Full transcript
0:00Most people at 85 are slowing down.
0:02Martha Stewart is doing the opposite.
0:04She's waking up before dawn, managing a
0:06working farm with dozens of animals,
0:08hosting dinner parties that would
0:09exhaust a 30-year-old, and she recently
0:12told an interviewer she feels closer to
0:1460 than 85. So, what exactly is going on
0:17inside this woman's kitchen, and more
0:19importantly, inside her body that makes
0:22that possible? Stay tuned, because what
0:24we're about to uncover might completely
0:26change the way you think about food and
0:28aging.
0:29Meet Martha Stewart. Let's take a second
0:31to appreciate just how remarkable this
0:33woman actually is. Martha Helen Stewart
0:36was born on August 3rd, 1941 in Jersey
0:39City, New Jersey. She grew up the second
0:41of six children in a Polish-American
0:43family in Nutley, New Jersey, where her
0:45father, Edward Kostyra, was a passionate
0:47gardener, and her mother, Martha Sr.,
0:49was a school teacher who cooked from
0:50scratch every single night.
0:53If you're wondering where Martha's
0:54obsession with growing things and
0:56cooking beautiful food came from, look
0:58no further than that backyard in Nutley.
1:01She modeled her way through college at
1:03Barnard. She worked as a stockbroker on
1:06Wall Street in the 1960s and '70s. She
1:09then built a catering business out of
1:11her Connecticut farmhouse basement in
1:13the 1970s that eventually became one of
1:15the most recognizable lifestyle brands
1:17on the planet, Martha Stewart Living,
1:20the magazine, the television show,
1:23the cookbooks, 40-plus of them, the
1:26merchandise lines, the media empire, and
1:29then, in 2004, something happened that
1:32would have destroyed most people.
1:34She was convicted of charges related to
1:36a stock sale and sentenced to 5 months
1:39in federal prison at Alderson, West
1:40Virginia. The press had a field day.
1:42Competitors were gleeful. The obituaries
1:45for her brand were practically written.
1:47She walked out of that prison in 2005,
1:49went straight back to work, rebuilt
1:51everything, and is now, at 85, arguably
1:54more culturally relevant than ever.
1:58The woman appeared on the cover of
2:00Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in
2:022023 at 81 years old. 81. Let that sink
2:06in for a moment. Here's the thing about
2:08Martha that most people miss when
2:11they're busy making jokes about her
2:12perfect pie crust or her prison
2:14nickname. And yes, people called her M
2:17Diddy in there, which is genuinely
2:19funny. The thing they miss is that this
2:21woman has been quietly, consistently,
2:23almost obsessively committed to the
2:25quality of what she puts in her body for
2:28her entire adult life. Not as a trend,
2:31not as a brand exercise, as a genuine,
2:33deeply held personal philosophy rooted
2:36in her childhood, her garden, and her
2:38understanding that the body you live in
2:40at 80 is largely built by the choices
2:42you made at 40, [music] 50, and 60. So,
2:45when Martha says she feels 60, we should
2:47probably pay attention to how she got
2:49there. [music] Why Martha is different
2:51from other aging well celebrities.
2:54Here's where Martha separates herself
2:56from the crowd, and the crowd is getting
2:57crowded. Let's be honest. Every week
2:59there's a new 60-something celebrity
3:01telling you [music] they feel 40. Some
3:03are selling supplements, some have a
3:05skin care line, some have a team of
3:06private chefs, [music]
3:07IV drip specialists, and personal
3:10trainers that most of us could never
3:11afford on our best day. Martha is not
3:14that. [music] Yes, she has resources,
3:16but the habits that keep her sharp and
3:18physically impressive at 85 are
3:20embarrassingly simple. She grows [music]
3:21food, she cooks food, she eats real
3:23food, she moves her body by doing actual
3:26work on an actual farm, she sleeps, she
3:28keeps her mind engaged. That's it.
3:30That's basically the list. She doesn't
3:32count macros, she doesn't juice cleanse.
3:34She has made it clear that extreme
3:36dietary restriction, the kind where
3:38someone hands you a list of 47 foods you
3:40can never eat again, is completely
3:42joyless and probably counterproductive.
