The Upper Safe Limit for Protein Consumption (Excerpt)
This excerpt taken from Dr. Campbell’s The Future of Nutrition (2020) discusses the “upper safe limit” (UL) for dietary protein, set at 35% of total calorie intake by the macronutrients subcommittee of the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) in 2002. Beyond this passage, Dr. Campbell discusses the industry connections of the FNB board members, including … Continued
New Dietary Guidelines Require Radical Change
In a recent article, we discussed some of the key features of the newest edition of the dietary guidelines (2025–2030), including its recommendations for protein, full-fat dairy, processed foods, and alcohol. If you haven’t had a chance to read that article yet, now would be a great time to check it out. As we wrote … Continued
The New Dietary Guidelines: More Triangle Than Pyramid?
Most people never read the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, much less closely enough to keep up with all of the minute changes between each edition, which are released jointly every five years by the US Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA). I suspect very few people ever change their dietary choices … Continued
Make It Tasty: How Food Descriptions Impact Our Choices
What sounds better—a healthy, low-fat vegan black bean burger or a 10-spice smoky black bean burger? What if I told you they were exactly the same? Research has shown that most people gravitate more toward foods described by flavor, not healthfulness. Buffet-style dining halls located at five different college campuses were assigned to use three … Continued
American Medical Association Names Plant-Based Diet Part of Breast Cancer Prevention Strategy
This summer, the House of Delegates (HOD) of the American Medical Association (AMA) convened for its annual meeting in Chicago.[1] The HOD, which comprises 733 delegates, is the policy-making body of the AMA. As such, they have the potential to influence medical practice and reimbursement nationwide. Their annual meetings cover many topics, including, this year, … Continued
The Big Business of Infant Formula: A Case Study of Industry-Funded Research
This article is an edited instructor post from our Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate Program, in reference to the critical analysis assignment. In this assignment, students critically review published health claims and receive feedback from the instructor team. You can learn more about the program here. Our goal is not only to increase nutrition literacy but also … Continued
Carbohydrates: Simple, Complex, Misunderstood
Lost in this noise, almost as if by design, is a basic understanding of carbohydrates, the functions they serve, and the many factors determining their health effects.
Does Industry Funding Affect Research Findings?
Assessing and discussing health claims can be difficult. Imagine a friend who tells you it’s important that you eat several servings of fish each week. Your plant-based lifestyle, they suggest, is putting you at risk of not getting all the nutrients you need to thrive. How would you respond? In an ideal scenario, you would … Continued
Beef Tallow for Health: A Political-Commercial Farce
Is beef tallow healthy? Setting the record straight on all the press and speculation.
What Makes Animal Protein High Quality?
How have different proteins been measured historically, and are these measures useful when assessing the healthfulness of foods today? And, is animal protein high-quality?
Can You Boost Your Brainpower with Plant-Based Nutrition?
I was reminded recently of the 2011 science fiction thriller Limitless, which tells the story of a struggling author, played by Bradley Cooper, who takes a drug that unleashes his full mental capacity for the first time. You might remember the premise—that we typically only use a small percentage of our brainpower—which I suspect could … Continued
Dr. Denis Burkitt: A Wide Angle View of the Proverbial Elephant
I don’t know about you, but I am still feeling rather sad about the untimely passing of Dr. McDougall. I guess I had been counting on him being around for another couple of decades. Before his passing, I’d seen only a couple interviews and had never read his books. So it felt appropriate and consoling … Continued
How Did the Carnivore Diet Become So Popular?
I recently wrote about the carnivore diet: what it is, the claimed health benefits, and what the short- and long-term evidence suggests about its healthfulness. I suggest reading that article for context before continuing here. To put it mildly, the evidence favoring a carnivore diet is not convincing. Anyone hoping for proof that this is … Continued
The Carnivore Diet: What Does the Evidence Say?
The carnivore diet is among the latest and most extreme examples of the low-carbohydrate fad, weaving together several ideas generally associated with the paleo and keto diets specifically: that some of our human ancestors relied heavily on animal products (and that animal products must, therefore, be optimal for our health), that carbohydrates are not our … Continued
Hormone Replacement Therapy and the Opioid Epidemic: When Standard Therapies Become Dangerous
What is a standard therapy and why do we care?[1] Used interchangeably with phrases like best practice, standard medical care, standard therapy, and standard of care, this term refers to “the degree of care a prudent and reasonable person would exercise under the circumstances.”[2] In medicine, it is what medical experts and healthcare professionals generally … Continued
Diminishing Returns in the Pursuit of a Cure for Cancer
Exploring what cutting-edge cancer research looks like today and what we can learn from viewing it through the lens of Dr. Campbell’s research on cancer.
This excerpt discusses the inadequate level of nutrition-related knowledge typical in our society that is leading to overall nutrition confusion in today’s society.
Toxic Superfoods is Toxic Misinformation
When I see a patient with a kidney stone, I typically ask for their dietary history. Sometimes the patient only offers a non-committal response that they eat a balanced diet. But we have a saying in nephrology: “The urine does not lie.” A particularly memorable urine sample from a petite teenage boy with a painful … Continued
Lifestyle Modifications to Help You Navigate Menopause
Menopause is a natural transition and not something to be afraid of. It can be a source of stress and discomfort, but with the correct menopause diet and healthy lifestyle, you can navigate it with ease.
You Are What You Eat: What Does the 2023 Stanford Twins Nutrition Study Really Show?
A four-part documentary series about the twin study, You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment, debuted on Netflix. It has drummed up quite a lot of attention. The results certainly support the adoption of a plant-based diet, but there is still something lacking in the message they are sharing.
This short excerpt from Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition addresses a common question: Is it necessary to be 100 percent adherent to a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet 100 percent of the time?
Assessing the Top Nutrition Trends: Beyond 2023
What do the top 2024 nutrition trends say? Do they represent a coherent shift in public views of health and nutrition, or are they only incidentally related? Might we synthesize any general observations from them?
Assessing the Top Nutrition Trends of 2023 (Part Two)
By analyzing 2023 nutrition trends, we can gain insights into a population’s collective mindset and preferences. What might they say about the future?
Assessing the Top Nutrition Trends of 2023 (Part One)
It’s often helpful to take a step back and look at trends. As indicators of the prevailing sentiments and interests within a society, they offer a compelling snapshot of broad cultural attitudes at a given time. Here we analyze the top 2023 nutritional trends.
