to Today, her daily menu looks like:

Breakfast

The retired professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University eats her first meal at 11 am or later, as she admitted that she doesn't eat much and doesn't get hungry too often. Her breakfast normally looks like:

• Fruits
• Cereal (preferred brand is shredded wheat, as it contains only whole grain wheat)
• She also adds berries.
• She sometimes consumes sugar, but in limited amounts.

Lunch

Nestle, who believes, “People should eat when they're hungry,” eats a salad or sandwich in her midday meal. She mostly prefers a plant-based diet.

Dinner

For Nestle, salad is the most preferred dish for dinner, and she also likes homemade dishes.

In her book, “What to Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters,” she wrote, “If someone else prepares the food, you have no idea what is in it.

Even salads and vegetables from takeout places will almost certainly have more calories, fat, sugar, and salt than you would use at home”.

Sometimes she eats out at any restaurant, but only in limited amounts.

Cheat meal

She prefers treats like:

• Full-fat I've cream with a minimal amount of ingredients like vanilla.
• Occasionally, Nestle eats thick potato chips fried in olive oil and seasoned with rosemary.
• Sometimes she eats Oreo cookies.

Apart from a planned diet, she also buys her groceries strategically.

Marion Nestle’s grocery list

Nester's grocery list mainly includes real, unprocessed food items with a few ingredients. She said, “I prefer organic if I can get it, and I'm fortunate in being able to afford it”.

Some basic items that usually stay on her grocery list are:

• Vegetables like peppers, carrots, and lettuce for salad
• Berries
• Cereal
• Eggs
• Milk
• Yogurt
• Cheese

She also eats meat in a small portion. During her visit to a supermarket, Nestle avoids the snack department and eats carrots, nuts, and fruit.

So Nestle's diet includes healthy, fresh items, and she focuses on portion control.

Given that she is still going strong at 89, are you thinking of following her diet?

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Souvik Roy