3:45The science, as we'll see, tends to
3:47agree.
3:48What Martha does instead is something
3:50researchers have been pointing to for
3:51decades.
3:52Whole foods,
3:54mostly unprocessed,
3:56grown as close to the source as
3:57possible, done consistently for most of
3:59her adult life. Consistency is the
4:01ingredient nobody wants to talk about
4:03because it isn't exciting enough for a
4:05magazine cover, but it's the one that
4:06matters most.
4:08The five foods Martha eats every [music]
4:10single day. All right, this is the part
4:12you came for. Let's get into it.
4:15Number one, eggs from her own chickens.
4:19Martha Stewart keeps chickens.
4:22Not metaphorically.
4:24Actual chickens.
4:26Hundreds of them. She has spoken about
4:28her flock with a level of enthusiasm
4:30that most people reserve for their
4:31children, and honestly, fair enough. Her
4:33chickens are apparently beautiful,
4:35well-fed, and living their absolute best
4:37lives on her farm in Bedford, New York.
4:39And every single morning, those chickens
4:41produce the eggs that Martha eats for
4:42breakfast. Now, you might be thinking,
4:44"Eggs? That's your big longevity secret?
4:46Eggs?" [music] And look, I hear you. But
4:48stay with me here because the specific
4:50way Martha sources and consumes eggs
4:53matters enormously, and it's [music] a
4:55detail that gets lost when people reduce
4:57this to a simple food item. The eggs
5:00Martha eats come from pasture-raised
5:02hens who spend their days roaming,
5:04scratching, and eating a natural diet
5:06that includes insects, [music] plants,
5:08and whatever else they find on the farm.
5:10Research has consistently shown that
5:13eggs [music] from pasture-raised hens
5:15contain significantly higher levels of
5:17omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, vitamin
5:20E, and beta-carotene compared to
5:22conventional factory-farmed eggs. We're
5:24talking about a nutritionally superior
5:26product, not just a feel-good farming
5:28story.
5:29Eggs, as a food, are extraordinary for
5:32aging adults specifically. They are one
5:35of the few complete protein sources,
5:37meaning they contain all nine essential
5:39amino acids in proportions that the
5:42human body can actually use efficiently.
5:44This matters enormously after 60, when
5:47the body's ability to synthesize muscle
5:49protein from dietary protein begins to
5:51decline.
5:53Research published in journals studying
5:55sarcopenia, that's the age-related loss
5:57of muscle mass that quietly steals
5:59strength, balance, and independence from
6:01older adults, consistently points to
6:04adequate high-quality protein intake as
6:06one of the most powerful countermeasures
6:08available. Eggs also contain choline, a
6:11nutrient that is critical for brain
6:13health and cognitive function, and that
6:14the majority of adults, regardless of
6:16age, do not consume in sufficient
6:19quantities. [music]
6:19Martha eats eggs every day. Her brain,
6:22by all available evidence, is
6:24functioning at a level that would
6:25embarrass many people half her age.
6:28She's been known to prepare them simply,
6:30soft scrambled in good butter, poached
6:32over vegetables, or folded into an
6:34omelet with fresh herbs from the garden.
6:36No elaborate production, just excellent
6:39ingredients treated with respect. One
6:41more thing worth mentioning. Martha has
6:43spoken about the joy she gets from
6:45collecting eggs in the morning. She
6:47walks to the henhouse herself. That
6:49daily walk, that physical task, that
6:52connection to something living and
6:53growing, we'll come back to why that
6:55kind of thing matters more than most
6:57people realize.
6:59Number two, fresh herbs and greens from
7:01her garden.
7:03If you have ever watched Martha Stewart
7:04cook on television, on social media,
7:07anywhere, you have noticed one constant.
7:10The woman is always reaching for
7:11something fresh from the garden. A
7:13handful of parsley, sprigs of thyme,
7:16basil torn directly from the plant, baby
7:18lettuce leaves, fresh tarragon, chives
7:21snipped with scissors over a finished
7:23dish. This is not staging for the
7:25camera. This is how Martha actually eats
7:28every day, year-round. She maintains
7:31extensive kitchen gardens at her Bedford
7:33farm, and she has spoken repeatedly
7:36about the fact that having a garden is
7:38for her inseparable from eating well.
