The skeptical cardiologist first encountered the blather of Dr. Steven Gundry while researching and writing a post entitled The #1 Red Flag of Quackery.
Gundry came across my radar screen due to the popularity of 
his useless supplements and his pseudoscientific justifications.
He is also widely described as a cardiologist but he is not, He is a cardiothoracic surgeon.
He wrote a book published in 2009 entitled Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution in which he states:
“Until six years ago, I primarily flexed my survival muscles as a heart surgeon and researcher on how to keep heart cells alive under stress”.
Indeed up until 2004 Gundry was a well-respected cardiac surgeon but since then he has been selling diet books and supplements on his website, gundrymd.com.
Gundry is also a Goop doctor.
I’ve been meaning to write specifically about his most popular useless supplement, Vital Reds.
In the meantime, Gundry has come out with another best-selling. book entitled “The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in Healthy Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain”.
This book claims to reveal to its readers the great dietary “secret” that is causing almost all chronic diseases. Of course, Gundry is the only person with the brilliance and insight to have recognized this. Only those who are willing to plunk down the money to buy his book will learn this secret and the (mostly gobbledook) science behind it.
This technique of convincing the naive that only you are aware of the “hidden” factor which is the cause of their various maladies is a standard come-on in the world of pseudoscience.
The Plant Paradox would have you believe that lectins are the major danger in our diet.
I’ve come across four well-researched pieces which destroy any validity to the concepts put forth by Gundry in The Plant Paradox.
Campbell: Is It Possible Gundry Is Out To Make A Quick Buck?
The first is from T. Colin Campbell of China Study fame. While I don’t agree with his overall dietary philosophy (see here) in his article he has taken the time to read Gundry’s book in detail and address in great detail the multiple bogus claims and the lack of scientific support. Campbell begins:
The claims come fast and furious in this book, stated with a degree of certainty, without nuance, that undoubtedly appeals to many readers. But the referencing is so lacking and sloppy that Dr. Gundry should be embarrassed. The references that are cited in this book do a poor job of trying to justify its claims. And the bulk of the author’s wild claims lack references at all, with several examples of easily verifiable falsehoods. Because his claims are quite profound and novel, referencing of the findings of others and his own results are especially important. This is especially troubling for an author who touts his own research experience.
After debunking Gundry’s lectin claims , Campbell suggests that Gundry’s major goal is selling more useless supplements, including one that will protect readers from the dreaded lectin:
In conclusion, there are many people who desire good health and deserve good information and we resent that they must suffer such poor quality and confusing information under the assumption that it is good science. Is it possible that Dr. Gundry is just out to make a quick buck? He admits that his patients give up to a dozen vials of blood for testing every couple of months at his clinic. Overtesting is common practice in supplement-driven clinics. This extensive testing, (which are another topic), is almost always used to demonstrate some type of nutritional pathology, which of course can only be corrected by taking the suggested supplements. And of course, Dr. Gundry sells supplements, including “Lectin Shield” for about $80 a month. According to his website, “This groundbreaking new formula was created to offset the discomforting effects of lectins (proteins commonly found in plants that make them harder to digest). Lectin Shield works to protect your body from a pile-up of lectins and to promote full-body comfort.”
Are Lectins The Next Gluten?
The second article I highly recommend was written for The Atlantic last year by one of my favorite medical writers, James Hamblin, MD.
Entitled, “Lectins Could Become the Next Gluten“, the article combines a tongue–in-cheek commentary with interviews with scientists who debunk Gundry’s claims. Hamblin also interviews Gundry which is particularly revelatory as to Gundry’s lack of credibility.
Although Gundry claims his writing is not motivated by money, Hambling notes:
Yes, he also sells supplements he recommends. The last 20 or so minutes of his infomercial is a string of claims about how supplies are running low, and it’s important that you act immediately, and that if you do manage to get through to a customer representative you should order as much as you have room to store—the shelf life is great, etc. And the necessity of supplements is the crucial argument of the book. He writes, “Getting all of the nutrients you need simply cannot be done without supplements.”
The GundryMD line of products includes something he invented called vitamin G6. Another is a “lectin shield” that’s “designed to neutralize the effects of lectins.” These are available on his website for $79.99. There you can also get six jars of Vital Reds for $254.70.
Are Lectins As Toxic As Oxygen?
David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, FACLM, who has way too many letters after his name wrote “Do We Dare Eat Lectins?” and concluded that Gundry’s idea that “the binding of lectins from plant foods to our cells is a major cause of ill health, and thus we must all fear and avoid lectins” is “utter nonsense.”
The answer to- “should you fear lectins now?” is- yes, if and only if you do the same for oxygen.
As I recently noted to a colleague, oxygen is not a theoretical toxin with theoretical harms in people; it is a known toxic with established harms. The atmosphere of our planet is thus highly analogous to the dietary sources of lectins: both contain compounds with potentially toxic effects, but net benefit is overwhelming both from eating plants, and breathing.
