Role of staple cereals in human nutrition: Separating the wheat from the chaff in the infodemics age.

Staple cereals always have been important dietary components, yet recent debates on their role in human diets are riddled with myths and misinformation. This article examines the informational controversies, particularly about wheat, and reviews the evidence. The discussion centers on three nutritional cereal debates: i) 'empty calories', ii) over-consumption, and iii) how 'free-from' fads confound dietary transitions. This article makes two principal points, that i) advances in nutrition are a complex, slow process, and that ii) they can be easily confounded and undone by misinformation. Hence we suggest that more consumer-oriented work is needed—including behavioral approaches and political economy—in order to improve the quality of information, communication and dietary decision making. There is a clear need to tackle nutritional misinformation given the costs of inaction and the need to formulate a coherent agri-nutrition agenda. • Staple cereals important in human diets–yet role controversial in media & academia • Examines 3 nutritional cereal-debates: 'empty calories', over-consumption and fads • Nutritional enhancement complex & slow process—easily confounded and undone • More & different research needed across nutrition agenda, incl cereals & behavior • Need to tackle nutritional misinformation & formulate coherent agri-nutrition agenda [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]