These 11 foods have been shown to support longevity, brain health, metabolic health, gut health, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease — and they’re the foods I eat every week as an emergency doctor.
After my last video on the healthiest foods I eat, the comments section exploded. People were surprised by what was missing, confused by conflicting nutrition advice, and divided on whether foods like red meat belong anywhere near a “healthy” list. That confusion isn’t because people don’t care about their health — it’s because they’ve been given too much contradictory information.
In this follow-up video, I break down 11 foods I eat almost every week, not because they’re trendy or labelled as superfoods, but because there’s solid evidence showing they support long-term health when eaten consistently. We’re not talking about perfection, restriction, or supplements — we’re talking about repeatable, evidence-based habits that compound over decades.
In this video, I explain:
-How these foods support metabolic health and insulin sensitivity
-Why they protect brain health and cognitive function
-How they improve gut health and inflammation
-Their role in reducing cardiovascular disease risk
-Why one commonly praised fruit can be dangerous if you’re on certain medications
I also explain why some foods are controversial, how to think about processed vs unprocessed foods, and how to build a diet that actually works in the real world — not just on paper.
I’m Dr Alex, an emergency medicine doctor with nearly a decade on the frontline, and this channel is about translating medical science into practical advice that doctors rarely have time to explain.
If you found this useful, I’d love it if you subscribed to the channel — it genuinely helps this content reach more people who need it.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Why these foods matter for longevity
01:51 – Food #11: Blackberries (brain & vascular health)
04:24 – Food #10: Sardines (omega-3s & bone health)
07:01 – Food #9: Broccoli (cell defence & detox pathways)
09:22 – Food #8: Flax Seeds (hormones, fibre & inflammation)
11:46 – Food #7: Celery, Cucumber, Carrots & Hummus (gut & insulin health)
14:24 – Food #6: Lentils (metabolic health & blood sugar control)
16:47 – Food #5: Garlic (blood pressure & immune support)
19:06 – Food #4: Greek Yogurt (protein, gut health & bone strength)
21:26 – Food #3: Rocket (nitric oxide & cardiovascular health)
23:37 – Food #2: Chickpeas (insulin sensitivity & gut microbiome)
25:54 – Food #1: Steak (iron, B12 & the processed vs unprocessed debate)
28:56 – The risky fruit: (dangerous medication interactions)
31:19 – Final thoughts: building health that compounds over decades
#dralex #doctoralex #longevity #metabolichealth #guthealth #weightloss #healthyfoods
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Can you suggest some lunch and dinner options? Your thoughts on goat cheese?
Yes please, more content like this 💋
To much flaxseed can build up a hydrocyanic acid within your body though. So it is not recommended eating mora than a spoon per day. Is that not a concern @DrAlexWibberlay?
Great channel my most watched I think 😊 thank you for all the useful, great information 🙏
Spend way too much time on blackberries. I can’t make it to end thx though
I had to laugh as I was picking out the blackberries from my summer fruit mix I was going to eat with my high protein greek yoghurt whilst listening to this as I find the taste quite sharp. Obviously I put them all back in again as they taste better now I know how good they are for me😂
Hi there. I'm enjoying your videos. Thanks for putting them together. I've been working away at getting fiber and protein at every meal. I eat some bread, not too much, some rice though not too much. I eat a desert every day, not too much. What I'm finding is that I can't sleep well eating this way. I'm doing all the right things, no caffeine, reading before bed, room is cool etc. yesterday I ate more sweet stuff than normal, a sweet tart and a piece of cake and I slept the best I had in weeks. What should I be adding to my diet to sleep better? Thanks for your help!
my mom gave me crudites/vegetables, pita/pita chips/pretzels and hummus (instead of dressing) as a child as a afternoon snack and its my deflaut "girl dinner" now as an adult. also olive oil and red wine vinegar or lemon juice was our main salad dressing option.
eta: also a good way to eat garlic is taking your favorite toasted bread (toasted well), and roughly rubbing a fresh garlic clove over it, grating it into the bread (you'll see the clove break down). butter/oil/salt is optional. the garlic is still raw so all the allicin is released and you can eat it quickly to get the value.