Eat Your Beans But Skip Reading The Plant Paradox
Finally, I’ve updated this post with a skewering of Gundry’s latest book “The Longevity Paradox” written by Joel Kahn, MD
In the Longevity Paradox Gundry comes up with his own unique and totally unsubstantiated theory of atherosclerosis (the build up of plaque in our arteries which causes heart attacks). Kahn points out that there is nothing in the scientific literature to support this theory:
“On pages 97–101, Dr. Gundry provides a theory of atherosclerosis that he provides to support the central role of avoiding lectins for health, the thesis of his The Plant Paradox. He provides ideas about molecules called Neu5Gc and Neu5Ac and how the differences amongst species. As humans do not make Neu5Gc, or so he asserts, eating lectins, and particularly grain lectins, bind to our tissues which “lays the groundwork for heart and autoimmune diseases in spades”. How many references to scientific studies are provided in these 5 pages to support this novel and bold assertion? Zero! I was intrigued enough to do my own literature search and can confirm zero exist. This is another example of hypothesis or fiction presented as an established fact because Dr. Gundry has a white beard like Santa and a medical degree. Shame, shame.”
Fake Dietary Science Undermines Valid Dietary Recommendations
Hambling closes his piece by noting that book publishers have no accountability for publishing dietary/health misinformation as they are incentivized to publish and profit from the most outrageous claims.
This is a problem much bigger than any plant protein. Cycles of fad dieting and insidious misinformation undermine both public health and understanding of how science works, giving way to a sense of chaos. It seems that every doctor has their own opinion about how to protect your body from calamity, and all are equally valid, because nothing is ever truly known.
Lectiophilically
-ACP
N.B. Gwyneth Paltrow (GOOP) deserves a prominent place in the Quackery Hall of Shame.
Julia Belluz of Vox has a typically spot-on piece about GOOP which begins:
Gwyneth Paltrow has made a career out of selling pseudoscience on her lifestyle website, Goop. Over the years, the actress has proclaimed women should steam their vaginas, that water has feelings, and that your body holds secret organs. Mixed into these absurd assertions is her bogus detox diet and cleansing advice, all of it in service of promoting Goop’s beauty and wellness products
93 thoughts on “Why You Should Ignore "The Plant Paradox" by Steven Gundry”
I have read with interest numerous special diets proposed by doctors, dieticians, and other health gurus. Listen and learn, but I
follow none of them.
Read “The Blue Zones”. It is a book that surveys 5 areas (communities) where there are more centenarians and healthy people per capita then in other locations in the rest of the world. These communities with different cultures and different geographical locations have common denominators. There diet and life style: all are vegetarian of different and local vegetables (organic I expect), an occasional wine, a community of friends, and relatives, and moderate regular exercise. They also live in areas with very little pollution.
I am an industrial designer who has been exposed to many toxins, and have a medical need for a very healthy diet. I believe foremost in a diet that is time tested through generations (always open to new ideas though), and one that has worked to sustain the healthiest, longest lived people on the globe.
Gundry, Mercola, Fuhrman, Robbins and so many more quack health gurus are preying on the vulnerable, scared, gullible public seeking cures for anything that aims them. These charlatans all need to be investigated by an unbiased 3rd party and then put out of business.
Agree. That would be awesome! They can add Sinatra (not Frank) to their list of suspects
Some information here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/leaky-gut-syndrome/
I listened to the whole infomercial including the extra bit at the end after the pause – and having listened to other infomercials in the exact same format – they all take you through a long journey through the justification of a product that is ‘unique’ and will radically improve your life in some newly discovered way. The way they operate is through an advertising formula that pulls on your vulnerability, paints a picture of a ‘hero’ who will save you from whatever ails you, and fires a barrage of ‘facts’ at you, then once you are motivated and looking forward to hearing the solution – you are pushed a massively overpriced product that is then discounted on a limited 24hr offer. Never, EVER part with your money to these greedy, commercial, underhanded individuals. And in this specific example from Dr Gundry, just bear in mind he has already had a lucrative career as a surgeon and if he genuinely wanted to help people he would be publishing scientifically proven information to the world without seeking monetary gain. He has simply been seduced by the potential to make money – and money corrupts absolutely. If you want to improve your health, there are genuine resources available – my own recommendation is to follow the Greek / Cypriot lifestyle in terms of diet and natural activity, drink plenty of water and maintain social relationships with actual people, read books, sleep well and grow plants. Save your money for something worthwhile.
Dr. Gundry may be a world-class “mechanic” in that he’s a cardiothoracic surgeon. But, from all the research I’ve done on him, he is not a qualified scientist in the field of nutrition and health. In short, his behavior is that of a quack.
He the medical equivalent of the political QAnon conspiracy theorists. Except his conspiracy theories are in the area of food and effects on health. And by being such, he’s more of a threat than political activists, because he’s impacting people’s health and well being.
If you’ve bought his books and/or supplements, have the courage to throw them all away. Listen to medical authors who are qualified in their field. Not pretenders who are padding their retirement income with your money!
Gary,
I agree with your comments 100%.
However, Dr. Gundry and his minions send me threatening legal letters when I use the word quack to describe him.
Snake oil salesman seems to be OK and he is the king of SOS.
Huckster also comes to mind.
Charlatan?
Dr P
I hate to use the word hate, but I hate that QUACK Gundry (Doctor excluded) because he is a quack! I can call him a GD quack as many times as I desire because his attorneys can go pound sand if it offends them and that phony white bearded rich wimp. Youtube shoves his adds down our throats every day, and the infomercials make you want to reach into the monitor and ring his neck. I really loved reading this page revealing the hidden truths on this SOB! I never bought into his BS, because it smelled from the start. Hail the mighty double cheeseburger (in moderation of course).Thank you.
As a ketogenic diet, is his diet (minus the pills) any good?
Raven,
Dr Gundry’s 30 minutes talk is a HOAX . He finally comes to the “Sales” of his own product.. Don’t listen to him. I wasted my time.
