Jeff Novick

What Jeff says, topic by topic

Vitamin B12

Answering a reader in 2006, Novick said cooking does not destroy B12, but he did not count nutritional yeast as a dependable source: only some brands are fortified, and light can break the vitamin down when the yeast sits in bulk bins or clear bags. For vegans he pointed to a B12 supplement instead¹.

In a 2012 note on supplements he wrote that people who eat no animal products have created their own need for B12, so they require a reliable source, and a supplement may be the way to get it². In 2017 he added that he neither uses nor recommends nutritional yeast, since at about 1,700 calories per pound it is nearly as calorie dense as sugar³.

What all the experts say about vitamin B12

Vitamin D

The same 2012 note does not back routine vitamin D pills. Novick suggested that people at risk get a blood test, raise a low level with sun, UV lamps, supplements or a mix chosen with their clinician, and test again after three months⁴. His at-risk groups were breastfed infants, older adults, people with dark skin or little sun, people with fat malabsorption, and people with obesity or gastric bypass⁴.

A 2011 post on his blog said an adequate level helps prevent fractures, mostly in older people who seldom go outdoors, while the case for protection against cancer or heart disease was weak⁵. It summed up a review in which vitamin D taken with calcium cut fractures mainly in older adults living in institutions⁶.

What all the experts say about vitamin D

Omega-3 fats

In a 1999 column, updated in 2020, Novick described ALA as the essential omega-3, present in many plant foods and richest in flax and walnuts⁷. He granted that the body turns ALA into EPA and DHA poorly, and listed saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, alcohol and oils high in omega-6, such as corn and safflower, as things that block the conversion⁸.

His advice there was to cut those fats and oils, eat a low fat, minimally processed plant diet, and if desired add one tablespoon of freshly ground flax or half an ounce of walnuts a day. On that basis he said vegans can meet their EPA and DHA needs without a direct source⁹.

In 2009 he wrote that he was not against algae DHA supplements but saw no proven need for them, citing a review that found no sign of harm from the low DHA intake of vegetarians¹⁰. In 2015 he rejected the claim that purslane is a key omega-3 food, noting that about a tablespoon of flax or chia reaches the adequate intake for men with far fewer calories¹¹.

What all the experts say about omega-3 fats

Oil

In a 2010 lecture excerpt from his DVD on fats, Novick judged olive oil by its numbers and found it supplies no protein or carbohydrate¹². He said it has only a trace of vitamin E, that getting enough omega-3 from it would take about 1,900 calories of oil, and that two tablespoons hold three times the saturated fat of four ounces of white meat chicken¹³.

In the same talk he compared two tablespoons of olive oil with half a cup of premium ice cream, saying the oil has more calories and that, for body weight, calories matter more than the type of fat¹⁴.

In 2010 he wrote that olive oil and the Mediterranean diet amount to a hoax, a view he traced to his own 1999 article and backed with a 2009 roundtable in a lipid journal¹⁵. In a 2016 talk he noted that traditional Okinawans used about 3 grams of oil a day, less than a teaspoon¹⁶.

What all the experts say about oil

Protein

In a 2012 answer Novick cited the official allowance of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, and a dietetics position paper allowing up to about 1.2 to 1.7 grams for strength athletes¹⁷. He argued that a normal diet already covers even a heavy lifter, that extra shakes push intake into overload, and that chronic excess may strain the kidneys, liver and bones and raise IGF-1. He named beans, lentils and peas as preferred sources¹⁸.

In an essay first written in 2003 and posted on his site in 2012, he called the need to combine plant proteins an old myth, spread by Diet for a Small Planet (1971), whose author later took it back¹⁹. He wrote that a diet of varied unprocessed plant foods with enough calories can hardly lack any amino acid, with an all-fruit diet the only possible exception²⁰.

What all the experts say about protein

Calcium, dairy and bones

Novick prefers to rate foods by calcium per calorie. In a 2007 forum reply he said 25 calories of watercress supply about 272 mg of calcium, one of the best ratios of any food, though its low calorie density limits how much anyone eats²¹.

