There is a lot of misinformation about nutrition in books, magazines, and on the internet. Unfortunately, some of that misinformation comes from unscrupulous physicians (for example Dr. Adkins of the harmful Adkins Diet fame).

When looking for reliable information on nutrition, be skeptical of the following: (1) physicians or other health care providers who are selling supplements and other products, resulting in a financial bias; (2) providers who claim they have found the one the one thing that causes all or most health problems (e.g. Dr. Gundry, who makes unfounded claims about lectins being the culprit); (3) providers who claim they have found the magic bullet that will make you healthy — if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t; (4) providers who have ties to the food or pharmaceutical industries (often difficult to tell); (5) studies sponsored by the food industry; 6) alleged authorities who quote animal studies—humans are not the same as mice or rats.

Following are the giants in the nutrition field, who are true men of science and medicine, and pursuers of the truth:

• Michael Greger, MD, is a respected source of unbiased, evidence-based nutrition information. He and the staff of his nonprofit analyze the tens of thousands of English-language scientific papers that come out on nutrition every year, and pass the valid information on to the public. He has written several books, the most famous being “How Not Die.” You can subscribe to his website nutritionfacts.org, (free, although he would appreciate a donation to his nonprofit), and receive an evidence-based short video or blog every day. He has no ties to the food or pharmaceutical industry, and donates profits from his books to other nonprofits.
• Dean Ornish, MD, is affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco. From the 1970s to the 1990s he conducted research proving that heart disease can be reversed with a plant-based whole food diet plus exercise and stress reduction. Subsequently he proved that early prostate cancer and early Alzheimer’s can be reversed by the same program. He has written numerous books, including “Reversing Heart Disease,” “The Spectrum,” “Eat More, Weigh Less,” and “Undo It.” There are several Ornish programs throughout the U.S., which are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance.
• Caldwell Esselstyn, MD, was a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, who years ago became interested in the preventative and healing power of food. He proved in two studies that heart disease can be reversed with a plant-based, whole food diet with no salt, sugar or added oil. He wrote “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease,” and is featured in the documentary Forks Over Knives.
• T. Colin Campbell, PhD, is a nutrition scientist at Cornell University, and has been on the cutting edge of nutrition research for decades. He was the lead scientist in “The China Study,” the largest epidemiologic study ever done on nutrition (a study that looks at large groups of people, determines what they eat, what diseases they get, and what they die from). He wrote a book by the same name plus others, including “Whole” and “The Low-Carb Fraud.” He is featured in the Forks Over Knives documentary, along with Dr. Esselstyn.
• Neal Barnard, MD, is affiliated with the George Washington University School of Medicine, where he and his colleagues have conducted many of their own studies on nutrition. In 1985 he founded PCRM — Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine — because he wanted to promote preventative medicine and also because of a concern about unethical treatment of animals. He has published fourteen books, including “Power Foods for the Brain,” “Eat Right, Live Longer,” “The Power of Your Plate,” “Reversing Diabetes,” and “Your Body in Balance.”
• Joel Fuhrman, MD, is a respected authority on nutrition, who has written several books, including “Food for Life” He promotes the Nutritarian Diet — eating foods with the most nutrients per calorie.
• Center for Science in the Public Interest publishes a magazine called Nutrition Action every other month.

Dr. Greg Feinsinger is a retired family physician who started the non-profit Center For Prevention and Treatment of Disease Through Nutrition. For questions or to schedule a free consultation about nutrition or heart attack prevention contact him at gfmd41@gmail.com or 970-379-5718.