7:41When the food is growing 20 ft from your
7:43kitchen, you use it every day
7:46in everything. Now, here's where it gets
7:48genuinely interesting from a health
7:50perspective. Fresh herbs are among the
7:52most nutrient-dense foods that exist
7:54calorie for calorie. They are
7:56extraordinarily concentrated sources of
7:59polyphenols, plant compounds that
8:01function as antioxidants in the body,
8:03reducing oxidative stress and
8:05inflammation.
8:07Chronic low-grade inflammation is now
8:09considered by most researchers in the
8:10aging space to be one of the primary
8:12drivers of the diseases and physical
8:14decline we associate with getting older.
8:17Heart disease, cognitive decline, joint
8:20deterioration, metabolic dysfunction,
8:23inflammation runs underneath all of it
8:25like a river. Fresh parsley, for
8:27example, is one of the richest dietary
8:29sources of apigenin, a flavonoid that
8:32research has associated with
8:33neuroprotective effects and potential
8:36cancer-fighting properties. Fresh thyme
8:38and oregano contain compounds like
8:40rosmarinic acid and carvacrol with
8:42demonstrated anti-inflammatory and
8:44antimicrobial activity. Fresh basil
8:47provides eugenol. Fresh mint provides
8:50menthol and rosmarinic acid. Martha
8:52doesn't eat herbs as a supplement, she
8:54eats them as food generously, daily, in
8:57quantities that add up meaningfully over
8:59time. A handful of parsley over lunch,
9:01fresh thyme in the evening chicken,
9:04basil torn over sliced tomatoes from the
9:06garden. Individually, each of those
9:08moments is small. Cumulatively, over
9:11decades, they represent an enormous and
9:13consistent input of anti-inflammatory
9:16compounds into her body. The leafy
9:18greens tell a similar story. Martha
9:20grows and eats an enormous variety.
9:22Arugula, Swiss chard, spinach, kale,
9:25sorrel, beet greens. Dark leafy greens
9:27are among the most studied [music] foods
9:29in the longevity literature. The MIND
9:32diet, developed specifically to study
9:34the relationship between food and
9:36cognitive aging, puts [music] leafy
9:38greens at the absolute top of its list
9:40of protective foods with research
9:42[music] showing that people who eat
9:44leafy greens daily show measurably
9:46slower cognitive decline compared to
9:48those who eat them rarely. At 85, Martha
9:51is sharp, wickedly sharp. There's a
9:53reason for that.
9:55Number three, yogurt and fermented
9:58[music] foods.
9:59Martha Stewart has been eating yogurt
10:01every single day for decades. She has
10:03talked about it in interviews and her
10:05cookbooks and on her social media where
10:07she sometimes posts her breakfast with
10:08the kind of casual confidence that only
10:10someone who has nothing to prove can
10:12manage. But it is not just [music]
10:13yogurt. Martha has a long-standing
10:15appreciation for fermented and cultured
10:17foods more broadly, [music]
10:18things like kefir, aged cheeses, and the
10:20kinds of traditionally prepared foods
10:23that have been part of European and
10:24specifically Eastern European culinary
10:27traditions for centuries. Remember, her
10:30family background is Polish. Fermented
10:32foods are not a wellness trend for
10:34Martha Stewart.
10:35>> [music]
10:35>> They are a cultural inheritance.
10:38And it turns out that cultural
10:40inheritance is doing something quite
10:41significant for her gut. The gut
10:43microbiome, the vast complex community
10:46of trillions of microorganisms living in
10:48your digestive [music] tract, has
10:50emerged over the past 15 to 20 years as
10:52one of the most important and surprising
10:54frontiers in health research. The
10:57diversity and composition of your gut
10:59microbiome influences not just your
11:01digestive health, but your immune
11:03function, your mood, your cognitive
11:05clarity, your metabolic health, and
11:08mounting [music] evidence suggests your
11:10rate of biological aging.