His site carries a 2020 reprint of an essay by a class attendee, John M. Friedman Jr., which adjusts calcium for absorption: about a third is absorbed from skim milk against more than half from kale and bok choy, so greens come out ahead per calorie²².

In a 2016 talk Novick pointed to traditional Okinawans, who ate almost no meat, eggs or dairy and had about 80% less osteoporosis²³.

What all the experts say about calcium, dairy and bones

Iodine

In a 2012 article on seaweed Novick advised avoiding kelp and kombu because they concentrate iodine from seawater many thousand times, so that a small piece of kombu passes the daily allowance²⁴. He considered nori low in iodine and sodium, but warned that it can contain tiny crustaceans that matter for shellfish allergy, and that hijiki can carry arsenic²⁵.

In 2009 he cited the old goiter belt around the Great Lakes as an example of soil poor in a mineral, but judged the risk small today because food comes from many regions²⁶.

What all the experts say about iodine

Calorie density

Calorie density has been the core of Novick’s teaching since at least 1999, when his weekly column ranked it above calories, fat or portion size as the key to weight loss²⁷. That column gave rough averages per pound: vegetables about 150 calories, fruit about 300, unrefined starches about 500, and refined carbohydrates about 1,500 even when low in fat²⁸.

In a 2010 talk he called calorie density a constant that stays the same whatever the serving size²⁹, and noted that one tablespoon of olive oil holds almost as many calories as a full pound of broccoli³⁰.

For people who stop losing weight, his 2012 advice was to give vegetables between a third and a half of the visible volume of each meal and fill the rest with legumes, intact whole grains and starchy vegetables, while avoiding or strictly limiting nuts, seeds, oils, avocados, flour products, dried fruit, sweeteners and liquid calories³¹. He added that salt and a wide variety of dishes at one meal both tend to raise intake³².

What all the experts say about calorie density

Nuts, seeds and avocado

In 2008 Novick reviewed why added nuts seem not to cause weight gain in studies: people eat less of other foods, which offsets about three quarters of the nut calories on average, burn slightly more energy, and pass some of the fat undigested³³. He concluded that the calories still count, and noted that the observational studies behind health claims for nuts mostly involved about an ounce two to five times a week³⁴.

In a 2012 talk he argued that controlled trials of nuts in diabetes showed effects that were mixed and minimal, and only when nuts replaced refined grains or processed foods³⁵.

His eating advice puts nuts, seeds and avocados among the rich plant foods to keep small: a minimal amount in 1998³⁶, and avoided or strictly limited in 2012 when weight loss stalls³¹. For omega-3 he allows one tablespoon of ground flax or half an ounce of walnuts a day⁹.

What all the experts say about nuts, seeds and avocado

Soy

Novick’s view of soy grew more cautious over time. A 1998 weekly tip on his site warned against crediting soy for the health of thin, active Asians on low fat diets, and ended by suggesting a little soy food on top of an otherwise healthy diet³⁷.

By 2008 he wrote that he had never been a fan of soy products, which in his account became popular through the protein myth³⁸. He called soybeans calorie dense, at about 800 calories per pound and 45% fat, and noted that even the high soy groups in Japanese and Chinese studies ate only about 7 to 8 grams of soy protein a day, far below the 25 grams in the US health claim³⁹.

He advised skipping processed soy products and pills in favor of edamame, tofu, tempeh or some soy milks, treated as a condiment at a serving or two a day, or better five to seven servings a week⁴⁰.

What all the experts say about soy

Salt

Novick’s label rule, set out in 2007, is that a packaged food should have no more milligrams of sodium per serving than it has calories, and only half that for people watching sodium closely⁴¹.

In 2013 he defended the limits of under 1,500 mg a day, with 2,300 mg as the upper limit, against news reports that in his view misread an Institute of Medicine report⁴². He cited an estimate that excess salt causes 102,000 preventable deaths a year in the United States⁴³.

In 2012 he wrote that sea salt and other gourmet salts are no healthier than table salt, since the minerals they add are trivial at any safe amount⁴⁴.

What all the experts say about salt

Sugar

In 2008 Novick pointed to a trial in which calorie restricted diets with 43% or 4% of calories from white sugar gave the same weight loss and blood results; he read it as showing that total calories, not small amounts of sugar, drive weight⁴⁵.

