A Boca Raton physician who has practiced functional medicine for more than 45 years says three items are a fixture of his own daily diet: coffee, cacao and raw honey.
Dr. Mitch Ghen told Fox News Digital these foods and drinks support healthy aging, and he builds his own routine around them. “I think these foods make a massive difference,” Ghen said.
Ghen starts his mornings with coffee mixed with 100% cacao, then adds raw, unfiltered honey to his diet during the day.
Coffee
Coffee tops Ghen’s list. He cited research linking coffee consumption to potential health benefits and said the “sweet spot” for coffee and longevity appears to fall between three and four cups a day.
Ghen said he believes coffee offers cardiovascular and immune benefits on top of its well-known effect on alertness. He drinks organic coffee as part of his own morning routine.
Cacao
Ghen adds 100% cacao, high in antioxidant plant compounds called polyphenols, to his morning coffee. He typically recommends about a teaspoon to a tablespoon, depending on the cacao’s polyphenol content.
“I think [the] combination tends to sit on top of each other and gives that person not only a great start in the morning, but certainly what I would call a good amount of antioxidants and polyphenols,” Ghen said.
He also pointed to research suggesting cacao may carry cardiovascular benefits.
Raw Honey
The third item on Ghen’s list is raw, unfiltered, organic honey, which he said may benefit the gut microbiome — an area of growing research interest in overall health and aging.
“I love honey because I think it is one that helps longevity,” he said.
Ghen recommends moderation: about a tablespoon a day, which he said is a reasonable amount without provoking too much of a blood sugar spike.
Not a Magic Fix
Ghen stressed that healthy aging isn’t about chasing individual “superfoods.” He pointed to the Mediterranean diet as a general model and said sustainable eating habits matter more than any single ingredient. It’s never too late to start, he said, even for people who haven’t always eaten well.
“The question that everyone should ask themselves is, quite seriously, is it about longevity, meaning a number, or is it the quality? Quantity follows quality, so that’s the key,” Ghen said.
