By Linda Sechrist

Not interested in offering dietary dogma, beliefs, or opinions, New York Times bestselling author of How Not to Diet, Dr. Michael Greger, is very interested in the evidence-based science that supports making serious, life-and-death decisions concerning health. Greger, whose appearance at Unity of Naples on March 1 is sponsored by Naples Green Scene, will present some of the most notable science that he and his team at NutritionFacts.org found when searching for the answers to his one burning question about diet and nutrition, “What does the best available balance of evidence say right now?”

Why is evidence-based science on nutrition and dieting so important? 

When you don’t have the science to back you up, all you have are “success” stories. The entire diet industry is built upon a foundation of fake news. The nutrition field has been dealing with bold-faced lies since back in the pre-post-truth era, and diet books can be the worst offenders. The majority of diet books deal in pseudoscience drivel swaddled in the trappings of science. I believe that we have a right to demand to know where authors get information they try to sell us, so that we can check the credibility of the source and confirm its veracity. This is why I present the science in video format on NutritionFacts.org, where I can show the original data and link to downloads of all the primary sources.

Every month seems to bring us a trendy new diet or weight-loss fad, and they always sell because they always fail. The business model for the diet industry, which rakes in up to $50 billion a year, is based on repeat customers that are wracked with the guilt and self-hatred of failure. They often line back up to be fooled again. I hope my book breaks that cycle by cutting through the BS.

What do you mean by diet books bewilder rather than illuminate?

Too often in diet books, the rule is to cherry-pick facts to push some pet theory and ignore the rest to promote an agenda. It’s the opposite of science. In true scholarship, conclusions follow from the evidence, not the other way around.

Unfortunately, even sticking to the peer-reviewed scientific literature isn’t enough. The only way to get at the truth is to dive deep into the primary literature and read all the original studies yourself, rather than taking some contemporary reviewer’s word for it. But who’s got time for that? At NutritionFacts.org we comb through tens of thousands of studies annually so you don’t have to. 

Did you discover anything new in your research?

To my delight, I discovered all sorts of exciting new tools and tricks along the way. We uncovered a treasure trove of buried data, such as simple spices proven in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to accelerate weight loss for pennies a day. 

In How Not to Diet I cover everything from cultivating a healthy microbiome in your gut to manipulating your metabolism through chronobiology, matching meal timing to your circadian rhythms. Every section could have been a book in its own right. It’s really more like 40 books packed into one. 

Cost is $35 to $75. Location: 2000 Unity Way. For more information or to purchase tickets visit NaplesGreenScene.org. To learn more about Dr. Greger, visit NutritionFacts.org. 

How Not to Diet - start: Mar 01, 2020 06:00PM

 Michale Greger, M.D. talks about his new book and teaches you How Not To Diet based off of cutting-edge science research.Tickets are $25-$75 available at www.Naplesgreenscene.org Read More »