What a cardiologist eats in a day
USA Today’s Sara Moniuszko eats like a cardiologist for a day. This is what she made.
Craving something sweet? Even doctors eat treats from time to time. But what do they reach for?
We’ve asked a series of different doctors, including heart, gut and obesity medicine specialists, what they typically eat in a day, including dessert − and their picks may surprise you.
Here’s what three different doctors shared. Speak with a dietitian or medical provider for more specialized guidance.
What a cardiologist eats for dessert
Dr. Renato Apolito, a board-certified physician in interventional cardiology and cardiovascular disease who has been seeing patients for more than 20 years, told USA TODAY he treats himself to dark chocolate, dark chocolate-covered almonds and dried fruit with ricotta or honey.
Apolito said this satisfies him “as much as any candy bar.”
“I also enjoy high-quality ice cream,” he said, but he makes sure the ingredients are whole and simple.
What an obesity medicine specialist eats for dessert
Dr. Susan Wolver, director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health Weight Loss Program, told USA TODAY that cottage cheese with a drizzle of honey or mixed with chocolate protein powder makes a “really high protein, delicious dessert” that “really helps that after-dinner sweet tooth, and gets me a little bit more protein, especially if I’m low for the day,” she explained.
She’ll also occasionally have dark chocolate. “Every once in a while, if I’m going to have sugar, it’s going to be out of the house. Because if it comes in the house, then I have that food noise where it’s always calling my name,” she added.
What a gastroenterologist eats for dessert
Dr. Arun Swaminath, the chief of gastroenterology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, told USA TODAY if he’s wanting something sweet, cereal acts as his dessert.
Just a small bowl, “like a scoop of ice cream equivalent,” he explained, adding he makes it clear to his kids this is a treat, not a meal.
We all ‘need a treat occasionally’
Wolver, who has been running her obesity center for 13 years − “way before we had fancy GLP-1 medications,” she said − often gets asked, “What is the best diet?”
Her response: “What a patient can stick to.”
“The best diet is one that doesn’t feel like a diet. If it feels like a diet, you’re already doomed for failure,” she said, adding it’s all about making tweaks in what your preferences are, what your cultural traditions are and what your food sensitivities are.
Wolver herself admitted she is a “definitely a sugar-aholic.”
“There were days before I started doing this for a living that I’d only eat sugar things all day long, and I felt terrible,” she said. “But it’s really hard to stop when you first start.”
While nutrition experts agree that whole foods are best, access and affordability are major factors when it comes to what Americans decide to eat.
More than half of the calories consumed at home by adults and children in the United States come from ultra-processed foods, according to a 2025 analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics.
The latest Dietary Guidelines also recommend avoiding highly processed “packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that are salty or sweet.” This includes products like chips, cookies and candy with added sugars and salt.
While Apolito finds whole foods “as satisfying as any fast or processed food,” he understands we all “need a treat occasionally.”