He still argues for tight limits on added sugar. In 2013 he combined WHO, American Heart Association and USDA advice into a ceiling of about 5 to 7.5% of calories, a third to a half of current US intake⁴⁶, and noted that about half of added sugar comes from sweetened drinks⁴⁷. His 2012 weight loss advice lists all concentrated sweeteners, natural or organic, among the foods to avoid or strictly limit³¹.

What all the experts say about sugar

Starches

Novick defends the potato. Answering a 2011 Harvard analysis that linked potatoes to weight gain, he argued that the link reflected toppings and a Western eating pattern, and that plain potatoes are low in calorie density and rank highest for satiety⁴⁸.

In a 2016 talk he described the traditional Okinawan diet as about 85% carbohydrate, with sweet potatoes supplying some 70% of calories⁴⁹.

On grains he counts only intact kernels such as brown rice, oats, barley and buckwheat as whole grains, at about 500 calories per pound as cooked, against roughly 1,200 to 1,900 for whole grain breads, crackers and cereals⁵⁰. In the same 2011 post he said most people can eat six or more half cup servings of intact grains a day⁵¹.

What all the experts say about starches

Fasting

Novick has tried fasting himself. In a 2012 interview he said he had done water fasts of about seven to ten days at hygienist health retreats, to understand the practice rather than to treat an illness, and that he met people there recovering from heart disease, diabetes and other conditions⁵².

In a 2007 blog post he pointed readers to a study that tied going without food for one day a month to lower heart disease rates, and suggested an occasional short fast may bring some benefit⁵³. Asked about meal timing in 2008, he wrote that there was little evidence for any ideal meal spacing and that studies of intermittent fasting were still very preliminary⁵⁴.

What all the experts say about fasting

Supplements

In 2012 Novick set out his general position: no random supplement use, and none without a need established by a qualified professional, informed consent and ongoing monitoring⁵⁵. He also rejects any product sold through multilevel marketing or by the professional who recommends it⁵⁶, which he had called a breach of professional ethics in 2009¹⁰.

His preferred route is to check the diet for low nutrients and correct them with food first, with B12 for people who eat no animal products as his main exception⁵⁷².

What all the experts say about supplements

Fiber

In a 1999 column Novick questioned news reports that fiber was useless after a large nurses’ study found no link with colorectal cancer. He pointed to its food questionnaires, to the many women who changed their intake or took supplements, and to its highest intake of 25 grams a day, the bottom of the then advised range of 25 to 45 grams or more⁵⁸. He favored fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes over processed foods or supplements, citing the classic comparison in which whole apples kept people full longer and caused smaller blood sugar swings than apple sauce or apple juice⁵⁹.

In 2020 he described fiber as both a marker of a diet based on minimally processed plants and an active factor in its own right, since added fiber also shows effects in trials, though less than a whole diet change⁶⁰.

What all the experts say about fiber

Fruit

Asked in 2008 how much fruit to eat, Novick declined to give one number for everyone, but when pressed suggested roughly two to six pieces a day depending on the person, noting that the Pritikin center where he had worked usually advised about four to six⁶¹. In the same thread he rejected food combining and rules about eating fruit alone as lacking scientific support⁶².

He separates fresh fruit from dried. In a 2012 article he put dates at about 300 grams of sugar per pound against about 47 for an apple, and suggested that people who struggle with sweets minimize or avoid dried fruit and dishes built on it⁶³.

What all the experts say about fruit

Vegetables and greens

In a 2010 article Novick argued that few people truly eat a vegetable-based diet, since non-starchy vegetables average only about 100 calories per pound: even two pounds a day supply some 200 calories, so most calories end up coming from starches, fruit, nuts or animal foods⁶⁴. In his calorie density talk (posted 2016) he urged adding vegetables to every dish, even broccoli with oatmeal, as the best way to lower a meal’s calorie density⁶⁵, and in 2012 he set vegetables at a third to a half of each meal’s volume³¹.

