Kraft Heinz CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera, who took over the helm at the packaged-food giant just four months ago, shared some of his eating and exercise habits, including some that don’t exactly fit in the “blue zone.”
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he revealed that he eats just two meals a day, between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., as part of his intermittent-fasting routine. His meals lean on the Mediterranean diet and often incorporate salads, beans and hummus.
He exercises six days a week, including weight lifting, high-intensity training, and biking, according to the report, which said he aims to live better for longer.
Abrams-Rivera also told the Journal that the Netflix series “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” has been an inspiration and helped him focus more on psychological and spiritual health. And while growing up in Puerto Rico, he explained that seeing his father suffer heart attacks led him to think about health more.
But he also admitted that he indulges occasionally and has ice cream—usually a scoop of mint chip—once a week. He enjoys BLT sandwiches too sometimes and said he eats Lunchables several times a week, especially while on the road.
Abrams-Rivera revealed his healthy-living habits as Kraft Heinz looks to improve the nutritional value of its products amid the obesity epidemic and concerns about processed food.
But the company suffered a setback earlier this month, when Consumer Reports found that several versions of Lunchables and generic look-alikes contained lead and cadmium, which have been linked to health problems in both children and adults.
Although none of the products ran afoul of the law, experts say that even low doses of lead and cadmium can affect child development and have been linked to increased risk of hypertension, kidney damage, and other health issues in adults.
Kraft Heinz told Consumer Reports that its products “meet strict safety standards” and added that “lead and cadmium occur naturally in the environment and may be present in low levels in food products.”
That’s after the company revamped Lunchables last year to make them more nutritious and comply with the National School Lunch program.
For his part, Abrams-Rivera told the Journal his two daughters grew up on Lunchables and that he’s committed to making Kraft Heinz’s food healthier. That includes reducing their sodium and sugar content over time.
He also defended some food processing as necessary with the world’s population growing, saying, “We cannot get perfectly raw ingredients.”