Because of Gundry I quit eating tomatoes, one of my all-time favorite veggies, whilst also taking his “Total Restore” What a load of crap! I didn’t lose ANY body fat but it made ALL the food I ate taste like crap! I took them for 2 1/2 months, then quit and it took a whole month + for my sense of taste to come back. I’m so glad to read this article so I can happily go back to eating tomatoes again….AARP also says they are very good for eyesight because of lycopene and antioxidants. Wish I’d found this article before I ordered his nonsense!
My grandmother, who lived into her 90s up until a few years ago, ate all the “bad” things. She came from the meat-and-potatoes generation, biscuits, fried potatoes, lots of butter and cheese, bacon, all types of refined bread and cakes, pies, etc. But she ate these things in moderation. She didn’t do the current fad of intermittent fasting, but enjoyed a couple of cookies and glass of milk before bedtime. She didn’t do any sort of exercise, outside of her housework. We have to keep in mind the human factor. If an eating plan is too big a change from our typical diets, we won’t stick to it, especially if it is something we don’t like to eat.
I tried Gundry’s products “ProPlant” shake mix, and “Total Restore” capsules since they came with a 90 day full-refund guarantee, and I do know that certain lectins do have significant digestive impact. Gundry himself states that you can even send back the empty containers to receive the refund. I felt no benefit from 86 days of Total Restore and called the customer service number which referred me to his website for full details on returning a product. I followed the instructions to a t, included the required paperwork with the return, only to receive a partial refund of $90 of the total $135 cost. I called CS again and was told by a rep that since I had only returned 2 of the 3 bottles (one glass bottle had broken and was thrown away, one was empty, and the third had about 12 capsules left), so I was being charged $45 for the 1 empty bottle that broke. Nowhere on his website nor in the detailed, “simple 4-step return process” does it state this policy. There you have Dr. Gundry in a nutshell. At least he doesn’t talk about how “Big Pharma” wants to shut him down, or how his wife left him for another man because of his excessive flatulence, in his excessively long self-testimonial.
The ProPlant shake is going back soon, too, since it has a really offensive taste of saccharin from the stevia components, it turns into a slimy, coagulated mass after sitting in the cold, and it causes constipation.
Thomas,
Thanks for providing some details on how the Gundry marketing system works in reality.
A reader has taken exception to this comment of yours
” At least he doesn’t talk about how “Big Pharma” wants to shut him down, or how his wife left him for another man because of his excessive flatulence, in his excessively long self-testimonial.”
He feels this is an attack on Gundry’s personal life.
My take on that sentence was that you were being humorous and that you were saying he doesn’t say outrageous things about his personal life.
Having not watched these videos I’m curious what he does state in his “excessively long self-testimonial”
But where are the steak knives! 50 minutes of that crap and no steak knives.
Let’s face it. He has made so much $$ off folks who just want to feel better. After you have listened to his very laborious seminars, and sales tactics, it becomes obvious he is all about the money. As they say: “follow the money,” and you will find your answers. We will do better to go out and spend that money on organic vegetables, organic high grade protein such as wild caught salmon, avoid high sugar foods, and just live our lives. None of us are here forever, so don’t stress and enjoy the good life we were given. Yes, it comes with aches and pains. That is normal. Gundry is getting none of my money, but I will support our hard working organic farms, workers and fisheries! My dime.
I blame media venues like this https://www.womansworld.com/posts/weight-loss/steven-gundry-anti-inflammatory-diet
for promoting this gibberish. You’d think they would have a modicum of responsibility to publish health advice based on science, not sensationalist drivel. So much media is guilty of this, all for the $$.
I’ve been on a vegetable diet for years. Dr. Guidry is a Flim-Flam-Man who is only interested in selling his health shakes and supplements to make his fortune. HE has no interest in the well being of anything except his bank account. He is one of a number of people who are taking to the newer health craze such has going to a vegetable diet and twisting it to sell his own products.
Amen like Gundry uses infomercials to promote their scammy concepts. Their primary goal seems to be making money by promoting poorly supported concepts. My research interest is the connection between diet and brain function. I believe that highly processed food is neurotoxic and over time it can trigger a form of food-induced brain dysfunction that I call Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. The symptoms of CARB syndrome overlap with many traditional brain disorders creating a diagnostic and therapeutic mess. For example, throughout history major depression was always associated with a loss of appetite and weight loss. Without these parameters you could not make a diagnosis of depression. In the 50s and 60s when highly processed food took over out diet, we started to see people who appeared to be depressed but they had an increased appetite and weight gain. The folks at DSM didn’t know what to do with this so they included both. In DSM V they list “melancholic depression” as classic depression and “atypical depression” as weight gain depression. Even a grade school science teacher knows that if a parameter qualifies you for a diagnosis throughout the spectrum of the parameter, it should be thrown out because it can’t help you to make a diagnosis. Richard Johnson is one of the world’s foremost fructose experts and he thinks I am right. Soon we will be publishing a journal article introducing the CARB syndrome concept to the medical and scientific communities. I will also be publishing a book on the topic called “Brain Drain” where I teach people to diagnose and treat their own CARB syndrome, so they don’t have to wait decades until the concept gains traction. Unlike Amen and Gundry, I make my living the old-fashioned way by rounding at multiple nursing homes. I operate my web site at a loss because my goal is to spread valuable information, not make more money. I sell one neurotransmitter precursors product (CARB-22) at cost because this type of supplement is hard to find. Hudson and Pope are two academic Psychiatrists from Harvard who first noticed that may common brain disorders appear to be part of the same disease process. In 2003 they published their concept and called it Affective Spectrum Disorder. Because they never figured out the trigger or pathology of the disease, their concept never made it out of academic medicine. I hope to change that with the CARB syndrome concept. Any I don’t mind being scrutinized by skeptics—I don’t mind being proven wrong but until that time comes I am obligated to share this information. I know it works because over many decades I have used this model to successfully treat thousands of patients.
