A top cancer doctor shares 4 bare minimum food rules to lower your chronic disease risk

Dr.

Ezekiel Emanuel is an oncologist, public health professor, and former Obamacare advisor.

Kim Schewitz Making small changes to your diet can have a big impact on your health.

Dr.

Ezekiel Emanuel shared four tweaks he says give the most bang for your buck.

He believes eating fermented foods is the easiest small change with the biggest benefit.

Dr.

Ezekiel Emanuel wants you to stop obsessing over your health data and enjoy a treat from time to time.

I experienced this firsthand when I met him for ice cream on a sunny Thursday afternoon in June to discuss his latest book on healthy living.

A specialty ice cream shop in London had formulated a limited edition pen-and-paper flavored ice cream for the UK launch of Emanuel's "Eat Your Ice Cream." It had a smoked wood flavor and was surprisingly good.

"I'm anti the wellness industrial complex ," the oncologist, public health professor, and former Obamacare advisor told me matter-of-factly.

The 68-year-old is "vehemently" against tracking, obsessing over, and maxxing our health, and advocates finding ways to fit wellness around your lifestyle, not the other way around.

In his latest book, he attempts to cut through the noise of the buzzy longevity trend that has gone mainstream by outlining the tenets of a healthy diet, including eating protein, healthy fats, and fresh produce.

As we scooped spoonfuls of ice cream from small metal bowls topped with chocolate flakes, he shared his top "bang for your buck" dietary changes to reduce the risk of chronic disease.