Dr. Monisha Bhanote is a longevity physician with a focus on cellular health.
- I'm a longevity doctor and yogi: I 'build my life around' nourishment, mindful movement and good sleep for better health
Dr. Monisha Bhanote has nearly 30 years of experience in the field of health and wellness. As a longevity doctor and physician with a focus on cellular health, "which translates into the modern world of longevity," Bhanote has plenty of knowledge about how to live a long, healthy life.
She explores many longevity practices in her book, "The Anatomy of Wellbeing." An intentional lifestyle focused on improving health outcomes and optimizing wellbeing is "what I build my life around," says Bhanote.
Here's how she structures her life with longevity in mind.
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This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
'It's really about this intentional lifestyle'
CNBC Make It: What are some of your practices for staying healthy?
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It's really taking a holistic approach to the body. Culinary nourishment, mindful movement, spending time focusing on brain health and neuroplasticity, and sleep optimization with truly restorative sleep.
That's kind of what I build my life around, what I share when I'm working with patients [and] when I'm speaking at events. It's really about this intentional lifestyle and being aware that we have the power to take care of our body, how we take care of our body, and how we could potentially prevent and reverse disease.
You touched on this a bit, but is there anything that you're doing specifically for your brain?
Absolutely. There's a couple of things that I do for my brain.
One is nutrition. Removing ultra-processed foods [from my diet], and I've done this for a long time. There's a lot of food chemicals and additives, things that our body can't break down and it creates inflammation. So one of the things I am very conscious of is the food that I put in my body.
I grow some of my own food. I have a hydroponic [garden] where I grow my own greens and herbs. I've got like five or six fruit trees that I can get some guavas off of, persimmons and even some herbal plants [like] moringa.
Then I'm making sure that [I'm] including practices that are going to improve my neuronal connections. So activities like mindfulness or meditation. I am a certified yoga and meditation teacher.
And also increasing fitness activity. Really being intentional [about] what type of movement I'm doing. What I was doing in my teens and my 20s, I'm not doing that anymore, because that's not right for my body, but I'm consistently moving my body. One of my major physical activities is walking four or five miles a day.
How do you incorporate social activity and connecting with other people into your life?
My social fitness, a lot of it is actually virtual so I am probably on calls like half the day, and then I do travel quite a bit.
Almost once a month I'm speaking at an event, so connecting with people there and seeing what's going on in other people's lives, what's going on in the world, and really taking this from a global perspective.
It's great to be in-person, but sometimes you're just not able to be. It's a matter of picking up the phone and talking to somebody as opposed to just texting them.
What are some of the foods that you make sure to get in your diet regularly or even everyday?
I am plant-based, gluten-free unless I'm in Europe. When I'm traveling in regions like Europe or Asia, where food production often follows much higher standards and traditional methods, I don't hesitate to enjoy gluten-containing foods.
In these areas, the quality and authenticity of ingredients make a noticeable difference, and I find they align better with my body's ability to process them.
My focus is really getting the highest amount of phytonutrients [and] antioxidants in my food.
My diet really consists of food that is in season. Lots of soups and smoothies because that's a great way for me to get a lot of nutrients at one time. I'm able to put in berries of all different colors and really eat the color of the rainbow, and also throw some greens in there. All foods with different colors have different compounds.
I eat a lot of salads. Most people are used to eating Iceberg lettuce with some tomatoes, maybe a cucumber. And I'm like, "Oh, I should show you my salad."
My go-to salad is a reflection of the #CellCare philosophy, intentionally designed to provide a vibrant blend of phytonutrients, polyphenols, and essential nutrients that support cellular vitality. My salads include dark leafy greens like spinach or kale, and baked tofu or a serving of black beans for protein.
I mix in fresh, chopped mint and cilantro, which offer detoxifying and anti-inflammatory properties and a rainbow of crisp vegetables—including radishes, cucumbers, purple cabbage, and shredded carrots. I complement this with blueberries or pomegranates and a serving of avocado with a mix of sesame, hemp, and sunflower seeds.
Usually, my goal for every meal is to get 10 different fruits and vegetables in. Whether that's a sandwich, a wrap, a salad, I'm looking at my plate, I'm seeing if it's a rainbow of color. It's not so much about quantity, it's more about making sure I'm getting diversity. That diversity is focused on really protecting my gut microbiome.
This one is just a fun one. What are you currently reading?
I'm more of a podcast person or like listening to audiobooks. My latest audiobook that I'm in the middle of listening to is called The Energy Bus.
This book is really about how to manage relationships, how to manage your energy. We only have so much energy to do things. How do we address this, and how do we ultimately live our best life?
The 5 daily habits of a longevity doctor
To sum up Bhanote's behaviors for longevity, here's what she does daily for her overall health and wellness:
- For her body: Healthy eating, mindful movement, brain-healthy activities, optimal sleep and social connections
- For brain health: No ultra-processed foods, eating mainly home-grown fruits and vegetables, meditating and walking four or five miles a day
- For social fitness: Connecting with people virtually multiple times a day, networking at speaking engagements
- For her daily diet: Plant-based, gluten-free foods that are the different colors of the rainbow. 10 different kinds of fruits and veggies in each meal
- For her media diet: Podcasts and audiobooks
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