Daniel Amen is another snake oil salesman.
I had not previously heard of this doctor but his Wikipedia entry certainly makes him sound like a big time charlatan.
Daniel Gregory Amen (born July 19, 1954)[1] is an American celebrity doctor[1] who practices as a psychiatrist[2] and brain disorder specialist[3] as director of the Amen Clinics.[4] He is a five-times New York Times best-selling author as of 2012.[5]
Amen has built a profitable business around the use of SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging for purported diagnostic purposes.[6] His marketing of SPECT scans and much of what he says about the brain and health in his books, media appearances, and marketing of his clinics has been condemned by scientists and doctors as lacking scientific validity and as being unethical, especially since the way SPECT is used in his clinics exposes people to harmful radiation with no clear benefit.[7][8][9][10]
Dr. Gundry is back at it on PBS with a 2019 book called “The Longevity Paradox”, and a whole new presentation around it. At least it was new to me. But it’s just the same old BS dressed in new clothes. These hucksters never go away, just keep coming back to the gullible year after year. Sad to see so much of this type of thing on PBS. And sad to see a . presumably once-principled man sell out. Or maybe he actually believes in his own scam!
I have noticed my PBS TV station televising what is essentially an infomercial for a doctor I consider a charlatan/snake oil salesman/quack. I was shocked and dismayed.
At the time I considered writing about it but never got around to it. There are so many of these charlatans fleecing the public in so many different areas it is overwhelming. However, it seems our publicly supported media should do a better job of vetting what they are promoting. Perhaps I’ll call my local station and ask them why they are doing this.
Anthony: I love your post. I am a Family Physician with a long-standing interest in the connection between diet and brain function. In my opinion Gundry is a total quack!
Spent too much time reading Gundry’s paradoxes. Lectins are proteins that lose their all important shape on heating, making them innocuous.Gundry has ruined his reputation with his very harmful scam.He shoud be be prosecuted like some other scam artists have been prosecuted.
Thank you Dr. Anthonyp for some sanity! Some of the healthiest people I know eat: tomatoes, potatoes, egg plant.. one is a 60 year old triathlete with no joint issues, etc. explain that, Dr. Gundry? Pure Quackery.
Purchased the Vital Reds, Primal Plants, and Prebiothrive. No noticeable difference in how I look or feel over several months, including any actual weight reduction. The Prebiothrive produced daily bowel movements w/o any adverse effects. Never ventured into the ever-widening variety of products and potions being promoted by the good doctor. Thank you for a very informative article.
“oxygen is not a theoretical toxin with theoretical harms in people; it is a known toxic with established harms. The atmosphere of our planet is thus highly analogous to the dietary sources of lectins: both contain compounds with potentially toxic effects, but net benefit is overwhelming both from eating plants, and breathing.” I don’t agree with Gundry’s dietary reccomendation, but this is a ridiculously unscientific claim. We can’t live without oxygen, oxidative stress notwithstanding, but various peoples have lived in great health eating various levels of various different types of plant foods, including peoples who have eaten little plant food at all. Carbohydrates are not an essential nutrient, and many hunter gatherer tribes have eaten plant foods primarily as survival and medicinal foods, not for nutrients. And plants do have numerous antinutrients whether you want to acknowledge it or not So the claim that plant foods are good, pure and simple, is utterly unscientific conventional wisdom, nothing more.
Smart man.
Most of these other commenters are morons( they don’t even know what they “know”/ and what they don’t” know”)
Plant goodum because Wiseman sayum.
“You can trust me, I’m a Doctor” is whats at play here. Although I don’t see his diet causing harm to people. I see his advice as highly unproven theories with no scientific research behind it. Dr Gundry, leave your opinions to the Naive and get back to the Scientific Method. Science 101. My opinion is that your ego and greed for money has taken you down this path of teaching this misinformation.
Oh my I feel so fullish to have purchased all of the products that I have so far. We recently got scammed and it has made me suspicious of all the things that I’ve been buying for myself and animals. My husband tells me all the time how nieve I am to believe in some of these products. The money back garrentee is what usually gets me. I’m very ill and just want to feel normal again and don’t really want to be on pain meds. I know how addicting they can be. I have like 8jars of the vital reds and just recently bought the probiotic and it has helped me instead of taking my prescriptions linzess. Instead of being on the toilet all the time it has been helping me not have to take the liness and being in the bathroom for hours with the prescription. I feel so wronged. So not stupid but just to trusting in people I’ve been that way my whole life and have been so hurt by it. My next step is to just get refunds on all of this stuff I’ve been so trusting of.
Kathie,
Thanks for sharing. Please let us know how the refund process works.
It is totally – repeat: ‘TOTALLY’ – obvious Gundry is a charlatan and scam artist from simply one minute of watching/listening to one of the inevitable videos you have to look at if you click on one of his pages advertising something like ‘One Simple Fact’ etc…
Why? Because minutes and minutes later you are still waiting for this ‘One Simple Fact/Truth/Food/Exercise/Whatever’
And you’ll wait more and more and more.