11:12Fermented foods like yogurt and kefir
11:14[music] are among the most effective
11:16dietary tools for supporting a healthy,
11:18diverse gut microbiome. A landmark study
11:21published in Cell in 2021 found that a
11:23diet high in fermented foods increased
11:25[music]
11:26microbiome diversity and reduced markers
11:29of inflammation more effectively than a
11:31high-fiber diet alone, which was a
11:33genuinely surprising finding that got a
11:35lot of attention in the research [music]
11:37community. Martha eats full-fat yogurt.
11:40She is not a low-fat person, and she has
11:43never pretended to be. She understands
11:45intuitively, and she would probably tell
11:48you from decades of cooking experience,
11:50that fat is a carrier of flavor, and
11:53that the full-fat version of a fermented
11:55dairy product is also a richer source of
11:58fat-soluble [music]
11:59vitamins and the short-chain fatty acids
12:01that feed the cells lining your gut
12:03wall. She uses yogurt as breakfast with
12:05fruit and honey. She uses it as a base
12:08for salad dressings. She uses it in
12:10baking, in marinades, spooned alongside
12:13grilled fish. It appears in her kitchen
12:15constantly because it tastes good and it
12:17makes everything better. That's Martha's
12:19philosophy in a nutshell, honestly. Find
12:21the thing that is both delicious and
12:23good for you, and then just never stop
12:25eating it.
12:27Number four, olive oil.
12:29Martha Stewart uses olive oil the way
12:31other people use air, constantly,
12:34generously, without apology. She
12:36drizzles it over finished dishes. She
12:38uses it to roast vegetables. She uses it
12:40in vinaigrettes. She brushes it over
12:42bread. She has talked in interviews
12:44about keeping several different
12:46varieties of olive oil in her kitchen at
12:48any given time. Lighter oils for
12:50dressings, more robust oils for cooking
12:53and finishing, with the kind of detailed
12:55enthusiasm that tells you this is a
12:57woman who has thought seriously about
12:58olive oil for a very long time.
13:01And that matters, because olive oil,
13:03specifically extra-virgin olive oil, is
13:05one of the most thoroughly studied foods
13:07in the entire history of nutrition
13:09research, and the findings are
13:10remarkably [music] consistent.
13:13Extra-virgin olive oil is the primary
13:15fat source in the Mediterranean diet,
13:17which remains the most evidence-backed
13:19dietary pattern ever studied in relation
13:22to longevity, cardiovascular health,
13:24cognitive preservation,
13:26>> [music]
13:26>> and reduction of chronic disease risk.
13:29The star compound in extra virgin olive
13:31oil is oleocanthal, a polyphenol that
13:34inhibits [music] the same inflammatory
13:36enzymes targeted by ibuprofen.
13:39Let that sink in for a second. There is
13:40a compound in Martha Stewart's salad
13:43dressing that functions similarly to an
13:45over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug
13:48without the side effects, without the
13:49cost, and with a flavor that is frankly
13:52considerably more enjoyable. Extra
13:54virgin olive oil is also rich in oleic
13:56[music] acid, a monounsaturated fat that
13:59has been shown to support cardiovascular
14:01health, improve cholesterol profiles,
14:04and reduce arterial stiffness, which is
14:06one of the key physical changes that
14:08drives heart disease risk as we age.
14:11Beyond the cardiovascular piece,
14:13research published in the journal Annals
14:15of Clinical and Translational Neurology
14:17found that regular olive oil consumption
14:20was associated with a significantly
14:22reduced risk of dying from dementia.
14:2428% reduced risk. That is not a trivial
14:27number. That is an extraordinary finding
14:30from a large, well-designed study, and
14:32Martha has been inadvertently running
14:34her own personal clinical trial on this
14:36question for approximately 50 years. She
14:39is not measuring her olive oil, she is
14:41not tracking her polyphenol intake, she
14:43is simply cooking the way she was taught
14:45to cook and the way she has always
14:47believed food should be cooked with good
14:49ingredients used generously. It's
14:51working.
14:53Number five, fresh fish and seafood.
