Do you want tasty treats to help energize your workout? Then consider making your own “energy” bars. Beyond great taste, you will have control over the ingredients. You’ll likely save money too!
Although clever marketing fools many, most commercial bars are nothing special. You can create delicious bars in your own kitchen that will power your workout just as well, if not better, than an expensive bar.
And you don’t need special ingredients. In fact, many homemade energy bar recipes tend to be overly complicated and claim to be healthy because of hyped-up ingredients like coconut oil, agave nectar, or a protein powder. Or they boast being “naturally sweetened” implying that something like organic brown rice syrup,coconut sugar, or sugar from dried fruit is better than regular sugar (it isn’t).
Although I recommend limiting sugars when you’re not active, sugar will fuel your working muscles and might help your workout performance if you’re exercising vigorously and/or for long periods. In fact, many of the harms attributed to sugar have to do with how it is metabolized when sedentary, or in sedentary individuals, not in athletes.
Here are five bars that rely on simple whole foods available in most grocery stores. They provide healthy fats, but are generally low in fat, because during exercise your muscles require carbohydrates as fuel.
A potential downside of homemade bars is the time required to make them. But give it a try! Make a batch and freeze so you’ll have a convenient and portable snack on hand when you need it.
These spicy bars are amazingly delicious! The ginger delivers a good zing, and the molasses keeps them dense and fudgy. You can whip these up pretty quickly, which will make your entire house smell pretty wonderful. These bars are great workout fuel, but certainly tasty enough for a lunchbox treat or as a sweet with coffee or tea.
You can substitute a different nut or seed butter for the peanut butter. I’ve tried tahini – sesame seed butter – and almond butter would work well.
These bars feature oats, which are a staple of my diet. For athletes, oats are a terrific and inexpensive source of carbohydrates to help fuel muscles. Also, according to this study, oats might help enhance nitric oxide production, which is important for heart health and might benefit athletic performance. This recipe is quite versatile, so create your own variation by modifying the dried fruit and nuts/seeds to suit your taste. These bars feature whole grains (oats and 100% whole wheat flour), are relatively low in fat, with most of the fat coming from healthful sources (nuts and seeds) that provide other important nutrients.
These bites are simple to make, using only five ingredients. Their bite-size portion is often “just right,” so you can doll out energy as you need fuel during long hikes, runs, cross-country skis, or bike rides.
The oats and raisins are a good source of carbohydrates, the peanut butter provides healthy fats, rounded off with a double-chocolate hit of cocoa and chocolate chips.
These bars are dense and chewy and taste like brownies. They are a bit of a departure from energy bars that are full of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and other wholesome ingredients — which is the kind of bar I typically prefer on slower-paced workouts, where the low intensity makes it easy to digest the seeds, nuts, fats, and fiber in the bars. I like these bars for more intense workouts or intervals – when you need a burst of sweetness that goes down easily (kind of like an energy gel that actually tastes good).
For eating outside of workouts, this bar recipe is likely healthier than most cookies or bars. Whole grains (whole wheat flour and oats) replace the more typical refined white flour (and you probably don’t need to worry about the gluten in the flour). I also used this baking strategy, substituting almond butter for most of the butter. Almond butter provides heart-healthy fats instead of saturated fat, as well as protein, fiber, and minerals that many people lack. Peanut butter works in these bars too (and is much less expensive!).
These bites have a double sesame punch with sesame seeds and tahini (sesame butter): these little seeds are very nutritious and most often used as a garnish, so here’s a good way to take advantage of their superior nutrition.
I know, a refined cereal like Rice Krispies seems out of place with the rest of the wholesome ingredients, but the added crunch is worth it. And if you’re going to eat refined carbs and sweet dates, during activity is the best time to do it: your body processes the sugars to use as fuel and help sustain long workouts.
An excellent account of celebrity culture’s influence on health
Gwyneth Paltrow runs goop, a lifestyle brand, website, and online store that offers unsound and unfounded health and nutrition advice to women, much of it to help goop sell its health products. This nutrition and health misinformation reaches far and wide, thanks to the growing popularity of goop.
The bogus health advice includes things like vaginal steaming, goat milk cleanses (to cleanse your body of parasites and heavy metals), and colon cleanses. Goop publishes many articles with health claims that are not backed by good science. Here are some of the many dubious (and expensive) products in goop’s store:
Body Vibes ($120 wearable stickers that promote healing)
“Wellness” supplements (e.g., $90 for “Balls in the Air” to “unburden inflammation in the body”)
Goop Doctors
A number of doctors are associated with goop. Unfortunately for many the title “Dr” gives credibility to their advice that often stokes unfounded fears.