IF he were at all genuine, just like any other genuine reporter, truth teller, observer, scientist, friend or whatever he’d put it clearly and simply out front, up top, right there before you even start on any further reading or videos.
And IF he had any breakthrough truths the whole world would jump on them straightaway and pretty soon we’d all know.
But he is an interesting case. Evil genius you might say. For he’s obviously at least intelligent enough to pass med school and diligent enough to perform cardiac surgery.
So he’s no low-life scam artist.
He’s more like a high-life self deluded fool. Perhaps egomaniac or something. Delusions of magnificence. Maybe believes all he says himself.
But, last word, if you’re a doctor you should be, according to me, primarily concerned with the welfare of the human race – in which case if you’ve got a good secret, a good medicine, a good exercise or anything at all – you let it be freely known by name at least and freely available in fact if you can.
So the mere fact that he doesn’t just tell it up front and for free shows him up for what he is.
And more: ‘could never lose weight’ he said ! Said he himself could never lose weight until he discovered this secret… blah, blah…
Mate I’ll tell you the ‘secret’ to losing weight infallibly and for sure:
DON’T EAT SO MUCH.
You can take that to the bank.
It’s the ‘fashionista’, colour- choice of spectacle-frames that (Yes, I’m being Judgemental…) puts me off before he starts selling the benefits of
‘essential’ (proprietary) supplements, – at $?? per day?
Besides, the need for so many ‘Extras’ tells me that his protocol is defective, being deficient in these essential nutrients!
In Switzerland we used to have a saying that goes like this: “Friss die Haelfte”. Translated to Eat only half. Meaning just about what you said, don’t eat so much.
This critique of the book is not very substantial, in that it doesn’t really address the claims of the book, just relies on the comments of authority (Dr Campbell). I think the author of this article didn’t read the book, just maybe the review of Dr Campbell. I never liked “authority as argument”. Dr Campbell’s findings in the China study are important, and I think the main reason he doesn’t like Dr Gundry is because he took a small jab at him in his book.
Campbell also doesn’t like sloppy citations and someone who pushes their products instead of doing “pure science” (like those pharma and biotech “FDA approved” companies, right? 🙂
Anyhow, I read the book. It has a lot of science behind, but it also feels a bit sloppy and indeed, at times like an advertisement for Gundry’s diet (as far as I can tell though he is not really pushing his supplements in the book, only the diet).
However it draws attention to a very important issue, that we still don’t quiet understand: inflammation, and how it’s related to what we eat. And that’s a good direction, whatever the cause: lectins, medication, animal proteins, additives, lack of sleep, glyphosate, etc. Let’s have more research on this, but his book is a start and it seems mostly honest. Just ignore the bombastic tone and take whatever seems useful. It should be read in the context of other nutritional research, e.g. that of Dr Campbell, Buettner’s books, or nutritional / medical science in general, understanding how the human metabolism works, the role of insulin, IGF-1, etc.
It’s not in the book, but the prevalence of food allergies has grown several folds in the past 20 years. Instead of taking pills for allergies, diabetes II, arthritis, heart disease etc, changing a bit our lifestyles and what we eat would be a better way in my humble opinion. That is, better for people in general, not better for the industries producing these medications, the addictive processed foods, or non-processed but genetically modified crops drenched in glyphosate… All this is so obvious, sometimes I wonder how are we constantly missing the mark. There is something every decade. DDT, arsenic, aspartame, teflon, glyphosate, etc. It’s fascinating to watch these stories repeat decade after decade.
Gundry, Campbell, Buettner, the WHO, your PCP and nutritionist all suggest very similar things with minute differences:
– only eat when hungry and not as a pastime
– don’t eat processed foods
– eat mostly a variety of locally grown vegetables (don’t forget starchy root veggies)
– limit sugar (including overly sugary non-seasonal fruits)
– limit animal proteins and fats (a little fish and maybe eggs are ok, use a variety of cold pressed plant based oils)
– probably a good idea to limit grains, especially in the US (I think this will be the next big fight between food lobbies and science / healthy people)
– sleep 7-8 hours
– move around, don’t sit for too long.
That’s basically it. Well, Gundry suggests to cook your veggies, especially beans in a pressure cooker to get rid of the lectins – which is probably a good idea. Also, these people will probably also disagree about grains (eat vs don’t eat / whole vs polished). I say let science sort it out and in the meantime eschew grains completely or limit amounts and to traditional sources, e.g. a french bakery or home made fresh bread, traditional Italian pasta, etc. But probably good to avoid and Gundry adds to the already accumulating evidence that grains were something we had to start to resort to eat a few thousand years ago and we are probably not too well adapted to eat.
If you read the above two paragraphs, you can skip reading all the these books and focus on something productive that you will contribute to life, universe and everything. 🙂
Optimist,
I can agree with a lot of what you say.
Namely
– ” read the book. It has a lot of science behind, but it also feels a bit sloppy and indeed, at times like an advertisement for Gundry’s”. But when you say it has a lot of science behind it, tell me exactly what you think he says that is supported by good science.
-Pretty much all camps agree that inflammation plays an important part in the development of our major chronic diseases but science has not shown us the cure, merely suggested multiple possible causes.. Gundry definitely hasn’t contributed anything in this area.
