Michael Greger

Michael Greger is an American physician who founded NutritionFacts.org, a non-profit site that turns published nutrition research into short free videos. He has written several best-selling books and says the proceeds go to charity.

Best known for

NutritionFacts.org and How Not to Die (2015), which walks through the leading causes of death and the foods research links to each, along with his Daily Dozen checklist.

Approach

A whole food plant based diet organised around his Daily Dozen: beans, berries, other fruit, greens, other vegetables, flaxseed, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, whole grains, drinks and exercise. Unlike the low-fat doctors in this guide, he recommends a daily handful of nuts.

Main talking points

• A traffic light for food: green for whole plant foods, yellow for processed plant foods, red for animal foods and ultra-processed foods.
• For weight loss he points to foods low in calorie density and rich in fiber, eaten whole so their cell walls stay intact.
• A daily serving of nuts and a tablespoon of ground flaxseed.
• A reliable source of vitamin B12 for everyone eating this way.
• Every claim comes with the studies cited on screen, so viewers can check them.

Books

• How Not to Age How Not to Age2023
• The How Not to Diet Cookbook2020
• How to Survive a Pandemic2020
• How Not to Diet How Not to Diet2019
• The How Not to Die Cookbook2017
• How Not to Die2015
• Bird Flu: A Virtual Pandemic2006
• Carbophobia2005
• Heart Failure: Diary of a Third Year Medical Student2000