Common themes to goop doctors’ advice includes
TOXINS – you are sick and tired because of various toxins and need to “detox” with their product/diet plan;
MISINFORMATION with just enough science to sound plausible and masquerade as truth (usually by citing select research to support their narrative, but that doesn’t consider the body of scientific evidence);
SUPPLEMENTS – all goop doctors sell supplements – that typically will “cure” a long list of ailments (which usually includes some form of “fatigue”)
STORIES to create a distrust of science-based medicine.
Goop Critics
Good has many critics who argue that goop doctors spread health misinformation with their marketing and pseudoscience. Two of the most vocal critics are Jen Gunter, a California-based OB-GYN, and Timothy Caulfield, professor of law and health policy at the University of Alberta. Responsible health journalists regularly write about goop’s bogus articles and products, and even Late Night Show host Stephen Colbert is showcasing goop’s pseudoscience.
Goop critics promote evidence-based information about women’s health issues and correct goop’s bad advice. Goop and “goop doctors” are making money off women who are concerned about their health by deceiving them with pseudoscience to convince them that they need to buy their products.
Goop doctors argue that their advice empowers women to make informed health choices. How does fearmongering, sowing distrust in science-based medicine, and spreading health misinformation empower women? Is goop really concerned about women’s health?
Aviva Romm is an integrative physician, midwife, and herbalist. She strongly defends goop doctors and their practices, contributes to the misinformation on the goop website, and like other goop doctors, her advice is not evidence-based. Her website and Facebook page targets pregnant women, busy (and tired) women, and parents.
She sells her line of herbal supplements, books, and online courses (e.g. Heathiest Kids University – Natural Medicine for Children). Much of her information uses the appeal to nature logical fallacy, that something “natural” (like herbal remedies) are good for you because they come “from nature.”
Toxins are prominent in Aviva Romm’s fearmongering.
Romm makes this sweeping statement
“many health conditions that are adversely affecting children today can be traced back to environmental toxin exposure.”
Environmental exposures are important. The field of environmental health trains many public health scientists in a variety of areas to study how environmental exposures influence health. These experts and their research play an important role in setting guidelines and standards that consider the body of scientific evidence (and not just isolated studies). Should we be listening to these scientists – environmental epidemiologists, toxicologists, and others – and trust them to protect public health, or rely on individuals like Romm, who often only present one side of the issue, instill fear, and sell products and supplements to help you get rid of “toxins”?
For example, Romm advises women to refuse glucola (a standard sugar drink to screen for diabetes), calling it a “toxic cocktail.” She credits the chemical-fearing Food Babe for alerting her to these toxins. . .
Should pregnant women be worried about glucola? No. Gynecologists Jen Gunter and Amy Tuteur explain that you would be better off fearing toxic advice of people like the Food Babe or Aviva Romm.
Aviva Romm’s Supplements and Products
Dr. Romm’s website sells books, online courses (e.g., herbal medicine for women, adrenal thyroid pro training), and her online “dispensary” (via Fullscript) offers hundreds of high-priced supplements by category such as “Natural Detox Support” or “Adrenal and Thyroid Support” that include bogus health claims like “replenish adrenals,” “detox” “rejuvenate liver function” and “boost immunity.”
Her website includes many posts and tips (often herbal medications) for preventing and dealing with “adrenal fatigue” – a made-up medical condition that is not recognized by endocrinologists. She has created her own line of women’s herbal products to help “replenish and restore the adrenals and counteract the effects of an overwhelmed stress response system.” The products are adrenal nourish, adrenal soothe, and adrenal uplift, and cost $27.50 for 2 oz. ). There is no rigorous scientific evidence showing that these products will do anything beyond give you false hope and drain your pocketbook.
One of her top recommended herbal supplements for women is curcumin (found in turmeric) – she recommends it for “leaky gut” and “detoxification from environmental chemicals” – a nonsense statement. Curcumin supplements are a waste of money: a recent comprehensive research review shows that they lack sufficient evidence of efficacy.
Should children use unregulated dietary supplements? Dr. Romm’s website guides you to a “Natural Children’s remedies” section, which has 20 supplements, including “Calm Child” designed to “support calm, focuses attention in children.” Her online course “Super-Charge Your Children’s Health and Immunity with Natural Remedies” lesson material includes “toxins in vaccinations” and a section on herbal medicines.