14:57Martha Stewart lives part of her life in
14:59Maine. She has a home there. She has
15:02spoken lovingly about the seafood
15:03available in the Northeast, the lobster
15:05obviously,
15:06>> [music]
15:06>> but also the fresh fish, the clams, the
15:08oysters, the mussels. And on her farm in
15:10Bedford, fish and seafood appear
15:12regularly at the dinner table prepared
15:14simply in ways that let the quality of
15:16the ingredient speak for itself. Fresh
15:18fish, particularly fatty cold-water fish
15:20like salmon, mackerel, and sardines
15:22[music]
15:23is one of the most consistently
15:25recommended foods in the longevity
15:26literature. And for reasons that stack
15:29up impressively.
15:30The omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty
15:33fish, specifically EPA and DHA, are
15:36essential for brain health,
15:38cardiovascular health, joint health, and
15:41the management of systemic inflammation.
15:44The human body cannot synthesize EPA and
15:46DHA on its own in meaningful quantities.
15:50We have to get them from food. And the
15:52evidence [music] that most people in the
15:53modern Western diet are chronically
15:55deficient in these fatty acids, [music]
15:57and that this deficiency is quietly
15:59accelerating the diseases of aging is
16:02substantial [music] and sobering. For
16:04Martha specifically, the cognitive
16:06benefits of regular omega-3 consumption
16:09are worth [music] dwelling on. DHA is
16:11the primary structural fat in the human
16:14brain. It is literally what your brain
16:16is made of. Research has shown that
16:19higher blood levels of DHA are
16:21associated with larger brain volume,
16:23better memory performance, and reduced
16:25[music]
16:26risk of Alzheimer's disease. Martha's
16:28mind, her creativity, her recall, her
16:32sharpness in conversation and in the
16:34kitchen [music] is arguably her most
16:35extraordinary asset, and she is feeding
16:38it exactly what it needs.
16:40Beyond the omega-3s, fish provides
16:42high-quality complete protein, critical
16:45for muscle preservation at 85, along
16:48with zinc, selenium, iodine, and vitamin
16:51D, all nutrients that become harder to
16:53obtain in adequate quantities as [music]
16:55we age.
16:56Martha cooks fish simply.
16:58Roasted in the oven with olive oil,
17:00herbs from the garden, and a squeeze of
17:02lemon.
17:03Pan-seared and served over greens.
17:06Steamed and flaked into a salad.
17:08You will notice a pattern developing
17:10here. Excellent ingredients, simple
17:12preparation, consistent habits. That is
17:15the entire [music] system. That is all
17:17of it.
17:18Three foods Martha avoids. Now, Martha
17:20Stewart is not a person who talks
17:22extensively about restriction. She finds
17:24that kind of conversation tedious, and
17:26frankly, so do I. But, over the years,
17:28patterns have emerged in what she
17:29chooses not to eat, and they are worth
17:31understanding. Number one,
17:34heavily processed and packaged [music]
17:36foods. This one should surprise
17:38absolutely nobody. Martha Stewart built
17:40her entire career on the proposition
17:43that real homemade food made from
17:45quality ingredients is superior to
17:47anything that comes out of a factory in
17:49a crinkly bag. She is not going to sit
17:51down with a bag [music] of
17:51cheese-flavored corn puffs. It is simply
17:53not going to happen. But, beyond the
17:55aesthetic objection, and Martha
17:57definitely has aesthetic objections to
17:59ultra-processed food, there is a growing
18:02and serious body of scientific evidence
18:04that ultra-processed foods actively
18:06accelerate biological aging. A study
18:09published in the American Journal of
18:10Clinical Nutrition found that higher
18:12consumption of ultra-processed foods was
18:15associated with shorter telomere length.
18:17Telomeres are the protective caps on the
18:19ends of your chromosomes,
18:21>> [music]
18:21>> and their shortening is one of the most
18:22reliable biological markers of cellular
18:25aging. In plain language, eating a lot
18:27of processed food appears to make your
18:29cells older faster. Martha grows food.
18:32Martha cooks food. There is no room on
18:34that plate for something that was
18:35manufactured in a facility and designed
18:37to override your satiety signals.
18:40Two, refined [music] sugar in excess.
18:43Martha bakes beautifully, prolifically.
