The Medical Advisor

My investigation into gluten began more than 20 years ago and revealed some surprising things about this problematic protein. I interviewed a woman named Victoria for my book “Going Against the Grain” (2002) who had unexplained low blood iron counts that kept getting lower each year for, believe it or not, a period of 20 years. At one point, she was taking nine iron supplements a day, and none of the doctors she had seen could determine why she wasn’t properly absorbing iron. She grew sicker: She kept getting more and more exhausted, extremely pale and short of breath, and her fingernails were curling up. Finally, after a two-decade-long health journey, she ended up seeing one more gastroenterologist, who gave her the answer to her condition: She had celiac disease, an autoimmune reaction in the gut to the gluten in wheat and other grains, and it could be corrected with a change in her diet. After “Going Against the Grain” was published, a client named Pam, who was diagnosed with osteo...

For well over half-century, a majority of health care officials and media have warned that saturated fats are bad for your health and lead to obesity, high cholesterol and heart disease. The American Heart Association (AHA) began encouraging Americans to limit dietary fat in general and saturated fats in particular as far back as 1961. Like its previously revised version, the current version of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid, called "MyPlate," 1  more or less eliminates fats altogether, with the exception of a small amount of low-fat or no-fat dairy. According to MyPlate, the food groups are fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy — not the three biological building blocks known as carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, grains), protein and fats. All the while, studies have repeatedly refuted the wisdom of these low- to no-fat recommendations. Even so, the AHA has spent the past decade issuing warnings reminiscent of the 1960s all over again. If you...