In a 2007 post he dismissed fears that ordinary cooking ruins vegetables, citing a study in which steaming, microwaving and stir-frying broccoli and related vegetables caused no significant loss of glucosinolates; only 30 minutes of boiling did, with most of the loss ending up in the water⁶⁶.

What all the experts say about vegetables and greens

Beans and lentils

In a 2010 list of the healthiest packaged foods Novick ranked beans next to leafy greens as perhaps the most nutrient-rich foods, filling and fairly low in calorie density, and recommended no-salt-added canned beans to avoid both long cooking and the heavy sodium of regular canned beans⁶⁷. In 2012 he named beans, lentils and peas as his preferred protein sources¹⁸.

In his calorie density talk (posted 2016) he put legumes at around 550 calories per pound, a little above other starches⁶⁸, and pointed to the Tarahumara of Mexico, who got about 90% of their calories from corn and beans⁶⁹.

What all the experts say about beans and lentils

Whole grains, bread and flour

In a 1999 column Novick noted that whole grains supplied only about 1% of Americans’ calories against more than 20% from refined grains, and that breads, cereals and other refined grain products pack three to four times as many calories per pound as whole grains and fill people less⁷⁰. His later advice counts only intact grains as whole grains, at about 500 calories per pound cooked against 1,200 or more for whole grain flour products⁵⁰.

After the 2012 reports on arsenic in rice he advised soaking and rinsing rice, boiling it in plenty of water that is then poured off, avoiding rice flour, puffed rice, rice syrup and rice milk, and rotating brown rice with grains such as quinoa, barley, millet and buckwheat⁷¹.

What all the experts say about whole grains, bread and flour

Potatoes

Novick is a firm defender of the potato. In a 2010 article he challenged a 2006 nurses’ study that tied potatoes to type 2 diabetes: its questionnaire grouped mashed with baked potatoes, restaurant versions get more than half their calories from butter, oil and toppings, and the modest link disappeared in women who were not obese⁷². He added that US fresh potato use fell by more than 41% from 1970 to 2008 while diabetes rose from about 2% to over 6% of the population, and that other cohorts found no link, or a lower risk when potatoes were not fried⁷³.

His 2011 reply to a Harvard weight gain analysis made the same case, calling plain potatoes low in calorie density and top ranked for satiety⁴⁸. In his calorie density talk (posted 2016) he put a pound of baked potatoes at about 495 calories⁷⁴.

What all the experts say about potatoes

Meat

In a 2007 post on a large US cohort, Novick reported that the highest red and processed meat eaters had more colorectal and lung cancer, and judged the study’s lowest intake, under about 5 ounces of red meat a week, the safer level, which would leave red meat as little more than a condiment⁷⁵.

In 2013 he conceded that steak beats broccoli or kale on protein per calorie, but said a varied, lower-fat diet of minimally processed plants supplies ample protein and all essential amino acids while being free of cholesterol⁷⁶. In his calorie density talk (posted 2016) he noted that meat, eggs and dairy were nearly absent from the traditional Okinawan diet²³.

What all the experts say about meat

Low-fat eating

Novick holds that America never really tried a low-fat diet. In a 1998 column he showed that fat’s share of calories fell from about 40% to 33% only because daily intake rose from about 1,750 to 2,300 calories, so people ate more grams of fat than before, and that many fat-free products had as many calories as the originals because of added sugar⁷⁷.

In 2008 he argued that the official 30% fat target was a compromise rather than an ideal: citing an obesity researcher, he noted that Chinese and Japanese populations with little heart disease, diabetes or obesity in the 1970s ate about 14% fat, a level judged unrealistic for Americans who were above 40%⁷⁸. He also maintains that trials said to disprove low-fat eating never tested a truly low-fat diet, such as the PREDIMED control group, which in his account ate 37% fat⁷⁹.

What all the experts say about low-fat eating

Saturated fat

In a 2020 answer Novick said his position on saturated fat had not changed despite meta-analyses claiming it does not matter. In his view those analyses included no diet that cut saturated fat far enough to show an effect, and the fat was often replaced with trans fats, white flour or sugar; he also listed studies linking saturated fat intake to death from all causes⁸⁰.

