Dr. Joel Wallach, the host of the Dead Doctors Don’t Lie radio show, is known for his short list of “10 bad foods” he tells listeners to avoid. Below is his list as he gives it, with a simple good-food swap for each one, so you can see what he suggests eating instead.
Dr. Wallach’s 10 Bad Foods and Good Food Swaps
1. Wheat
Dr. Wallach recommends avoiding: wheat and wheat-based foods like bread, pasta and crackers.
Good swap: rice, millet, quinoa or pure buckwheat. Despite its name, buckwheat isn’t wheat. He also says carbohydrates labeled “gluten free” are fine (except oats, see #4).
2. Barley
Dr. Wallach recommends avoiding: barley, which shows up in soups, malted drinks and some cereals.
Good swap: rice or quinoa in soups and grain bowls.
3. Rye
Dr. Wallach recommends avoiding: rye bread, rye crackers and rye flour.
Good swap: non-GMO corn tortillas or gluten-free breads.
4. Oats and Oatmeal
Dr. Wallach recommends avoiding: oats and oatmeal, even when the package says gluten free.
Good swap: a breakfast of eggs, or millet or rice porridge.
5. Fried Food
Dr. Wallach recommends avoiding: anything fried.
Good swap: boil, broil or bake instead. He suggests cooking meat no more than medium rare.
6. Oils (Including Olive Oil)
Dr. Wallach recommends avoiding: cooking oils of every kind, including olive, canola and coconut oil, plus foods made from oil such as salad dressing, margarine, combo spreads and mayonnaise.
Good swap: butter or lard for cooking, over heat low enough that the butter doesn’t brown. For salads, he suggests salt and lemon juice as the dressing.
7. Burned Fats
Dr. Wallach recommends avoiding: burned fats, such as meat juices dripping onto a grill flame.
Good swap: if you grill, put something like aluminum foil between the food and the fire so the juices don’t drip onto the flames.
8. Meats With Added Nitrates
Dr. Wallach recommends avoiding: meats with added nitrates or nitrites, like many deli meats.
Good swap: fresh meat from your butcher. Ask for no nitrates or nitrites, or roast your own chicken, pork or beef for sandwiches.
9. Carbonated Drinks Around Meals
Dr. Wallach recommends avoiding: carbonated drinks of any kind from one hour before a meal until one hour after.
Good swap: filtered water, coffee, tea or green tea. He suggests 4 to 8 glasses (8 oz each) of filtered water a day, and avoiding soft plastic bottles.
10. Baked Potato Skins
Dr. Wallach recommends avoiding: the skin of a baked potato, yam or sweet potato.
Good swap: boil your potatoes instead. He says boiled potato skins are fine to eat.
Dr. Wallach’s Good Foods List
Besides the swaps above, Dr. Wallach’s list of foods to enjoy includes:
- Proteins: fish, chicken, pork, lamb and beef (rare to medium rare), plus eggs and dairy
- Produce: vegetables and fruit (he suggests people with diabetes swap fruit for more vegetables)
- Nuts: mixed salted nuts (no peanuts) and nut butters with no added sugar
- Grains and starches: rice, millet, pure buckwheat, quinoa, couscous made only from pearl millet, non-GMO corn and beans
- Fats: butter and lard
- Drinks: filtered water, coffee, tea, green tea and red wine
- Seasoning: salt your food to taste
How Dr. Wallach Suggests Cooking Eggs
- Poached: his first choice, because the water never gets hotter than 212°F.
- Scrambled: in butter over very low heat, just until they set. If you can hear them cooking, the pan is too hot.
- Soft-boiled: with the yolk still runny, sometimes called “2-minute eggs.”
His list also includes raw eggs. Food-safety agencies advise against raw or undercooked eggs for young children, older adults, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system, so talk to your doctor first.
Aim for Antioxidant-Rich Foods
Dr. Wallach suggests getting about 20,000 ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) points of antioxidants a day from colorful foods. Berries, vegetables, green tea and spices are common examples. Food is only part of his approach. To learn more about the mineral side, read Mineral Nutrition: Small Nutrients, Big Jobs and How to Follow Ninety for Life Right.
Putting It Together
You don’t have to change everything at once. Many people start with the easiest swaps, like baking instead of frying, using lemon juice and salt on salads, and picking nitrate-free meats. If you’re curious about nutrient gaps, see Top Signs of Nutrient Gaps You Shouldn’t Ignore and Whole Food Versus Synthetic Vitamins. Some of Dr. Wallach’s food views differ from mainstream dietary guidelines, so check with your healthcare provider before you make big diet changes, especially if you have a health condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Dr. Wallach’s 10 bad foods?
Wheat, barley, rye, oats, fried food, oils (including olive oil), burned fats, meats with added nitrates, carbonated drinks within an hour of meals, and baked potato skins.
Why are oats on the list even when they’re gluten free?
Dr. Wallach lists oats and oatmeal separately and says to avoid them even when they’re labeled gluten free. Other gluten-free carbohydrates are fine on his plan.
What does Dr. Wallach use instead of cooking oil?
Butter or lard, cooked over low heat, and salt with lemon juice as a salad dressing.
Can I still eat potatoes?
Yes. He suggests skipping the skin on baked potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes. Boiled potato skins are fine.
Where does this list come from?
It comes from Dr. Wallach’s talks and the original list on Docslog. For more background, read What Is Dead Doctors Don’t Lie?
Educational only, not medical advice.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