Aviva Romm claims to be offering the “evidence-based alternatives” that women are desperately seeking. She masquerades as a trusted source of health information, yet sells dubious herbal treatments for which there is no good evidence.
WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT HERBAL AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
Many people believe that herbal supplements are safer than prescription drugs because they are “natural” and they don’t consider them “drugs.” But, as Steven Novella, academic clinical neurologist at the Yale University School of Medicine, explains,
“herbs and plants that are used for medicinal purposes are drugs – they are as much drugs as any manufactured pharmaceutical. A drug is any chemical or combination of chemicals that has biological activity within the body above and beyond their purely nutritional value. Herbs have little to no nutritional value, but they do contain various chemicals, some with biological activity. Herbs are drugs. The distinction between herbs and pharmaceuticals is therefore a false dichotomy.”
Before a prescription and nonprescription drug is on the market, it undergoes years of research and rigorous testing for safety and efficacy and needs FDA approval to be sold. In contrast, herbal medicines and dietary supplements are not well tested for efficacy or safety (if they are tested at all); also, they are poorly regulated and often make outlandish and unfounded claims.There are many good reasons to be skeptical of the multi billion dollar herbal and dietary supplement industry and individuals selling herbal products.
John Oliver offers an entertaining account of the poor regulation of the dietary supplement industry . . .
Steven Gundry
Steven Gundry is a goop contributor, author of several books overloaded with misinformation on diet and disease, and runs the website gundrymd.com. If you sign up for his newsletter, you will immediately be presented with an offer for one of his many supplements – Gundry MD Vital Reds, for a discounted $254.70 (for 6 jars, which is what Gundry recommends): and it’s also recommended you buy Dr. Gundry’s book Diet Evolution (to supercharge the benefits of Vital Reds).
According to the website, MD Vital Reds will
“help reduce the fatigue and energy dysfunction which act as warning signs for much more serious health problems. I’ve combined the power of 25 polyphenol-rich superfruits with dozens of natural fat-burning ingredients to help your body maintain higher energy levels and fast metabolism.”
Save your money – there is no good evidence to back up any of these claims.
And Vital Reds is just the beginning!
You can spend a lot more money on unproven supplements at Gundrymd.com. These include “Lectin Shield” ($75) – to protect yourself from the “toxic” lectins (proteins in some plant foods), which Lundry states are the #1 biggest danger in the American diet. Gundry has even written a book about lectins (to convince you that you really do need Lectin Shield). In The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in Healthy foods that Cause Disease and Weight Gain, he claims that lectins are the cause of almost all diseases. The fact that Dr Oz has endorsed the book is a good clue to the pseudoscience within.
The book promo has the familiar popular line that introduces much pseudoscience . . .
“Is it possible that everything you’ve heard about diet, weight, and nutrition is wrong?“
There is no good evidence showing that lectins cause disease
Avoiding lectins means missing out on many nutritious foods, including whole grains, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, dairy, eggs, and fruit. The Atlantic’s James Hamblin has an excellent commentary on the Gundry’s book, including this observation:
“In fact, the book seems to be a sort of culmination of a long-percolating hypothesis about the imminent dangers of lectins. It’s especially common among purveyors of dietary supplements. The story goes: We need nutrients to survive, but many plants makes us sick, so synthetic supplement pills and powders are the prudent approach. The idea is based in just enough evidence to be seriously convincing in the right hands.”
“…Book publishers are rarely held accountable for publishing invalid health information. Rather, there seems to be an incentive to publish the most outlandish claims that purport to upend everything the reader has ever heard. This is a problem much bigger than any plant protein. Cycles of fad dieting and insidious misinformation undermine both public health and understanding of how science works, giving way to a sense of chaos.”
Other ridiculous health claims by Gundry on the goop website include that eating out-of-season fruit is one of the biggest modern health hazards (because “fruit promotes fat storage”).
Gundry also perpetuates myths like the existence of a so-called leaky gut syndrome (and of course recommends his products as a remedy). According to experts at the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research, no quality research supports the existence of leaky gut syndrome, which they say is “is all speculation, as scientific studies do not validate any of these claims. It is extremely dangerous that a TV doctor personality and some otherwise trusted practitioners are diagnosing and treating this baseless ‘syndrome’.”
These are but a few examples of the vast amount of misinformation that Steven Gundry shares. Your best bet is to ignore everything on his website, books, and writings on the goop website, and definitely don’t buy any of his products.
