If you’ve ever felt a flicker of shame while eating dessert—as if the Wellness Police were about to revoke your membership—this one’s for you.

Enter Ezekiel Emanuel, a highly respected physician, bioethicist, and longtime professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s advised presidents, helped shape U.S. health policy, and is known for being both deeply rigorous and refreshingly human. His newest book, Eat Your Ice Cream, is a grounded, research-backed—and surprisingly joyful—take on what actually leads to a long, healthy, satisfying life.

Spoiler alert: it’s not another fad, gadget, supplement, or hack being sold by the Wellness Industrial Complex.

Dr. Emanuel distills decades of data into six simple, doable principles. No obsession. No deprivation Olympics. Just habits that real humans can sustain over decades.

Yes, the basics matter: sleep well, move your body often, eat in a way that mostly nourishes you. But here’s where things get delicious—pleasure isn’t a problem. It’s part of the solution.

One of his most delightful rules is literally: Eat your ice cream.

Not as rebellion. Not as a cheat day. As a philosophy.

Why? Because pleasure helps us stick with healthy habits. When wellness feels like constant restriction, most of us eventually snap (usually at night, with a spoon). Joy, on the other hand, builds consistency—and consistency is what supports longevity.

And the science backs this up. Observational research has found that modest amounts of full-fat dairy—including ice cream—are associated with better outcomes in certain populations, and even lower risks related to metabolic and cognitive health. The point is not unlimited pints. It’s dropping the moral judgment and creating a way of eating you can happily live with for decades.

But the biggest revelation may surprise you.

According to Dr. Emanuel, the strongest predictor of health and longevity isn’t diet, exercise, or sleep.

It’s connection.

Deep friendships. Family bonds. Social interaction. Shared meals. Laughter. Belonging.

Loneliness, the data shows, is as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Social isolation significantly increases the risk of premature death. Yet we overlook connection because it’s not flashy, measurable, or monetizable.

Still, the data are stubborn.

So here’s your joyful prescription:

• Sleep like it matters—because it does
• Move your body in ways you don’t hate
• Eat food that loves you back—and allow pleasure
• Enjoy dessert without guilt
• Prioritize friendships like your life depends on it (because it kind of does)

In other words: stop optimizing the joy out of your life.

Call a friend. Share a meal.
And yes—eat the ice cream.

Sending you Big Love,

Arielle

P.S. For more of me, see my YouTube channel.