With a career spanning over 40 years, Rob Lowe is nothing short of an icon in the world of entertainment. Whether you know him from The Outsiders, The West Wing, 9-1-1: Lone Star or, most recently, Unstable, the actor has been a prominent figure on screens for decades.

Another place you may commonly spot the star? In a commercial holding up his favorite Atkins products. Lowe’s low-carb, high-protein eating pattern makes him the perfect fit as a spokesperson for the brand, and it also opened the door for him to be a voice within the food and health space.

Through his partnership with Atkins—promoting their newest ad campaign featuring himself, his son John Owen Lowe and comedian Wanda Sykes—EatingWell sat down and chatted with Lowe in this exclusive interview. Here’s what he had to say about his least favorite food, his No. 1 travel tip, his ideal last meal and more.

EatingWell: What helped you decide that a low-carb, high-protein diet was right for you?

Lowe: For me, it’s the difference between a diet and a lifestyle because diets, at the end of the day, can be unsustainable. What attracted me to eating the Atkins way was its sustainability. It’s super easy, you can cook easily that way, you can go to any restaurant and eat that way. You’re just cutting your carbs—it’s not no carbs, it’s low carbs, high protein and cutting your sugar. What makes it real easy for me is that I still get to “cheat” with the snacks that Atkins makes because they’re so good, you’d think they’re real. Atkins’ chocolate shakes taste like a milkshake, and believe me: I love my milkshakes.

EatingWell: As a spokesperson for Atkins, most of your commercials are solo, so how does it feel having both your son John and Wanda Sykes featured in this newest campaign?

Lowe: I’ve always been a big Wanda Sykes fan, she’s super funny. Just super cool. The Atkins team and I were talking about who we could have join us, and I was just like “Yeah, Wanda and I would be cool together.” It may be the couple America didn’t know that they needed, but it turns out that they do! And of course John Owen, my son, I love working with him. We do Unstable on Netflix, that’s our show we do together, and he’s a talented little punk, that kid. It was fun to have him join as well.

EatingWell: Do you have any tips for maintaining your low-carb eating pattern while traveling?

Lowe: The main thing is that I always try to keep something on hand. If I get the munchies or get hungry, or if I eat earlier in the day and find myself still awake at midnight, what am I going to do then? It’s super tempting for me to go and eat stuff that is yummy but I don’t want to [eat], so I’ll stash the Atkins chocolate milkshakes in the freezer and I’ll have that instead of ice cream. I’ll carry the peanut chocolate protein bar in the car so I’m not tempted to go through a drive-thru or somewhere that I shouldn’t go. I think you just got to prep for the hunger, that would be my little secret in terms of eating well.

EatingWell: What’s your favorite form of exercise to keep your body moving?

Lowe: I’m blessed that I love activity, and I love being outside. I have to do it; I get depressed if I don’t, I get energy from it, an endorphin high, all of that stuff. I’m outdoors any moment that I can be. In terms of what I like to do, I love it all: I love to surf, I love to swim in the ocean, I love to play tennis, I love to hike, I love to bike, if you got a horse I’ll ride that with you, I love to ski. If there’s an activity, I will do it! I love to fish, you name it, I’ll do it. I’m really blessed that I’m inclined to do something that is also really healthy.

EatingWell: Regarding that, do you pick your vacation destinations based on the activity, or are you more focused on leisure?

Lowe: Oh man, OK, you wandered right into one of the few marital spats that I have with my wife. If it were up to me—as any husband will tell you, it’s not—I would go on every vacation based on activities. My wife would go on every vacation based on leisure, so we negotiate, which is why we usually end up in a tropical place where I can snorkel, scuba dive, fish, maybe surf, and there’s also a great spa, beautiful beach, great food and relaxation. Which I also do, but honestly, I like to go from one activity to the other. That’s my idea of a good time.

EatingWell: What would you request for your last meal?

Lowe: I’m going with—oh boy, that’s so hard. Isn’t it hard? I think I’m going to go with a nice New York steak, charred on the outside, medium rare. Plus a Caesar salad and steak fries. 

EatingWell: What’s your least favorite food?

Lowe: Unfortunately, it’s one that’s very healthy. Everybody who I admire eats this all the time, and I cannot get it down. It’s sweet potatoes. I can’t do it, it tastes like I’m eating the inside of a pumpkin. I wish I could do it, but I can’t. That’s really the only one—it used to be beets, by the way. I used to have a problem with beets, and then all of a sudden, I like beets! It’s funny how your palate changes as you get older. I find myself eating and enjoying things that I used to think I didn’t like, but unfortunately sweet potatoes remain on the list.

EatingWell: What does “eating well” mean to you?

Lowe: Eating well means finding the sweet spot between enjoying it, looking forward to it, having delicious taste and being inclusive and being able to share that with everybody, and staying on your healthy lifestyle plan.