MARILU HENNER

Taxi star Marilu Henner has been hailing preventive health since losing her dad and mom—to a heart attack and complications of rheumatoid arthritis, respectively—in their 50s. “I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve been dealt this genetic hand, so let me figure out a good way to live my life based on this,” Henner, 63, remembers. “I started realizing that what’s good for your body is good for your brain is good for your heart is good for your arthritis is good for your bones. It was a total health makeover that I needed.”

Henner’s tenth natural health-centric book, Love Detox and Changing Normal: How I Helped My Husband Beat His Cancer, hits shelves this fall. And in The Vitamin Shoppe now is Ascenta Spark, a product inspired by Henner’s super-sharp recall—she’s one of a few people classified with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory. “It was fun trying to come up with the name,” she says. When somebody said, “How about a ‘spark’?” And I said, ‘Yesss! Spark your brain!’”And it’s one of the ever-energized redhead’s top natural product picks.

Staying Fit and Energized

It’s rise and shine at 5:30 a.m. for Henner, who records her national radio program, The Marilu Show, five days a week. “I don’t like to eat a big meal before I do the show, so I’m big on raw nuts and tangerines—something to sort of tide me over,” she says. Daily fitness ignites her productivity, too. “I do a Pilates warm-up every day for 13 minutes,” she adds. “And I try to walk two miles a day. That’s my usual routine. Last week I danced a lot.” Lunch and dinner power the longtime health advocate—who’s staunchly anti-dairy—with rich fiber and plant-based protein, smart carbs, and a rainbow of veggies. “I eat a lot of beans and brown rice and quinoa, and I try to have a big salad every day, at least once a day.” 

Product Highlights:

ASCENTA SPARK A tsp. of tangerine-flavored Spark helps sharpen your memory and focus. Omega-3s—EPA and DHA—and phosphatidylserine support cognitive health and brain function. And for eye health, this elixir contains the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. “Your brain and your eyes are very similar—it’s all connected,” Henner says. “Also, I get a lot of my vitamin D through this.”

DR. THEO’S OFFICIAL AVOSOY COMPLETE “It’s amazing for joint health. It’s got glucosamine and lots of other good stuff in it”—including chondroitin, vitamins C and E, calcium and ASU (avocado-soybean unsaponifiables).

THE VITAMIN SHOPPE PYCNOGENOL “It’s got a lot of antioxidants in it and it’s really good for your blood. And I think it’s great for stress. Let’s say if you went to an Academy Awards party or threw one, it’s the perfect supplement to take the next day!”

Henner also loves: Vitamins B6 and B12 (“I take them for energy”), vitamin E sticks (“They’re great for wrinkles”), and vitamin C.