In a second 2020 answer he rejected the view, heard even among whole-food plant-based advocates, that saturated fat is only a marker of an animal-based diet: as with fiber, he wrote, it acts both as a marker and on its own⁸¹. He added that plant fats rich in saturated fat, such as coconut oil, still worsen a healthy diet, and that clients who added tropical oils saw their blood lipids rise⁸¹.

What all the experts say about saturated fat

Cholesterol

In 2015, when US guidelines were about to drop the limit on dietary cholesterol, Novick argued that the limit should stay. He cited a 1972 controlled feeding trial in which each extra 100 mg of cholesterol per 1,000 calories raised blood cholesterol by about 12 mg/dl, and a 2014 genetic study in which people with LDL about 12 mg/dl lower had about half the heart disease risk⁸². He concluded that dietary cholesterol, like saturated fat, is both harmful in itself and a marker of an animal-based diet, noting average drops of about 23% in total and LDL cholesterol within three weeks of a plant-based program, and 50% or more in some people who start highest⁸³.

In notes he added to a 1998 question-and-answer piece he wrote that the Pritikin center set ideal total cholesterol at 100 plus a person’s age, capped at 160, and called the 200 mg/dl level then used by the American Heart Association unhealthy⁸⁴.

What all the experts say about cholesterol

Carbohydrates and low-carb diets

Novick calls himself an advocate of high-carbohydrate eating, of a specific kind. In a 2007 newsletter he separated the typical American diet, rich in refined flour, sugar and salt and poor in fiber, from the one he recommends, based on unrefined plant foods and low in sugar, sodium and saturated fat; both may be high in carbohydrate, he argued, but they differ in foods and effects⁸⁵. His example was the Tarahumara of Mexico, whose diet of about 75 to 80% carbohydrate and 12% fat met all nutrient needs with low cholesterol, and whose cholesterol rose 31% and weight 7% after five weeks on an American diet⁸⁶.

In 2000 he wrote that many people arriving at the health center where he worked, convinced they could not eat carbohydrates because of insulin resistance, did well on its program with education, exercise and other changes⁸⁷. Reviewing the paleo diet in 2012, he welcomed its rejection of processed food and dairy but called its case mostly theoretical, adding that people have lived on roots, tubers, grains and other starches for 30,000 years or more⁸⁸.

What all the experts say about carbohydrates and low-carb diets

Coffee, tea and caffeine

In a 2002 article Novick urged readers to avoid caffeine. He summarized small trials in which a cup’s worth of caffeine stiffened arteries and raised blood pressure for hours, a Finnish cohort in which people drinking four cups or more daily had twice the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, and a 2002 trial in which moderate caffeine lowered insulin sensitivity by 15% in healthy volunteers⁸⁹.

His view of tea is milder. In a 2008 forum answer he said tea is not needed for health and its evidence against cancer is far from conclusive, but that a few cups of green tea a day were fine with him, decaffeinated if caffeine is a problem⁹⁰. In 2013 he reported a study that found lead in every brewed tea tested and suggested short brewing and limited intake⁹¹. The same year he warned that blended coffee shop drinks are closer to desserts, averaging about 240 calories with some above 1,000⁹².

What all the experts say about coffee, tea and caffeine

Alcohol

Answering a 2007 forum question on breast cancer, Novick wrote that in his opinion “people should not drink”⁹³. He called alcohol a known carcinogen, also tied to injuries, cirrhosis and possibly hemorrhagic stroke, and argued that the heart benefits claimed for moderate drinking can be had through diet and lifestyle without those risks⁹³. For people who drink anyway he suggested no more than half a drink a day for women and one for men, and not starting if they do not drink already⁹⁴.

In a 1999 article he rejected the idea that red wine explains the French paradox. He cited researchers who traced France’s low heart disease rate to a time lag after a recent rise in animal fat intake, and noted that alcohol-related deaths in France ran three times those in Britain, cancelling any heart benefit⁹⁵.

