Lakhasly

The ongoing debate over which foods are most healthy is the subject of Dr. Mark Hyman's latest book, "Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?" Hyman, who directs the Center for Functional Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, said on "CBS This Morning" that people are confused because the dietary recommendations of our government have been based on poor science.

Much of the standard advice people have been given over the years about healthy eating is contradicted by information we now know is true: "For example, that fat is bad, we shouldn't eat meat, we should be eating things that we're not really supposed to be eating, like whole eggs, we're not supposed to be eating it. Actually, egg whites are good," Hyman said.

food-what-the-heck-should-i-eat-cover-little-brown-244.jpg LITTLE, BROWN Should we not worry about cholesterol? "No," he replied. "In fact, the government in the guidelines in 2015 said we should no longer worry about dietary cholesterol, meaning we kind of got it wrong on the egg whites for a long time."

Hyman's book contains a Nutrition IQ Quiz, and some of the answers may surprise you. (Is oatmeal a healthy breakfast? No! Is red meat unhealthy? No! Is vegetable oil better for you than butter? No!)

"We now know that food is information – it's instructions that literally change your gene expression, regulate your hormones, can affect your immune system, inflammation in your body, even affects your gut's microbiomes. Every bite of food you take is really like instructions to control your operating system of your biology."

Focusing on the quality of the food you eat, he says, is far more effective than focusing on the quantity. "It's not about how much we eat; it's about what we eat."

"Your message is stay away from the processed foods," said co-host John Dickerson. "And stay away from sugar, right? Basically, you eat real food, you're going to be in a pretty good place?"

"It's not that hard," Hyman said. "I often speak at churches. I say, 'It's really easy. Just ask yourself, Did God make this or did man make this? Did God make a Twinkie? No. Did God make an avocado? Yes.' It's pretty simple."

The ongoing debate over which foods are most healthy is the subject of Dr. Mark Hyman's latest book, "Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?" Hyman, who directs the Center for Functional Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, said on "CBS This Morning" that people are confused because the dietary recommendations of our government have been based on poor science.

Much of the standard advice people have been given over the years about healthy eating is contradicted by information we now know is true: "For example, that fat is bad, we shouldn't eat meat, we should be eating things that we're not really supposed to be eating, like whole eggs, we're not supposed to be eating it. Actually, egg whites are good," Hyman said.

food-what-the-heck-should-i-eat-cover-little-brown-244.jpg
LITTLE, BROWN
Should we not worry about cholesterol? "No," he replied. "In fact, the government in the guidelines in 2015 said we should no longer worry about dietary cholesterol, meaning we kind of got it wrong on the egg whites for a long time."

Hyman's book contains a Nutrition IQ Quiz, and some of the answers may surprise you. (Is oatmeal a healthy breakfast? No! Is red meat unhealthy? No! Is vegetable oil better for you than butter? No!)

"We now know that food is information – it's instructions that literally change your gene expression, regulate your hormones, can affect your immune system, inflammation in your body, even affects your gut's microbiomes. Every bite of food you take is really like instructions to control your operating system of your biology."

Focusing on the quality of the food you eat, he says, is far more effective than focusing on the quantity. "It's not about how much we eat; it's about what we eat."

"Your message is stay away from the processed foods," said co-host John Dickerson. "And stay away from sugar, right? Basically, you eat real food, you're going to be in a pretty good place?"

"It's not that hard," Hyman said. "I often speak at churches. I say, 'It's really easy. Just ask yourself, Did God make this or did man make this? Did God make a Twinkie? No. Did God make an avocado? Yes.' It's pretty simple."