Emails from Gundrymd.com are pretty good evidence that this “Dr” is little more than a snake-oil salesman . . . too bad so many people fall for this marketing.
Doctor to celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and author of Clean: A Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself, Alejandro Junger is a big fan of detox diets and a good snake oil salesman. His “Clean” 21-day program will cost you $475 in useless supplements and shakes. He preys on fear and convinces many that they are consuming and surrounded by harmful toxins.
As there is no good evidence for any of his treatments, he relies on cherry-picked studies, colorful stories, and convincing anecdotes.
Junger created Gwyneth Paltrow/goop’s Why Am I So Effing Tired pack: expensive supplements ($90 for a 1-month supply) designed to treat “adrenal fatigue” a condition not recognized by any endocrinology society and a syndrome that experts have confirmed does not exist. Other false claims and potential harms for Why Am I So Effing Tired pack are reviewed by OB/GYN Dr. Jen Gunter here.
Dr. Sadeghi, who has been called Gwyneth Paltrow’s “Quack in Chief,” is another goop doctor who contributes a fair share of fearmongering pseudoscience to the goop website. His misinformation includes a lengthy article resurrecting a myth that underwire bras cause breast cancer. Trying to sound legitimate, he selectively cites what he deems as “research” to support his case.
A common tactic of goop doctors is to foster a distrust in mainstream medicine or research that doesn’t support their ideas. In rebuking a rigorous trial showing no link between bra wearing and breast cancer by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (a world leading institution in Cancer Research), Sadeghi brings up the ridiculous notion that these researchers may have falsified study results because they have a fundraising fun run called the Bra Dash. Unbelievable, but true.
He has many unfounded tips to reduce cancer risk, including such nonsense such as taking an epsom salt and baking soda bath soon after a flight to remove toxins from the body; and reducing intake of grain products (because of the proteins lectin and gluten) – there are no studies linking intake of either of these proteins to cancer.
Sadeghi is founder of Be Hive of Healing, which offers a host of bogus treatments, and a Wellness Store with an overabundance of products and supplements with no convincing evidence to support their use.
If is frightening that Sadeghi advises cancer patients about their treatment, and irresponsible of goop to publish his nonsense.
Lifestyle factors can play a role in some cancers, but goop or Habib Sadeghi are not good resources. You can find evidence-based information on lifestyle tips for cancer prevention at AICR.org.
This is a beautiful potato salad that is a great side dish to take along to a barbecue. Roasting brings out the flavours of the potatoes, and adding corn, tomatoes, peppers, and onions lightens up the salad while adding great taste, colour, and good nutrition.
This is a much healthier option than traditional mayonnaise-laden potato salads, which are often calorie-dense and nutrient poor: some traditional deli potato salads have almost 500 calories and more than 20 g fat per cup, with few protective nutrients.
This is a light and refreshing salad that is a tasty and eye-catching side dish for almost any meal, and a perfect potluck dish. This salad combines rice noodles, sweet peppers, fresh herbs, tomatoes, and feta cheese in a lime dressing, giving this dish Asian, Mediterranean, and Mexican influences . . . sounds odd, but the flavours blend together beautifully!
Don’t be dissuaded if you are, like me, not typically a fan of cold pasta-salad style noodles. Rice noodles make an entirely different type of salad; they are lighter than pasta or wheat-based noodles, and are better at absorbing flavourful and zesty dressings like this one.
This is a terrific salad with vibrant colors and a great combination of flavors. It’s also quite versatile: it’s a great side dish to bring to a pot-luck or BBQ, a nutritious meal you can pack for tasty lunch, and stuff any leftovers into a pita for a nutritious sandwich. Exact measurements aren’t important, so feel free to add more or less of what’s listed.
This beet and arugula salad is great anytime, but terrific when fresh beets and apples are in season. It takes a little longer to prepare than my typical salads, but if you cook the beets in advance it is pretty quick to put together.
This dish is a terrific and pretty side salad that’s versatile enough to bring to a summer BBQ or winter potluck; with the chickpeas providing protein it’s a nourishing main course. If you have leftovers, you’ve got a tasty ready-made lunch on hand.
This recipe magically transform 12 cups of kale into 1.5 cups of kale pesto/puree. All that good nutrition and it doesn’t really taste like kale . . .
With the growing amount of misinformation on nutrition and health, it’s getting more difficult for people to figure out what is based in good science. And if you’re wondering if a certain individual, program, or website is legitimate, it is not straightforward to find out . . .