What all the experts say about alcohol

Chocolate

In a 2008 forum answer Novick found no evidence that chocolate or cocoa fights cancer. The blood pressure benefit seen in studies was small, about 5 points systolic and 2 diastolic, and required 100 grams of dark chocolate a day, around 500 calories with some 19 grams of saturated fat; he also cited a study that found lead in cocoa products⁹⁶. For people who still want some, he suggested a tablespoon or two a day of pure cocoa powder not processed with alkali, mixed into hot water, plant milk or mashed banana, and no more than about three quarters of an ounce of pure chocolate⁹⁷.

What all the experts say about chocolate

Juicing and smoothies

Novick treats juice as a processed food. In a 2011 note on arsenic in apple juice he wrote that juice is concentrated in calories and sugar and on average matches soda ounce for ounce⁹⁸, and in 2012 he listed apple and grape juice among foods to avoid because of their arsenic⁹⁹. His 1999 fiber column used the classic comparison in which the juice of two apples is drunk in seconds and leaves people hungry far sooner than the whole fruit⁵⁹. In 2012 he put liquid calories on his list of foods to avoid or strictly limit when weight loss stalls³¹.

What all the experts say about juicing and smoothies

Organic food and pesticides

Novick is skeptical of organic shopping guides. In 2010 he argued that the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list ignores how much of each food people actually eat: by his rough math, potatoes, ranked mid-list, gave far more pesticide exposure per person than celery or strawberries at the top, so he would not base purchases on the list¹⁰⁰.

In 2009 he questioned what the organic label guarantees, pointing to the synthetic substances the USDA organic program allows¹⁰¹, and in 2013 he noted that organic teas did not always test lower for heavy metals¹⁰².

What all the experts say about organic food and pesticides

Mediterranean diet

Novick has questioned the Mediterranean diet since 1999, when he wrote that it has no clear definition and that the pattern behind it, seen on Crete in the late 1950s, was mostly fruit, vegetables, grains and legumes eaten by poor, very active people who walked about 9 miles a day, a way of life that has since disappeared¹⁰³. In 2006 he argued that the Lyon Diet Heart Study is misreported: the trial diet did not feature much olive oil or nuts, and olive oil was not even its main oil, and a Cretan study had linked more olive oil to more heart disease¹⁰⁴.

In 2013 he called the PREDIMED trial misrepresented: its low-fat group was not low in fat, got little support, and showed no significant difference in heart attacks or deaths; only stroke fell, which he linked to the omega-3 sources encouraged in the Mediterranean groups¹⁰⁵. In 2010 he called olive oil and the Mediterranean diet a hoax¹⁵.

What all the experts say about mediterranean diet

Weight loss

Novick’s weight advice dates back to a 1998 column in which he said calories, fat and calorie density all matter. He reviewed 28 studies in which people who switched to low-fat diets without counting ate 11% to 30% fewer calories, and concluded that weight loss needs a calorie deficit, best made by eating less and moving more, with fat as the densest source of calories¹⁰⁶.

In his calorie density talk (posted 2016) he presented data in which the people eating the least fat and the most fruit and vegetables had the lowest obesity rates, on diets of about 550 calories per pound¹⁰⁷. When weight loss stalls, his 2012 advice was to shift each meal toward vegetables and unrefined starches³¹.

What all the experts say about weight loss

Cravings and food addiction

Novick uses the pleasure trap idea of Doug Lisle and Alan Goldhamer. In a 2012 article he argued that the trigger for cravings is concentration: the sugars in fruit, corn or potatoes rarely feel addictive, while table sugar, honey, maple syrup and dried fruit pack far more sugar per pound, much as coca leaves differ from cocaine¹⁰⁸.

He wrote that the same applies to fat, that diluting a little sugar or fat in a large bowl of starch and vegetables does little harm, and that foods dense in both, such as date and nut truffles, are hard to stop eating even when made only from whole plant foods; people prone to this, he advised, should avoid them¹⁰⁹.

What all the experts say about cravings and food addiction

Exercise

Novick holds that the exercise needed for health is modest. In a 2014 answer about standing and treadmill desks he put it at about 30 to 45 minutes five or six days a week, doubted that treadmill desks work well, and recommended intermittent walking, short walks spread through the day, which he did hourly in an old desk job; he added that activity cannot fix a poor diet, since excess calories are the main problem¹¹⁰.

