Now that the governing bodies have finally awakened their minds to the reality that eggs are good for us, what other myths exist that we should disbelieve?

1) Eggs are bad for you because of excess cholesterol ingestion. This has never made any sense to me. When my cholesterol was at its worst, my diet was almost vegetarian and loaded with grains. Then I went gluten free and my cholesterol normalized. During this time of normal serum cholesterol levels on the gluten free diet, I ate 14 eggs a week (2600mg cholesterol per week-ouch). According to the Institute of medicine, my cholesterol should have shot through the roof. It did not. Eating cholesterol is not the issue. Inflammation from other foods, specifically certain grains, is the problem. Eggs are great for you. Eat them as part of a whole foods anti inflammatory diet.  

2) Low fat is a great choice! Not so fast. The low fat food craze ushered in the era of high sugar foods to make up for the poor taste of removing the tasty fat. Full fat foods have not been shown to be unhealthy with the exceptions of grain fed cows and fish. Enjoy full fat foods in moderation. Full fat dairy, meats, vegetables, etc.. are ok as far as I am concerned. In moderation of course! Real food, the way it was intended to be consumed.

3) Whole grains are good for us. This is wrong for many humans. I am living proof of such a reality. Some grains appear to be better than others in overall health. Wheat, corn and rice seem to cause the most trouble for select individuals that have a leaky gut type disease pattern. Read Grain Brain by Dr. Perlmutter, Wahls Protocol by Dr. Wahls or any articles by Dr. Fasano to educate yourself and learn whether you fit a negative grain pattern. 

4) Spicy food causes GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease. In my clinic, I find that spicy foods only exacerbate the problem. The real culprit for most of my patients is wheat and dairy consumption. When these children remove wheat and dairy or the food that they are sensitive to from their diet, the spicy foods cease to cause concern.

5) Artificial sweeteners are good for diabetics and the population at large. This is a continuing controversy. These are chemicals and as such are not to be consumed. The data does not support a cancer link. Where the rubber meets the road is with the sweetness issue driving our taste buds to crave ever more sugar in other places. Articificial sweeteners are 50-100X sweeter then sucrose, table sugar. Our sugar sensing taste buds become dulled to sweetness and then require more for stimulation. We then seek out sugar laden foods to satisfy the craving. Not a good choice.

6) 3 glasses of milk a day is healthy. Not so fast Dairy Council. There is no health basis for this advertised mantra. Many humans are not tolerating the casein protein in dairy. They are developing constipation, mucous congestion, eczema and other symptoms because of it. Many people lose the activity of the enzyme lactase as they age causing the sugar lactose to ferment in the gut. The end result is bloating and loose stools. As for dairy providing for you bones, vegetarians have better bone health than milk drinkers. There are many studies that show these effects. 

7) Eating fortified cereals and taking a multivitamin will take care of our vitamin needs. This makes little sense when you think about how vitamins like to work in synergy between plants and meats. Absorption and function seem to best achieved through a balanced predominantly plant based diet that provides for a healthy gut micro biome and thus a healthy absorptive gut lining. 

8) Meat is bad for you. Nope. Meat that is consumed as nature intended it and in moderation is part of a healthy diet. Grass fed, hormone free, moderated animal protein intake does not increase inflammation in the blood nor does it cause cancer. Excessive animal meat consumption as in multiple times daily promotes a different intestinal micro biome that is linked to worse health. Smart choices are key. 

Dr. M

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