Nestle credits good nutrition and healthy habits for her own longevity, noting genetics probably didn\u2019t play a big role. She says her father was \u201cvery overweight,\u201d smoked three packs a day and died of a heart attack at 47.<\/p>\n
Her simple tips for healthy eating<\/a> include avoiding ultraprocessed foods<\/a> with artificial ingredients, eating plants as often as possible and consuming everything in moderation.<\/p>\n So what does Nestle eat in a day? She\u2019s not a fan of the question.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, it seems just immensely personal,\u201d Nestle, Ph.D., a retired professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, tells TODAY.com.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then also, because my diet varies so much from day to day, it’s really hard to say.\u201d<\/p>\n Another reason: \u201cYou’re talking to somebody who doesn’t eat much,\u201d she says. \u201cI’m not hungry very often.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Nestle shared an outline of her daily menu as well as some of her favorite foods.<\/p>\n Breakfast<\/p>\n Nestle is not a breakfast eater<\/a> in the traditional sense because she doesn’t get hungry until late in the morning, so she usually doesn\u2019t have her first meal until 11 o’clock or later.<\/p>\n She then typically eats cereal and fruit. Her preference is spoon-size shredded wheat since it has only one ingredient, whole grain wheat, and she can add her own sugar and berries. Nestle has a sweet tooth and likes sprinkling raw turbinado sugar on cereal or yogurt, though she\u2019s careful about how much she uses.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople should eat when they’re hungry,\u201d she says, adding that a lot of research that proclaims breakfast the most important meal of the day has been sponsored by cereal companies.<\/p>\n Most ready-to-eat breakfast cereals have so much sugar and so many additives that \u201cthey might as well be cookies,\u201d she writes in her book. But the unprocessed options are still healthy<\/a>, she adds. <\/p>\n Lunch<\/p>\n Nestle\u2019s midday meal consists of a sandwich or a salad<\/a>. She typically eats a largely plant-based diet<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dinner<\/p>\n She often finishes the day with a salad. <\/p>\n Homemade meals are generally best. \u201cIf someone else prepares the food, you have no idea what is in it,\u201d Nestle writes in her book. \u201cEven salads and vegetables from takeout places will almost certainly have more calories, fat, sugar and salt than you would use at home.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Nestle likes eating out so when she\u2019s at a restaurant, she simply tries to avoid overeating.<\/p>\n What\u2019s in Her Grocery Cart<\/p>\n Nestle buys real, unprocessed food with one ingredient or just a few \u2014 \u201cI prefer organic if I can get it, and I’m fortunate in being able to afford it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Her grocery list includes berries, vegetables for a salad such as lettuce, carrots and peppers; cereal, eggs, cheese, milk and yogurt. \u201cI view cheese as one of life\u2019s greatest pleasures,\u201d she writes in her book. Cheese<\/a> is high in fat and calories, so she pays attention to portion sizes.<\/p>\n Nestle eats meat, but not very much.<\/p>\n![\"Marion](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/marion-nestle-eating-habits-mh-120525-29199c.jpg\")
Marion Nestle, 89, says the secret of healthy nutrition is to vary foods as much as possible and keep them as minimally processed as possible.Courtesy Peter Menzel<\/p>\n