In a 2000 column he reported a trial in which one set of resistance exercises three times a week gave nearly the same strength and body composition gains as three sets¹¹¹. In his calorie density talk (posted 2016) he noted that long-lived populations get constant moderate activity from walking and work rather than from gyms¹¹².

What all the experts say about exercise

Heart disease

In a post republished on his site in 2020, Novick reacted to reports of thickened arteries in children with risk factors by questioning the call for earlier statin use, arguing that eating well and exercising could prevent up to 90% of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity¹¹³. In his calorie density talk (posted 2016) he cited the Tarahumara of Mexico, whose diet is mostly corn and beans, as a population with essentially no heart disease¹¹⁴.

He attributes France’s lower heart disease rate not to red wine but to a delayed effect of its recent rise in animal fat, as he wrote in 1999⁹⁵, and he holds that the Lyon and PREDIMED trials never compared the Mediterranean diet with a truly low-fat diet¹⁰⁴⁷⁹.

What all the experts say about heart disease

High blood pressure

In a 2013 post Novick wrote that high blood pressure causes more US heart attacks and strokes than any other factor, affecting nearly a third of adults, and wrote that exercise, weight loss if needed, quitting smoking and a mostly plant diet low in added salt, sugar, fat and oil can lower it substantially, with less sodium an important step¹¹⁵. On his site he also reported a 2001 trial in older women in which cutting sodium lowered systolic pressure by about 16 points, against about 5 for regular walking¹¹⁶.

What all the experts say about high blood pressure

Diabetes

Novick rejects the idea that potatoes or carbohydrates cause type 2 diabetes. In his 2010 potato article he named overweight and inactivity as the two main drivers, along with a Western pattern high in refined sugars and grains, added oils, cheese and calories, and said that pattern, not the potato, explains the rise in diabetes¹¹⁷. In 2000 he described people with insulin resistance who believed they could not eat carbohydrates but did well on the health center’s program⁸⁷, and in 2012 he judged nut trials in diabetes mixed and minimal³⁵.

What all the experts say about diabetes

Cancer

Novick’s cancer writing centers on meat, alcohol and simple diets. In 2007 he reported a large study in which the highest red and processed meat eaters had more colorectal and lung cancer⁷⁵, and he called alcohol a known carcinogen⁹³. The same year he highlighted the monks of Mount Athos in Greece, whose mostly vegan diet without meat, with regular fasting and daily physical work, came with prostate cancer rates under a quarter of the international average¹¹⁸.

In 2008 he said there was no evidence that cocoa or chocolate prevents cancer, and that the case for tea was far from conclusive⁹⁶⁹⁰. In 2011 he wrote that vitamin D’s protection against cancer had weak support⁵.

What all the experts say about cancer

Dementia and the brain

In a 2011 blog post Novick reported a study that followed over 1,200 adults aged 67 to 84 for three years in which those with the highest sodium intake declined more on cognitive tests, while physically active people were protected whatever their salt intake. He pointed to replacing salty processed foods with fruits and vegetables, and said lifestyle is key to protecting the brain with age¹¹⁹.

What all the experts say about dementia and the brain

Longevity and aging

In his calorie density talk (posted 2016) Novick pointed to long-lived groups such as Okinawans, Sardinians and California Seventh-day Adventists, the last living 7 to 10 years longer than other Californians, and said they share a plant-based diet, no smoking, constant moderate activity and social ties¹¹². He described Chinese centenarians who ate about 1,400 calories a day, mostly sweet potatoes, grains, vegetables and beans, and concluded that the longest-lived people base their diets on two to four foods, mostly starchy vegetables¹²⁰.

In 2008 he wrote that cutting calories was the one proven means of lengthening life in every animal tested, while human results were still early¹²¹. In 2012 he highlighted the sit-and-rise test: in a study of adults aged 51 to 80, needing more than one hand or knee to get down to the floor and up again predicted about twice the death rate over six years¹²².

What all the experts say about longevity and aging

Each small number links to its reference at the bottom of the page: the video at the exact second, or the page where it was said.