The prefix “Dr” can’t be trusted (hello Dr Oz, Perlmutter, Davis, Lundel, Berg . . . ). Many of these health gurus cherry-pick studies – that is, they cite the research that supports their opinion without considering the body of scientific evidence. Also, they often promise their diet/supplement/program will cure whatever ails you and provide alluring anecdotes to sell their stories (and often dietary supplements . . .). Another common narrative is a conspiracy focus, or telling readers that decades of nutrition/health research is wrong . . .
Check here for my growing list of Nutrition & Health Experts You Shouldn’t Trust. Here are some of the latest additions . . .
David “Avocado” Wolfe
This pseudoscience peddler has a thing for names – beyond using “avocado” as his middle name (which places him above David Perlmutter on my list), he calls himself “the rock star and Indiana Jones of the superfoods and longevity universe.” If that is not enough to get your pseudoscience spidey senses tingling, there is plenty more. His stories and scams prey on science illiteracy and he makes plenty of money from his followers. For example, he claims that high frequency radio waves are “unnatural” and dangerous (but you can buy expensive pillow cases and sheets at his online store to protect you); and invents food scare tactics so that you can buy his “superfood” supplements; and discourages vaccines and effective cancer treatments in favor of his woo. He is very good at marketing and draws people in with cute memes – he has a popular facebook page (723K fans) and at least seven different websites.
Dave Aspey, the bulletproof executive, is an entrepreneur, blogger, and paleo proponent who is good at selling things but doesn’t know much about health or nutrition (but tries to sound sciency by citing cherry picked studies to back up his dubious claims). His main claim to fame is Bulletproof® coffee, which I wrote about here. Claims for bulletproof coffee include that it helps burn fat, provides lasting energy, improves focus, helps gain muscle, increases mental acuity, helps digestion, and improves heart health.
But . . . you need to buy his special Upgraded™ coffee that is low in mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are a form of mold found on coffee beans and in greater amounts on many other foods (e.g., raisins, peanuts, beer, wine, pork, corn, sweet potatoes): most mycotoxins on coffee beans are destroyed by roasting, and there is no evidence that low levels are harmful to health.
Bulletproof coffee is not a healthy breakfast: it provides about 460 calories and about 47 g fat (mostly saturated), taking the place of protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins and minerals that are essential for good health. There is no good evidence that a breakfast of coffee with large quantities of saturated fat (butter and oil) delivers any of the laundry list of benefits beyond potential short-term cognitive or long-term health benefits of coffee.
Why stop at coffee when you can make so much money? Beyond his bulletproof coffee Aspey sells books and a variety of products (supplements, foods, technologies, coaching) claiming to improve health. And of course, there is the bulletproof diet (a “revolutionary” weight loss plan. . . but works best with his products), described so well by health and science writer Julia Beluz as follows:
“The Bulletproof Diet is like a caricature of a bad fad-diet book. If you took everything that’s wrong with eating in America, put it in a Vitamix, and shaped the result into a book, you’d get the Bulletproof Diet.
The book is filled with dubious claims based on little evidence or cherry picked studies that are taken out of context. The author, Dave Asprey, vilifies healthy foods and suggests part of the way to achieve a “pound a day” weight loss is to buy his expensive, “science-based” Bulletproof products.”
You may have seen a viral post “World Renowned Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease.” In the post Lundell proclaims that decades of research and guidelines for heart disease prevention are wrong (the “we’ve been lied to” narrative that is so popular . . .) , and the he has the answer in his books “The Cure for Heart Disease” or “The Great Cholesterol Lie.”
Heart disease is complex, as is the science of how different kinds of foods affect our bodies and the role that different kinds of fats play in disease. The evidence-based to date does not support Lundel’s oversimplified ideas.
Eric Berg is a popular health and wellness “expert” (actually a chiropractor who has ventured beyond his realm of expertise). He has a website and many videos promoting unscientific health advice, and books including The 7 Principles of Fat Burning: Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and Keep it Off! and Dr. Berg’s Body Shapes Diets. Some of his bogus health and wellness treatments have included Body Response Technique, Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique, Contact Reflex Analysis, and testing with an Acoustic Cardiograph. His unsubstantiated claims for his therapeutic treatments have been the subject of disciplinary action by the Virginia Board of Medicine. Some of his treatments relate to “adrenal fatigue” – a term not recognized by any endocrinology society and a syndrome that experts have confirmed does not exist.