-your listing of what most agree on for good nutrition except for this “limit animal proteins and fats (a little fish and maybe eggs are ok, use a variety of cold pressed plant based oils)”. There is an ongoing scientific debate about this and we await solid data that we should limit animal proteins and fats.
–
It’s obvious Gundry’s diets are a scam to sell his books and supplement lines.
Case in point: If Pasta, Rice, Bread, Tortillas, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Tofu, Lentils, Beans, Eggplant, Yogurt, Chili Peppers, Chia Seeds, Goji Berries, Oatmeal, Kefir, Corn, Quinoa were so bad, then how come the majority of people in Italy, China, Japan, Mexico, India, Greece, France, Ireland are super healthy and thin?
I give him credit for his skills as a snake oil merchant. He has a complete grasp of the notion that desperate people, who already tried many diets, need to cling on to hope. The more outrageous his claims, the more followers he will attract.
Human nature 101 🙂 #HopeIsNotaStrategy
I can’t keep up with the number of these quacks that keep coming out. They feed on people’s paranoia and their desire to find the right snake oil for them.
I was about ready to buy until the claim of order right now before they sell out… the last red flag I needed
I was listening to Gundry’s infomercial on his latest product that includes polyphenols which he said only he has figured out can fix dark spots. His infomercials sounds like he’s selling snake oil, actually letting us know that he’s a snake oil salesman in the process. All the get it now or else is a red flag. I actually wondered if
He was a doctor or an actor. I’m so glad to run across your website that confirms my suspicions.
Thanks for the comments, Patricia.
Gundry’s “only i have the secret” to diseases x, y and z adds to his collection of red flags of quackery.
Thank you Dr. I was about to order the supplements for dark spots. I suffered from acid reflux and gastritis for three years before they found a blockage on an MRI. I have a stint in the mesenteric artery and celiac?I also have them tented to keep the arteries open. When you have stenosis and etc… I had them replaced three times. This time I gained 15 pds. I had a heart attack last year but have no heart damage. There are other reasons for leaky gut please have more tests!
if it seems to good to be true, it is
I love Dr.Gundry and his plant paradox book is on point! The proff is in the pudding! EVERYONE OUT THERE TRY THOS PROGRAM IT WORKS !!
Your comment is a dis-service to legitamate science
…and your typo as well as lack of punctuation is a dis-service to legitimate spelling and grammar. Just saying. Glass houses, and all.
That said, I am highly skeptical of Dr. Gundry’s lectin hypothesis, but in response to the above comment on Dr. William Davis’ “Wheat Belly” book, the scientific evidence it clear. Modern wheat and the WGA protein, in particular, is terrible for optimal human health. I’ve avoided wheat for over 9 years now and my health is better than it’s ever been.
I listened to Dr. Gundry’s spiel and waited until the end, but I lost any trust in this man or is overpriced supplement when he applied pressure of must need to buy within 24 hours! This smelled of a snake oil salesmen! I immediately went to the internet saying what they are saying about him! Shame on you Dr. Gundry, you should be put in jail for your lies and false hope for suffering people who don’t have the money for your snake oil made by a true snake!!!
Yeah i was on the gundry diet for 6 months…lost weight do to lack of calories…followed his emergency diet the whole time. All I got out of it was tired 24/7. Constipated all the time;;Oh and the supplements he keeps sending them whether you ordered them or not. Oh by the way
lost 30 lbs but not 1 inch around the waist. He should be thrown in jail for fraud. Pathetic greedy man is all he is…ah take a good look at him …aging and over weight. Pathetic at best.
Sugar/wheat addicts are sure to disagree with you. Stick with it.
I watched Dr. Gundry’s video clip for about 20 minutes,out of 50+ minutes, before I realized he was selling a panacea. It shouldn’t have taken that long. He is selling people a be-young-and-energetic-again dream, which does not exist.
Thank you for your article. It confirmed my suspicions. One measure that I use for evaluating advice is how long does it take to give the advice. If an email runs for pages and pages, it is likely bogus. And I listened to Dr Gundry’s video presentation in its entirety to see what techniques he used. It ran for about an hour! And when he stopped speaking, the screen still showed the “Next” button. After about a minute of silence, he said, “I see that your are still here. That is probably because you have questions.” And he launched into another 10 minutes of his pitch!
I have the same opinion, and have never heard it verbalized before. If it takes you more than 3 minutes to tell me the wonderful, helpful, everyone will benefit, medical “news,” then I immediately know you are trying to make a buck and it’s bunk!
Thank you for the article. The video threw me off with repetitive emphasis on his claim of being a “celebrated cardiologist” and the painfully obvious pressure tactics at the end…but I listened to all of it because I wish there was some truth in the claims
Yeah, DR. Gundry mentioned Dr. Oz I deleted my history and moved on.
Dr. Oz should be ashamed of himself. His show really is like unto a sideshow with people he brings on to fill time.
Not only is he not convincing but the pushers of their wares are even less so.
The vendors (I call them) really appear to be neighbors or ex-clients who he has recruited to keep his show going.
Every time he opens his little lips to speak his eyes stretch and he breaths in and out pop little big lies and I was amazed that the audience actually fed into the three ring circus act time and time again.
I am very serious Dr. Oz seems to me the type of man who will continue to pull at straws rather than admit defeat and go back to his so called practice.
I personally think in the beginning his looks drew people, but age is taking its toll and it’s as if he is sinking and grabbing whatever he can to stay afloat.