18:47She is not a person who has eliminated
18:48sugar from her life, and she would be
18:50the first to tell you that a life
18:51without a perfect tart [music] or a
18:52slice of well-made cake is a diminished
18:55life. On this point, I think most of us
18:57would agree with her. But, there is a
18:59meaningful difference between Martha's
19:01relationship with sugar, occasional,
19:03intentional, in the context of homemade
19:06baked goods with real ingredients, and
19:09the ambient constant sugar consumption
19:11[music] that characterizes the modern
19:13American diet where sugar hides in
19:15bread, in sauces, in salad [music]
19:17dressings, in yogurt, in everything.
19:20Martha's day-to-day eating is remarkably
19:23low in refined sugar. The sweetness
19:25[music] in her daily diet comes
19:26primarily from fruit, from the natural
19:28sugars in vegetables, and from honey.
19:31The baking is a special occasion
19:33pleasure, not a daily habit. That
19:36distinction [music] matters enormously
19:37for insulin sensitivity, for
19:39inflammation, and for long-term
19:41metabolic health.
19:43Number three, fast food and cheap
19:46[music] vegetable oils.
19:48Martha has strong opinions about cooking
19:50fats. She uses butter. She uses good
19:52olive oil. She uses the fat [music] from
19:55high-quality animal products.
19:57What she does not use and has made her
19:59position on this reasonably clear over
20:01the years are the cheap, heavily
20:03processed seed oils that dominate fast
20:05food and most packaged foods.
20:07Canola oil in industrial quantities,
20:10>> [music]
20:10>> soybean oil, corn oil, the stuff that
20:13gets used when cost matters more than
20:15quality. The research on highly refined
20:17seed oils and their relationship to
20:19inflammation [music] and cardiovascular
20:21health is genuinely contested among
20:24scientists. This is an area where the
20:25evidence is still being [music] worked
20:27out and reasonable people disagree.
20:30But Martha's instinct to choose
20:31identifiable, traditionally used fats
20:34over industrially [music] refined ones
20:36aligns with an increasingly cautious
20:38view in the nutrition research
20:40community. Fast food as a complete
20:42[music] package has simply never been
20:44part of Martha Stewart's world. That
20:46alone probably accounts for a meaningful
20:48portion of her current health status.
20:50[music] Martha's daily routine and how
20:52she stays sharp. Here is the part that
20:55people overlook when they focus
20:56exclusively on what Martha eats. The
20:59food is important, but the life that
21:00surrounds the food might be equally
21:03important. Martha wakes up early, not
21:05because some productivity guru told her
21:07to, but because the farm demands it and
21:09always has. Her mornings begin with
21:11physical work outdoors. The chickens
21:13[music] need checking. The peacocks,
21:15yes, she has peacocks, because of course
21:17she does, need attention. [music]
21:19The gardens need walking. Researchers
21:21call this kind of incidental daily
21:23movement neat, non-exercise physical
21:26activity, and the evidence that it
21:28drives long-term health outcomes is
21:30compelling. [music]
21:32Martha doesn't have a structured gym
21:33routine. She has a working farm that
21:35makes her bend, lift, carry, and kneel
21:37every single morning. At 85, that is
21:39clearly enough. Her mental life [music]
21:41is equally relentless. New projects, new
21:44partnerships, new creative challenges.
21:46Martha has never been someone who
21:47coasts. The cognitive science is clear.
21:50Purposeful engagement [music]
21:51slows brain aging. Use it or lose it.
21:53She protects her sleep. She maintains a
21:55social life that would exhaust someone
21:57[music] 40 years younger. And the
21:58research on all of this points in the
22:00same direction. Move daily. Stay
22:03curious. Stay connected. [music]
22:05Martha has been doing all three, quietly
22:08and consistently, for decades. Four
22:11rules any [music] person over 60 can
22:12steal from Martha. All right, you've
22:15made it this far, so let's make sure you
22:16leave with something practical. Here are
22:18four rules distilled from everything
22:21we've covered that any person over 60
22:23can start applying right now. Rule one,
22:26grow something.
22:28Anything.
22:29You do not need a farm in Bedford, New
22:31York. You need a pot on a windowsill
22:33with some herbs in it. The act of
22:35growing food changes your relationship
22:37with food. You tend it, you harvest it,
22:40you [music] eat it fresh, and you do it
22:42every day.
