Why Harley Pasternak Says Most Popular Diets Are Fads, and How He Eats Instead

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By Lisa Elaine Held

When it comes to the absurdity of many health and nutrition trends, Harley Pasternak doesn’t mince words.

Last week, I sat down with the highly-credentialed celebrity trainer and author of bestselling books like The Body Reset Diet at Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival in New York City.

On stage, he talked about the difficulty of maintaining popular restrictive eating patterns like intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet and shared unfiltered thoughts on more micro trends. For instance, his take on juice cleanses? “Cleansing is not a thing. We don’t need to rob our body of nutrients; we need to inundate our body with nutrients.” Or, on taking collagen as a supplement: “Eating collagen to increase collagen in your body is like eating hair to grow more hair.”

So, what does work when it comes to living your best life? Pasternak laid out his five go-to tips for better health: Walking more each day, getting seven hours of quality sleep each night, unplugging from technology at least an hour each day, eating protein and fiber five times a day (three meals and two snacks), and challenging your muscles via resistance training at least five minutes each day.

It’s a multidimensional, whole-person philosophy that aligns perfectly with the eight pillars of Nutritious Life, so we couldn’t wait to hear about the healthy habits he relies on day-to-day.

How Does Harley Pasternak Live a Nutritious Life?

What’s your go-to breakfast? Apple pie smoothie (from The Body Reset Diet).

Your go-to workday lunch? Salmon sashimi rice bowl with avocado, cucumber, and seaweed.

Your go-to workday dinner? Grilled octopus, baked sweet potato, and steamed broccoli.

What’s the one food you always have in your fridge? Eggs.

The one food you’d never buy? Juice.

The snack you always have with you when traveling? Cashews.

What do you eat before and after a workout? Siggi’s yogurt.

Your favorite food indulgence? Chocolate chip cookies.

Other than water, what do you sip regularly? I drink water or sparkling water most of the day, but trying to finish one bottle of an electrolyte beverage like Propel before my workouts, and possibly a second if I’m working out outside in the heat for a prolonged period of time.

How often do you exercise, and what’s your workout of choice? I try and hit at least 14,000 steps every single day exclusive of the gym. I do a 30-minute resistance training workout with dumbbells, cables, and bodyweight four days a week.

Which workout would you NEVER do? Spinning or boxing.

How do you stay active outside the gym? I play golf and basketball.

What’s your go-to tool for managing stress? Walking.

Do you have a favorite health gadget? Fitbit. It kind of liberated me from spending too much time at the gym. It forces me to be more social and active and gives me a great perspective on my sleep quality and quantity.

How do you express and spread love? I spend a lot of my day hugging and kissing my kids.

What’s your weirdest healthy habit? I sometimes put all the chocolate chips out of chocolate chip cookies and only eat the chocolate and not the dough.

Which healthy habit do you wish you had more time for? Sleep.