Whatever, meaning, amature after amature pushing their wares. It is plain to see they do not put a lot of professional thought into their presentations, but then, why should they, when they are catering to an audience of people who are looking for a pied piper to fix that which may not be an issue until DR. Oz says it is.
Dr. Oz in my personal opinion is no less than the imaginary character Wizard of oz! If he still has his practice I surmise that hoodwinkcockledoodleado will not fly wirh them and I believe he has the good sense not to try it wirh his patients.
I even bet his customers sat at home eatting popcorn and drinking gin and call one another after every show and roll with laughter at how gullible the people are that attend the show.
Personally, I feel sorry for them! Dr. Oz should be have feathers glued on his bottom and made to do the rooster dance
and sing cockledoodleado until his sense of decency and compassion for other human beings returns.
i totally agree with you: they “should be have feathers glued on his bottom and made to do the rooster dance and sing cockledoodleado until his sense of decency and compassion for other human beings returns”!
You may not see this but Dr Oz is running for Senate now.
Thanks for this great feedback and I won’t be taking the plunge into Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution after all. Appreciate the research conducted to debunk this Leaky Gut theory.
Can you show me where leaky gut is debunked? I’m not asking for references about how plants defend themselves or anything about Gundry’s stupid overpriced nonsense pills, I’m wondering how you generalized your interpretation up to leaky gut. None of the articles talk about lipopolysaccharides, so I’m left feeling like Monsanto told you leaky gut doesn’t exist.
I can’t say that I have debunked leaky gut. However, the onus of proof should generally be on proving a new theory of disease rather than requiring every whacko theory be scientifically debunked. Here’s a reasonable discussion of the theory which is frequently embraced by alternative practitioners https://www.badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/leaky-gut-syndrome/
To the Skeptical Cardiologist: I was wondering if you have run across the book, “The Longevity Diet” by Valter Longo. Do you have any comments?
Dr Longo’ s book is essentially vegan with a lot of fasting.
Anybody who says that beans and brown rice are unhealthy foods is a nut and should be ignored.
Actually brown rice may not that great when eaten in quantity. There was a news article quite a few years ago about elevated lead lead levels in a brown rice baby formula. Apparently rice is a natural lead accumulator and it is concentrated in the bran or brown layer of unpolished rice.
The rice responsible was tracked down to an area that had naturally higher levels of lead in the ground. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem as the vast majority of rice has the brown layer removed, but in this case it caused elevated levels of lead in quite a few infants.
Holly, according to Steve, you are clearly a nut… naughty nut! I am not sure an anecdote about possible evidence will challenge his cognitive dissonance! But it’s a generous and considerate notion. I note his contribution is as much a “fact” as any other unsupported assertion, and can be equally ignored.
It’s not Brown rice; it’s all rice grown in the Southeastern states like Alabama LA, SC, MS etc because they used to be the big cotton growing states and the fields were liberally laced with arsenic to fight the boll weevil. The arsenic levels are too high & it shows up. It’s been a recognized problem in baby foods (see Consumer Reports). I haven’t seen much about lead levels.
I never buy any US rice except if I see Lundberg grown in Calif. I buy Thai or Indian or some such.
Was looking for your thoughts on Texas superfood And are there any good supplements for getting your fruits and vegetables. And lastly you say countries Reds are useless. Why is this is it the ingredients?
Interesting I should come across this just after watching Gundry’s video and also noticed the “We might run out!” marketing at the end. I’ve just started chemo and have been looking for ways to both assist my body’s natural healing processes and deal with raging indigestion, but I also know that there’s a mega-billion marketing industry out there. The more I read the more I appreciate Michael Pollan. And I’m glad you approve of full fat yogurt – my yogurt maker has payed for itself many times over and I don’t add sugar.
Yup. One dead giveaway that something was amiss with this “beware the dreaded leptins” is this: if tomatoes and other nightshades are so ” toxic, ” why does the Mediterranean Diet work so well? Tomatoes are a staple. Also, I think Gundry said to eat yams. Aren’t those in nightshade family? Then by his rationale I should avoid yams. Guess what, I’m eating my nightshades, folks. He’s right about a few things: don’t eat in the evening (allow yourself to fast), avoid processed foods (and sugars), and there’s no such thing as pre-diabetes: if you’re approaching the low hundreds, avoid sugars and processed foods ASAP.
Reasonable advice. Although I prefer fasting from 8 PM to noon.
FWIW, I prefer 7:30pm to 2:30pm and has worked well for me for five years plus.
i paid my money for three month supply and it was a farce, nothing really changed for me, too bad, it sounds great but as they say, if its too good to be true it usually isnt, i dont know where else to post this stuff, this look like as good as spot as any, dont waste your money on this scam
Did you try to get your money back? Did they give it to you? These money back guarantees are not always honored and it woul be nice to know if GGundry does.
You are my new hero (at least for the time being). Thank you for adding brains and more than a sprinkling of logic to the equation. In light of Dr. Gundry’s over zealous mission to save the eater from himself as an act of selfless service, I can’t help but notice selfies in Palm Springs and his push for organic foods and supplements donut eaters can’t afford, not to mention those “way past his age” glasses. The red flag should be more than obvious. I’m always suspect of anyone who says, “I’m just here to help.” Not that everything he says is wrong.. but maybe a little extreme and definitely money-driven.
I think you should also Review the contents of Wheat Belly Blog by Dr William Davis.
Yes! Thank you – been waiting for this post!