22:43Martha's garden is not just a source
22:45[music] of nutrients. It is a source of
22:47daily movement, daily purpose, daily
22:50connection to something [music] living.
22:52Start with basil.
22:54Start with parsley.
22:55Start with a single tomato plant in a
22:57container on your patio. Just start.
23:00Rule two,
23:01>> [music]
23:01>> source better not more expensively.
23:04Martha's dietary philosophy is not about
23:07[music] spending a fortune on
23:08superfoods. It is about sourcing the
23:10most fundamental ingredients, eggs,
23:12[music] vegetables, olive oil, and fish
23:15at the highest quality you can access
23:18and afford.
23:20Farmers markets,
23:21local [music] farms,
23:23pasture-raised eggs when you can find
23:25them,
23:26extra virgin olive oil instead of
23:27vegetable oil,
23:29fresh fish instead of processed fish
23:31sticks. These are not radical changes.
23:34They are directional improvements that
23:35compound over years into meaningfully
23:37different health outcomes.
23:39Rule three,
23:41cook. Actually cook. This sounds simple.
23:44It is not simple in the modern world
23:46where the friction of cooking has been
23:47engineered away by delivery apps and
23:49meal kits and drive-thrus on every
23:51corner. But cooking is one of the most
23:53powerful health behaviors available to
23:56any [music] human being for reasons that
23:58go beyond the nutritional quality of the
24:01food produced. [music]
24:02Cooking connects you to your food. It
24:05gives you control over ingredients. It
24:07slows you down. It engages your mind.
24:10Martha Stewart has been cooking real
24:12food from scratch for most of her 85
24:14years. That is not a coincidence in
24:16relation to her current health status.
24:18[music]
24:18That is a variable.
24:20Rule four, never stop having something
24:22to look forward to.
24:24Martha Stewart got out of federal prison
24:26at 63 [music] and immediately started
24:28rebuilding her empire. At 70, she
24:31launched new television projects.
24:33>> [music]
24:33>> At 80, she partnered with Snoop Dogg,
24:35which remains one of the more delightful
24:37things to happen in the history of
24:38television. At 81, she did the Sports
24:40Illustrated cover. At 85, she is still
24:43creating, still working, still curious,
24:46still engaged. The research on purpose
24:48and longevity consistently finds that
24:51people who have strong reasons to get up
24:54in the morning, what the Japanese call
24:56ikigai, a reason for being, live longer,
24:59healthier lives than people who have
25:00lost that sense of forward [music]
25:02motion. Martha Stewart has never lost
25:04her forward motion. If anything, she has
25:06accelerated. Find your forward motion.
25:08Protect [music] it. Never let anyone or
25:11anything take it from you.
25:13Martha Stewart at 85 is not a miracle.
25:15She is not a genetic anomaly, although
25:18she may have won a few rounds in that
25:19particular lottery. She is the product
25:21of decades [music] of consistent,
25:23sensible, deeply rooted habits around
25:25food, movement, [music] sleep, mental
25:28engagement, and social connection. She
25:30eats eggs from her own chickens. She
25:32reaches for fresh herbs from her garden
25:34every single day. She eats fermented
25:36foods that keep her gut healthy and her
25:38immune system sharp. She drowns
25:40everything in excellent olive oil
25:42without guilt [music] or measurement.
25:44She eats fresh fish regularly because
25:47her brain deserves the best fuel
25:48available.
25:50And she has been doing all of this not
25:52as a longevity experiment, not as a
25:54brand strategy, but simply as a life for
25:57longer than most of us have been
25:58thinking seriously about health at all.
26:01That is the lesson, not any single food,
26:03not any specific trick,
26:05the consistency, the real ingredients,
26:09the deep, genuine enjoyment of good food
26:12well grown and well made.
26:14If you found this video useful, drop a
26:16comment below and tell us which of
26:19Martha's five daily foods are you
26:21already eating and which one are you
26:23going to start?
26:25We read every comment and the
26:26conversation down there is honestly one
26:28of the best parts of making these
26:29videos. Thanks for watching. We'll see
26:31you in the next one.