Kraft Heinz CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera, who took over the packaged food giant just four months ago, shared some of his eating and exercise habits, including those that don’t quite fit into the blue zone.
In an interview with the publication Wall Street JournalHe said he eats only two meals a day, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., as part of his intermittent fasting regimen. His dishes are based on the Mediterranean diet and often include salads, beans and hummus.
According to the report, which states that he strives to live better and longer, he exercises six days a week, including weight lifting, high-intensity training and cycling.
Abrams-Rivera also said Magazine that the Netflix series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones inspired him and helped him focus more on mental and spiritual health. And when he was growing up in Puerto Rico, he explained that watching his father suffer from heart attacks made him think more about health.
But he also admitted that he indulges from time to time and eats ice cream – usually a scoop of mint chips – once a week. He also enjoys the occasional BLT sandwich and says he eats Lunchables several times a week, especially when on the road.
Abrams-Rivera discussed his healthy lifestyle habits as Kraft Heinz seeks to improve the nutritional value of its products amid an obesity epidemic and concerns about processed foods.
But the company suffered a setback earlier this month when Consumer Reports found that several versions of Lunchables and their equivalents contain lead and cadmium, which have been linked to health problems in both children and adults.
While neither product is against the law, experts say even low doses of lead and cadmium can affect children’s development and are associated with an increased risk of hypertension, kidney damage and other health problems in adults.
Kraft Heinz told Consumer Reports that its products “meet stringent safety standards” and added that “lead and cadmium occur naturally in the environment and may be present in small amounts in foods.”
This comes after the company revamped Lunchables last year to make them more nutritious and align with the National School Lunch Program.
For his part, Abrams-Rivera said Magazine his two daughters grew up eating Lunchables, and that he is committed to making Kraft Heinz food healthier. This includes gradually reducing sodium and sugar levels.
He also defended the need for food processing as the world’s population grows, saying, “We can’t have completely raw ingredients.”