It hasn't been a great week for carnivores.

A new study found that an amino-acid-like compound found in red meat transforms into a heart-disease-causing chemical called TMAO, which, researchers now theorize, is probably the real reason red meat is bad for you.

The good news is that...

On Tuesday, March 12, on the day before it was scheduled to go into effect, a state judge struck down New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed ban on jumbo-sized sodas, triggering a paroxysm of editorials about the nanny state and the future of civilization.

OK, everybody, let's take a...

Last week, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that, according to the fawning mainstream press, proved "conclusively" that the best diet in the world was the Mediterranean diet, that it protected everyone from heart disease and stroke, and that everyone in the world should be...

This week, FairWinds Press released a new book co-authored by myself and cardiologist Stephen Sinatra, M.D., entitled The Great Cholesterol Myth.

So, you might ask, what is the "Great Cholesterol Myth"? And... Why should I care?

You should care for two reasons.

One, the Great Cholesterol Myth has been...

On Nov. 6, those of us who live in California will get to vote on Proposition 37, which requires mandatory labeling of genetically-engineered foods (GMOs). And the whole country is watching.

It's shaping up to be quite the battle. A quick glance at who's supporting the bill and...

Ask 10 people to name the two worst movies ever made and you'll probably get a lot of different answers. Ishtar? Waterworld? Showgirls? Hard to say.

Whether you're picking movies, books, or politicians, there are so many candidates for awfulness that it's hard to pick the top two.

Have you ever you seen a terribly overweight person walking down the street and thought to yourself, "How could she let herself get that way? How disgusting. She has no self-control. What a glutton!"

If so, you're not alone.

Prejudice against the obese is the last "acceptable" prejudice in...

Anyone who follows politics has heard the oft-repeated axiom that we are, at heart, a center-right country. And it's true. Most people in the country are centrists, agreeing on more things than you might suspect from watching the cable news channels.

Sure, the devil is in the details, and sure...

The media reporting of a new Stanford study purporting to show that organic food has no substantial benefit over conventionally grown food is a wonderful example of how to reduce a complex issue into a moronic sound bite. Google the study and you'll find at least...

My mentor, the late great nutritionist Robert Crayhon, used to say this: "The two great dangers with nutrition are thinking it does too much, and thinking it does too little."

The same can be said of exercise.

This article is about exercise. And about weight loss. And about the relationship...

Oh brother, here we go again.

This month, the journal Atherosclerosis published a study examining the association between the number of egg yolks consumed per week and the amount of plaque in the carotid artery. The study concluded that eating egg yolks is almost as bad as smoking...

Been reading much marketing material on foods and juices recently? Especially for the overpriced, "multi-level" juice products that promise to do everything from cure cancer to grow hair (usually at 40 bucks a pop)?

If so, you've certainly heard the claims about ORAC values.

ORAC is short for...

Paula Deen has diabetes. And a terrific opportunity for a "teaching moment" is being lost.

In case you're not familiar with Paula Deen -- apparently I'm the only person on the planet who hasn't seen her show -- she's a famous chef with a hit program on the Food Network,...

On January 31, the US government released the new, 2010 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

And there's not much to write home about.

The basic messages to consumers are as predictable as a high school coach's half-time pep talk. Eat less food. Control your calories. Don't...

For years I've had a love-hate relationship with Weight Watchers.

I love the fact that they've tapped into one of the most potent strategies for behavior change on the planet -- group support and accountability.

I hate the fact that their nutritional information is stuck in the dark ages....

Agave syrup (nectar) is basically high-fructose corn syrup masquerading as a health food.

Sorry. Don't kill the messenger.

It's easy to understand how agave syrup got its great reputation. Even the word "Agave" has a fine pedigree, coming from the Greek word for noble. The blue agave species- considered the...

It's starting to happen.

Slowly, a growing number of voices from establishment medicine are beginning to sound a different -- and much overdue -- theme in their writings on the health care crisis.

They're starting to talk about -- wait for it -- prevention.

What's gotten lost in all the...

A couple of interesting and unrelated articles in the popular press this week got me to thinking: What if - instead of an innocent kid- it had been the emperor from the kingdom next door shouting "that dude's got no clothes on"?

I'm guessing no one would have listened.

I have a love / hate relationship with the New York Times.

On the one hand, there's David Brooks and Gail Collins.

On the other hand, there's Jane Brody.

Jane Brody never met an establishment position she didn't unquestioningly embrace. She's continued to parrot the low-fat idiocy years past...

Sharon Begley -- who's fast becoming the best science reporter in America -- has a theory about why we pay with credit cards. Her theory also explains a lot about why we overeat.

Here's the deal. The Nordstrom lady wraps up your Jimmy Choos. If you pay with a credit...