Quack or not, by whatever definition, he’s not the only one. I could mention certain Big Pharmaceutical companies and published “benefits” of statins Always as the Question, ‘how much longer will I live by taking this Magyck Potion?’
– Where this Doctor – Paul Mason – has a closer look at the vital need for lots of …. fiber.
– Doubt what he says? Think of the Eskimo (ok, Inuit) who lived on a diet rich in meat, and blubber. And fat. And fatty meat. Early contact with them made no mention of their chronic constipation. Possibly because it wasn’t a problem. – But compare their diet with the advertisements we see for breakfast cereals.
Dishonesty is not restricted to Snake-Oil Salesmen !
If you don’t think fiber is an important part of a healthy diet, you don’t know much. There were lots of problems with the Eskimo diet, please don’t mislead the public with false information.
If you think fiber is an important part of a healthy diet, you aren’t defining terms adequately, and ignoring the findings of everyone that is not eating plant matter whatsoever for months, years, and decades, as well as the diverse findings of anatomical studies.
It turns out we get along just fine without fibre to “help eliminate the toxins in our food” as, on further discovery, we find those toxins rode in with the plants as predation defences. In general, we don’t need to ingest undigestible material just to defecate it. We can get by on plant energy for a while, and the fiber part is an inevitable accompaniment that we have to deal with if we, for whatever reason, must rely on plants to get by in between our preferred food supply. Hormesis from repairing damage from plant toxins may have strengthening value (but so does just intense activity like hard workouts; plants are not required). The problem I see is most of us never let up, don’t give our bodies a break from constant plant digestion (which, maybe, gut bacteria love, but our cells not so much – still an area of inconclusive research presently). Here’s a summary evolutionary anthropology paper consolidating (and citing) a lot of research:
https://nature.berkeley.edu/miltonlab/pdfs/meateating.pdf
If Gundry is perpetrating a con based on partial truths for sake of personal notoriety and profit, he’s not pioneering new territory there and should be called out and ignored. Zealots like John Kellogg, Lenna Cooper, Ancel Keys and subsequent proponents of the misguided and seemingly misanthropic message they instigated (even above-quoted T. Colin Campbell) have been attempting to convince humans that we’re herbivorous or should eat less fat, cholesterol or salt for over a century – and that should be called out and ignored, or even penalised given the accumulated damaging consequences.
https://isupportgary.com/articles/aussie-gps-medical-evangelists-for-sda-church
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109703016310#:~:text=E.%20H.,dietary%20saturated%20fats%20(3).
Who exactly is misleading “the public” with false information?
I suggest you learn about Ketosis.
Our bodies can metabolize food using either of two pathways.
One uses carbs… And fiber 8s an important moderator that ultimately helps avoid diabetes and more.
The other uses fat. If going down this path, not only fiber but all carbs must be mostly avoided.
(Both also require other nutrients, including protein.)
To say fiber is not needed is very misleading.
I lived above the Arctic Circle in my formative years in an Inuit village. We did, indeed, eat a high-meat diet. However, we also ate berries, tundra tea and other fibrous foods including willow bark. You can not compare the Inuit diet with the S.A.D. because Inuit people have an enzyme in their liver that is specific to breaking down fat. Non-Inuit people are not born with this enzyme (google it). Bi-racial people (with some Inuit heritage and genetic inheritance) may have this enzyme in their digestive microbiome, but maybe not. I have one nephew who is half Inuit, half European descent. He is vegetarian and thriving.
Theresa,
Thanks for these comments. It is not often we hear from those who have consumed the Inuit diet.
Dr P
I am driven by science based information. Recently a doctor told me, I read too much. Then refused to write a prescription for cymbalta because it had a black box warning. I have taken cymbalta for 11years due to chronic pain, depression, etc. thank you
Thank you for this informative article. Have you read the books ”Let Food be your Medicine” and, Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet” by Don Colbert, MD? I was wondering if you have read these books and what is your opinion of what he writes and, is his writings factual and legit or is he just trying to sell books?
Thank you, Anita Perez
Sent from my iPad
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I just heard a new quack, Dr. Rand McClain, selling TeloGenesis. There are so many of these guys making millions off of innocent people. Quackery is a very remunerative occupation.
Yes, there are a lot of these folks making bank off people by selling info and promises that are false and have never been proven. But they all fail in comparison to the numbers of folks doing the exact same thing in churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, Kingdom Halls, stakes, cathedrals, etc.
Religion is the worst invention of Humanity
Why does it bother you if religion, without affecting you, helps a person get through a miserable life?
Gundry should be investigated and shut down by the FTC who famously also shut Kevin Trudeau down.
Thanks, I was wondering why DrGundry’s Vital Reds supplements don’t list amounts of sugar, etc in them on the label.
Gundry should be reported to the FTC who also shut Kevin Trudeau down.
Can’t believe my local PBS station was promoting “The Plant Paradox” on a show sponsored by Blue Cross of Florida. When i checked out the book from the library I was shocked by how radical it was regarding diet and foodstuffs. I was willing to keep an open mind until i saw the glowing endorsement by Tony Robbins (whom i had encountered many years ago at a corporate sponsored “Fire Walk”. Big Red Flag!! Robbins maintained (in his pre-walk rant) that one could mentally rearrange the molecules in the soles of the feet and that would prevent getting burned!
Amazing that folks still get away with so much BS.
Gundry also claims in some of his infomercials that he’s acted as personal physician to Robbins.