When he was first starting his physician training, Dr. Adam Perlman had a daily ritual: ordering a very sugary coffee.
“I’m from Boston, so I’d go to Dunkin’ Donuts and drink my coffee with cream and three sugars,” Perlman, 59, told Business Insider.
Now an integrative and functional medicine doctor and former chief medical officer for Mayo Clinic’s integrative medicine program, his habits changed as he learned more about his health.
“I went from cream and two sugars, to cream and one sugar, to artificial sweeteners, and those weren’t good for you, so I learned to drink it without that,” he said, eventually eliminating dairy creamer as well because it upset his stomach. Now, he uses a sugar-free, oat milk-based creamer. “I made these changes over time, and I think that’s really important because then they become a part of your routine, and they stick.”
Even now, he said, new research, like what we’re learning about the gut microbiome’s roles in metabolic health, inspires him to gradually tweak his lifestyle. “I didn’t think about probiotics as it related to metabolism up until just a few years ago,” he said.
Based on his work, he shared three habits he’s worked into his daily routine to boost his metabolism and aid in fat loss.
He eats a wider variety of foods
Perlman’s years of research and work experience led him to think of his diet like a budget.
“Protein and vegetables, they’re kind of like my mortgage and utilities,” he said. Perlman, who strength trains and practices martial arts like Krav Maga almost every day, focuses a lot on protein, which builds muscle. He likes leaner protein sources like chicken, turkey, and lower-mercury tuna, which can help lower cholesterol compared to red meat.
As for ultra-processed foods or products with added sugar and simple carbohydrates, “those for me are impulse purchases. Easy to overspend, and they don’t necessarily pay the dividends.” He drinks seltzer instead of sugary drinks and often snacks on frozen grapes.
Over the past few years, he added a “microbiome twist” to his diet: making sure he also eats a wide variety of plants and fermented foods like Greek yogurt throughout the week, as good gut health is linked to metabolic health.
“I’m less about counting or tracking and more about just trying to keep things colorful, sort of eat a rainbow,” he said. For example, he tries to buy a range of fresh produce when he shops — like sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas, and green beans — and adds raisins to his favorite broccoli slaw to include more plant diversity in his meals.
Optimizing sleep
In the past few years, Perlman has made tweaks to his sleep routine, as keeping a consistent schedule helps regulate hormones and promote a healthy metabolism.
He installed blackout shades, bought a new noise machine, and cools down the temperature in his bedroom before he winds down. “The body likes a little cooler temperature when you’re falling asleep,” he said.
He also started setting boundaries around his sleep. Sometimes, he’ll watch a show with his wife and she’ll ask if he wants to start another episode. If it’s getting late — around 9 or 9:30 p.m. — “It’s not uncommon for me to say, ‘If you don’t mind, why don’t we hold off?'” Instead, he’ll read in bed until he falls asleep.
He’s trying out morning meditations
His most recent change is focusing more on stress in his daily life, which can slow metabolism and promote the production of visceral fat.
While he said his morning exercise routine certainly helps, he wanted to do more.
“I’m on day 42 of starting with some mindfulness in the morning,” he said. He uses a guided meditation app and dedicates 10 to 15 minutes when he wakes up, wearing headphones so as not to wake his wife.
“It’s newer for me,” he said. “I’m just kind of playing with it and seeing how that feels in my routine.”
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