 Since releasing my new book, The Plant Paradox, I've been hearing a lot of backlash from nutritionists, of all people. Now you'd think that nutritionists would want to hear about new research and discoveries, but here's the thing. A lot of my research flies in the face of their expensive and bad advice. So today I want to set the record straight by sharing five lies your nutritionists might be telling you. And even if you don't see a nutritionist on a regular basis, you've probably heard and believed at least one of these things. So pay attention. Number one, eat your fruits and veggies. Sounds good, doesn't it? Lots of sugary, delicious fruit with vegetables as an afterthought. After all, all fruits and veggies are created equal, right? Absolutely wrong. In fact, fruit is full of sugar. And studies have actually been done where people have been asked to eat fruit and some vegetables or vegetables and some fruit. And guess what? The people who ate the fruit had much more diabetes. The people who ate the vegetables and a little bit of fruit didn't get diabetes. So fruit and vegetables are not equal. Instead, make your mantra, eat a lot of veggies and a few in-season select fruits. And remember, if it's got seeds, it's a fruit, not a vegetable. Focus on leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower, tubers and mushrooms. And enjoy fruit, especially high-polyphenol in-season fruit like berries. Eat as a treat. Number two, eat whole grains every day. This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, traditional cultures that eat grains and rice eat de-hauled grains. Why? Well, by removing the whole, they're removing the most lectin-dense part of the grain, making it easier for their body to digest. But even white rice and white flour isn't that great for you. And if you're going to have breads, make sure they're raised with yeast or sourdough starters and think of bread or rice as a way of getting healthy fats into you. So instead, skip whole grains and starches designed to fatten you up. And if you're craving a carb, try sweet potatoes or lectin-free seeds like millet or sorghum. These have no halls and they're a great stand-in for traditional rice and whole-grain dishes. You'll love them. Number three, a low-fat diet is best. Eating low-fat doesn't actually mean you'll be less fat. In fact, in many cases, the opposite is true. Ever since the low-fat diet craze started about 40 years ago, we've been getting fatter and fatter. Now, the trick is eating the right fats, things like coconut oil, avocado oil, nuts and most of all, extra virgin olive oil. In fact, I believe you should make it a goal to eat 12 tablespoons of olive oil a day for optimal health. Yes, that's around 1,400 calories per day of olive oil. But that's okay because, quite frankly, it's not the calories that count. It's the types of fat. In a huge European study following people for five years, eating a liter of olive oil per week showed that they lost weight compared to a low-fat Mediterranean diet. Number four, eat more protein. America has a protein problem, but it's not what you think. The truth is you're not eating too little protein. You're probably eating much too much. You don't really need animal protein, but if you must eat it, use only about three to four ounces of animal protein per day. That's about two and a half eggs. That's about a can of tuna or sardines. The rest of your protein should come from the plants you eat. Why? Think about it. A gorilla and a horse have far more muscle than you and I could ever possibly achieve and yet all they eat is leaves and grass. Number five, you need to eat five to six meals per day every day. I know being hungry is no fun, but guess what? Your body was designed to be hungry. So what am I talking about? Thousands of years ago your ancestors didn't just walk to the refrigerator to get food. They had to hunt for it or gather it. That meant sometimes they'd eat five times a day and most times they wouldn't eat at all. It all depended on the availability of their food. So eating four, five, even six meals a day is a little ridiculous because it's not the way your body was designed. Instead, try intermittent fasting. In fact, try for a minimum of 12 hours and really push it on most occasions to about 16 hours a day of not eating. And I got news for you, your body will love it. So clearly, nutritionists are getting it wrong and you're the one paying the big bucks for bad advice. With that in mind, it's easy to keep your body performing at its healthiest. I'm Dr. Stephen Gundry and I'm always looking out for you.