Some of his diet advice is extremely and unnecessarily restrictive (anti-wheat; anti-carbohydrate); he advocates weight loss based on a bogus hormone body type (adrenal, ovary, liver, thyroid); talks about “fat burning” hormones (they don’t exist); and includes a “detox phase” in his diet plan (a term that should raise your quack alarm).
As typical with many of these so-called health experts, his website includes a shop with unproven supplements (e.g. adrenal body type package, estrogen balance kit) that beyond being a complete waste of money, could quite possibly do you more harm than good.
Kris Carr
Kris Carr is a self-proclaimed cancer-lifestyle guru with a very large following. She is not an oncologist, an expert in nutrition, or a scientist who knows how to interpret research. All cancers are different and respond to different treatments. Her advice about diets is not accurate, and she recommends detoxes and cleanses.
For example, she advocates juicing because ” alkaline juices help to detoxify your body. They raise your pH and help pull out old waste from your colon and tissues.” First of all, detoxing is a myth, as is the influence of acid or alkaline foods on health. The environment in which foods are digested is complex, and many scientists question the accuracy of methods used to calculate the acidity of foods (more about alkaline diets here). She recommends fasting because it “removes stored toxins and excess waste” a statement that makes no sense.
Lifestyle habits and nutrition can certainly play a role in the incidence and survival of some cancers, but Kris Carr is not a good source for this information. For terrific free science-based information on this topic, visit the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Ginger Bars with Chocolate
These bars feature oats, which are a staple of my diet. For athletes, oats are a terrific and inexpensive source of carbohydrates to help fuel muscles. Also, according to this study, oats might help enhance nitric oxide production, which is important for heart health and might benefit athletic performance. This recipe is quite versatile, so create your own variation by modifying the dried fruit and nuts/seeds to suit your taste. These bars feature whole grains (oats and 100% whole wheat flour), are relatively low in fat, with most of the fat coming from healthful sources (nuts and seeds) that provide other important nutrients.
These bites are simple to make, using only five ingredients. Their bite-size portion is often “just right,” so you can doll out energy as you need fuel during long hikes, runs, cross-country skis, or bike rides.
These bars are dense and chewy and taste like brownies. They are a bit of a departure from energy bars that are full of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and other wholesome ingredients — which is the kind of bar I typically prefer on slower-paced workouts, where the low intensity makes it easy to digest the seeds, nuts, fats, and fiber in the bars. I like these bars for more intense workouts or intervals – when you need a burst of sweetness that goes down easily (kind of like an energy gel that actually tastes good).
These bites have a double sesame punch with sesame seeds and tahini (sesame butter): these little seeds are very nutritious and most often used as a garnish, so here’s a good way to take advantage of their superior nutrition.
Aviva Romm
Her website includes many posts and tips (often herbal medications) for preventing and dealing with “adrenal fatigue” – a made-up medical condition that is 
Steven Gundry
And Vital Reds is just the beginning!
This pseudoscience peddler has a thing for names – beyond using “avocado” as his middle name (which places him above David Perlmutter on my list), he calls himself “the rock star and Indiana Jones of the superfoods and longevity universe.” If that is not enough to get your pseudoscience spidey senses tingling, there is plenty more. His stories and scams prey on science illiteracy and he makes plenty of money from his followers. For example, he claims that high frequency radio waves are “unnatural” and dangerous (but you can buy expensive pillow cases and sheets at his online store to protect you); and invents food scare tactics so that you can buy his “superfood” supplements; and discourages vaccines and effective cancer treatments in favor of his woo. He is very good at marketing and draws people in with cute memes – he has a popular facebook page (723K fans) and at least seven different websites.
Dave Aspey, the bulletproof executive, is an entrepreneur, blogger, and paleo proponent who is good at selling things but doesn’t know much about health or nutrition (but tries to sound sciency by citing cherry picked studies to back up his dubious claims). His main claim to fame is Bulletproof® coffee, which I wrote about 
You may have seen a viral post “World Renowned Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease.” In the post Lundell proclaims that decades of research and guidelines for heart disease prevention are wrong (the “we’ve been lied to” narrative that is so popular . . .) , and the he has the answer in his books “The Cure for Heart Disease” or “The Great Cholesterol Lie.”
Kris Carr is a self-proclaimed cancer-lifestyle guru with a very large following. She is not an oncologist, an expert in nutrition, or a scientist who knows how to interpret research. All cancers are different and respond to different treatments. Her advice about diets is not accurate, and she recommends 
