I was flipping channels on TV late Saturday morning last weekend. I was eating brunch — a sandwich. It was a fried egg with melted Cheddar cheese in a toasted leftover hamburger bun. (salt, pepper, ketchup and Cholula sauce — if you must know)

I don’t think that sandwich is going to become a national bestseller, but it worked for me. By the way, I was at the Bar Dub Grill in Nephi last week and had “The Aussie Burger.” It had a fried egg on it. My mom used to make enchiladas once in a while with fried eggs on top. Eggs make everything better — when you’ve got chickens.

Anyway, as I was eating slowly and procrastinating doing some yard work, I landed on a TV interview in progress on CNN (Yes, I sometimes watch CNN — go ahead, shoot me. And, I sometimes watch Fox News — go ahead, shoot me. And, I sometimes watch NewsNation — go ahead, shoot me. And, I sometimes watch MS.NOW — go ahead, shoot me. And, I sometimes watch BBC — go ahead… well, you certainly get the drift by now.)

Michael Smerconish was the interviewer. Yes, that’s his last name. I didn’t misspell it. It’s a Slavic name that comes from what is now Southeastern Poland. Michael was interviewing Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel MD.

What caught my attention was that Dr. Emanuel has written a best-seller book entitled, “Eat Your Ice Cream.” That is an order that I want to obey.

It reminded me of what my brother used to tell his children at meal time. It was something like, “Now kids, no matter what, you’ve got to eat your dessert.” I think there was some child psychology mixed up in that, but I’m not certain how that all worked.

I haven’t read Dr. Emanuel’s book yet, but I will. In addition to seeing the interview, I have done some research. The sub-title of the book is “Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life.”

So there’s the catch. There is a “healthy follow-up message” to the “eat your ice cream” thing. I will now bring us all down from our ice cream celebration fantasy thoughts back to earth with a thud.

Ice cream plays into the good doctor’s philosophy of healthy living, even though he feels that we need to focus on good nutrition. But, he believes, we need to intentionally leave room for occasional guilt-free, joyful indulgences — like ice cream.

So the “free pass” for unlimited ice cream consumption isn’t the “gospel” he is laying down — which is what I was unrealistically hoping for.

A sad thing has happened in my life relating to ice cream. I now have reason to watch my sugar intake. I’ve done quite well managing things, but my guilt-free joyful indulgences aren’t nearly as frequent as they used to be. But, I do get them occasionally and I’m grateful.

(I had a serving of decadently rich “Graham Canyon” ice cream at a wedding reception last week. It was ooh la la — food of the gods!)

So Dr. Emanuel believes that the sensible eating of ice cream can be a part of living a long and healthy life. And, to boot, researchers at Harvard have studies that show some positives from eating ice cream.

The studies indicate that those who ate ice cream no more than twice a week appeared to be 12% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those who ate no ice cream at all. So stuff that into your double scoop Rocky Road sugar cones all of you “don’t ever eat ice cream” nutritional fanatics! (It felt good to say that.)

Another very interesting point that the author of the book made is that being social — talking to people and being involved with people, is another factor for long, healthy lives. Developing the habit of being friendly is good for us.

Dr. Emanuel said that when he grew up, he could absolutely count on his father, who lived to be 92, striking up conversations with people at the next table in restaurants. I think many of us had parents who were that way. And with many of us, we continue to keep the tradition of being friendly alive.

Every person has a story. And, it’s amazing how many people we meet who have connections to us and/or people in our circle of family and friends.

My wife wore a New Hampshire tee-shirt to the Scandinavian Festival in May. That led to conversations and connections with people. I have siblings who are especially good at finding connected people in random places.

And if connections aren’t made, we can remember what Will Rogers famously said, “A stranger is just a friend I haven’t met yet.” And he also said, “I’ve never met a man I didn’t like.”

So, to sum up, be sensible about your eating. And don’t be afraid to eat what you really enjoy sometimes. And, be friendly. Those are two of Emanuel’s keys to a long and healthy life.

Dr. Emanuel’s other four rules are: Don’t be a schmuck (don’t do stupid things). Move (get physical activity daily). Sleep Like a Baby (get adequate and restful sleep). And finally, Find Meaning (joy, happiness, sense of purpose).

So I expect all of you Sanpeters to be living healthier and living longer based on the “Eat Your Ice Cream” book recommendations. We can do it together.

— Merrill

P.S. Not that you asked, but the “no sugar added” Dreyer’s Vanilla ice cream at Dollar General — is my best find so far in the county for my sensible ice cream indulgence. For my “non-sensible” full sugar ice cream — believe it or not, I feel like the Walmart house brand “Great Value” — any flavor, is a great, creamy, almost premium tasting ice cream.