I was amazed at the cover of Time Magazine this week.  The lead story is “What to Eat Now,” by none other that Dr. Mehmet Oz.  How this cardiac surgeon became the go to guy wizard of smart on all things medical escapes me.  Even the title is an error.  To anyone who studies evolutionary biology the answer is to eat the same stuff our ancestors ate 10,000 years ago.  Wasn’t that easy? Now you don’t have to read the article.  However what this wizard says is not that at all.  Much like the original wizard once you understand what is going on behind the curtain you will become immunized against this kind of nonsense. The fact that these fallacies are being spread to a wide audience and that fully two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese makes it too important to ignore.   Dr. Oz’s words are HURTING people.

In the article he compares the nutrient content of frozen and canned foods with those to fresh and organics.  He concludes that there is not much difference in nutrient content.  Where he fails is in CONTRASTING the difference.  He never talks about the BPA lined cans and the health issues concerning them that has led Canada and Europe to ban this practice.  Industrial canning also sterilizes the food.  Home canning has natural probiotics.

While recommending insulin raising canned beans he also recommends preserves and jams without “added sugar.”  Perhaps he missed the class in medical school where they taught about glucose and fructose?  In your body there is no difference between if it comes from peaches or sugarcane. The fact is it will still cause the same insulin surge and possible leptin resistance.  This alone can explain the American surge in non-contagious chronic diseases.  Everything from tooth decay, thru diabetes, to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Perhaps most disappointing he never mentions genetic modification of food and the increase in pesticide load in these non-organic franken-foods.  But then we can’t annoy the sponsors.  This alone is enough for me to recommend to my patients to avoid all processed foods.

Dr. Oz will forever be in the land of fat-phobic and does not understand that in a healthy individual there is no reason to restrict salt, as your kidneys will do that for you.  Another missed class from medical school?    Dr. Oz in addition to being a physician is a businessman.  I credit him for admitting that his is a vegetarian household.  (He also makes good mention of some fresh whole foods such as salsa and guacamole)  As he needs sponsors for his show he does not have the courage of his personal convictions to recommend this diet for everyone though.   It all comes down to advertising. Since his canon of advertisers does not include organic farmers or purveyors of fresh food but does include companies that mass market high profit, high carbohydrate, and genetically modified food it is critical to read between the lines and see what he promotes as “healthy.” Once you examine his recommendations in the light of evolutionary biology it becomes clear that he is far more concerned with his wallet than your waistline.