Wheat

Question
It seems these days everything is bad for us. Dairy has hormones or fat in it, fruits carry pesticides and generally don't last long, and wheat apparently causes us to get fat. A guy named Davis Williams wrote a book called, "Wheat belly" which I heard about on Dr. Oz. He claims the "wheat" we eat today is simply not good for us and far from what was eatten a long time ago. Does that sound accurate? He made it sound like even organic varieties have the same issues.

Answer
Hello James,

It's true, you can find a book or research paper to support virtually any nutritional statement. Fat is bad; fat is good; eat lots of fruits and vegetables; only eat meat; use organic food; organic doesn't matter.

The best advice I have is to look to the national health organizations that have no vested interest in making money from nutritional information. The American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, MyPlate.gov, and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics all give sound advice: choose whole grains,  include variety, limit calories from fats and sweets, eat several fruits and vegetables daily, etc.

If you always have a good variety in your diet you don't have to worry about getting too much of something that may be discovered to not be so great, or missing out on something that turns out to be very good for you.

The fact is, there is no one food that is terrible and no one food that is a must-have. In my opinion, things like soda and bacon have no nutritional contribution, but people enjoy the flavor, and having a soda once in a while or a few strips of bacon once a month doesn't destroy someone's health. Likewise, a person might never eat oranges or broccoli or whole wheat or foods generally considered to be healthy, and they may be in great shape. It's the overall diet that matters most!

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