What do you eat sardines with, just out of the tin ? I want to try them but find them a little unappealing
A thirty-two minute video to list twelve foods?
I think you have helped me. You would help me more if you put your bullet points on a pdf. Acting on your advice, this morning I bought six tins of sardines and broccoli. Please help me take better advantage of your videos.
11) blackberries
10) sardines (tinned with olive oil)
9) broccoli
8) flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds (ground up)
7) celery, carrots, cucumber, and hummus
6) lentils
5) garlic
4) Greek yogurt
3) arugula
2) chickpeas (pair with tomatoes and peppers)
1) steak
Bonus: Grapefruit or grapefruit juice- check with your doctor to see if it interferes with any of your medications
So where do deep fried Mars Bars fit in ?
Learning to love sardines. 😊
I can't do sardines no matter how I tried to prepare it. 🤢
Just discovered these videos, they're fantastic. Two videos I would love are 1) how to structure meals and what to eat to avoid that mid-afternoon crash, and 2) how to cut down on alcohol cravings. I love wine with dinner, but find more leads to more.
Thank you so much , very informative. That helps me a lot. Rose 🌹
1:11 lemme guess – GRAPEFRUIT
Poor sap who thinks red meat is unhealthy…
Mediterranean Diet!
EVERY THING YOU DOCTORS ADVICES, PEOPLE!!!! STAY AWAY FROM ALL OF THEM, ITS SPRAY WITH CHEMICALS YOU PEOPLE CANNOT EVEN PRONOUNCE!!!!!!!!!! DEADLY CHEMICALS!!!!!!
Super list and info well explained! Questions: 1. Why beef steak rather than pork or chicken etc? Can’t eggs replace meet? 2. I miss oats on your list as a relatively low glycemic grain with all that glucagon. Reasons? Keep up the good work!
AWESOME VIDEO THANKS DOC 👌👍❤️
I want to eat sardines, and I'm told not to drain because of nutrients being in the sauce, however, sardines are canned in sodium. What to do?
Re:Broccoli.. be careful frying with olive oil as it turns to saturated fat fast, given the low smoke point..
Please take into affect the chemicals and changing of genetics in raw foods like carrots etc
I watched it but I won’t comment again!
Dear Doctor Alex, does pasteurized sauerkraut have any real benefit? Or is it best to consume unpasteurized sauerkraut?
All sardines are wild caught. There have been aquaculture attempts but, they aren’t current farmed commercially.
You sound smart I’ve been following your health advice religiously, but then I noticed you’re wearing two wristwatches and I started questioning you.
I have IBS due to endometriosis and fibromyalgia as well.
So I'm on a FODMAP diet, and fructose is out, as is garlic.
I'm wondering what we can do instead.
I do use garlic-infused olive oil for cooking (usually stir-frys or scrambled eggs) and I love it, but it doesn't love me 😉
Just wondering what to do with such dietary restrictions as IBS and FODMAP type restrictions.
Cheers!
Incredibly informative video and very simple and easy to understand, what kind of sucks about all this is that the majority of us know most if not all of this, but given to the garbage or just ignore
The message on you Ur videos are so clear and addictive keep up the good work 👍🙏
Don’t eat flaxseeds on an empty stomach or just by itself! You get the worst constipation ever! Actually, it’s dangerous
😇😇😇😇🥰😍🤩😘😇😇😇😇
I eat many of the foods suggested but I have gall stones and get gall bladder attacks. I don't want surgery to remove my gall bladder as I already have digestive issues and friends have suffered greatly after surgery with serios digestive issues. I have CKD 3a as well. I am about 10 lbs overweight and can't seem to lose weight on a whole food diet. I can'tose too quickly because of gall bladder and I can't eat yogurt, avocados, olive oil or garlic because they trigger gall bladder attacks. I seem to be restricted to steel cut oats with blueberries for breakfast and home made vegetable soup with chickpeas or chicken for lunch and dinner. I make my own vegetable broth…no salt.
It's like tap dancing across a mine field.