How Much of Food Activism Is Nonsense?

by Jeff Stier and Henry I. Miller

There are plenty of people out there telling us what we should eat—and worse, trying to use public policy to make us live by their opinions. Although many of them may know how to sell books and promote themselves through newspapers and press releases, few know much about the demands of our lifestyles, the economics of food and agriculture, and most important, nutrition. Our advice: Ignore their bluster and eat a variety of foods in moderation. And resist the meddling of the nanny-state food activists inside and outside government.

Some of the food sages advise that we stay away from packaged foods or any product that is made with modern technology. There's even the popular "Paleo Diet," based on "eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups that our hunter gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era, or Stone Age." That reminds us of a cartoon depicting a group of denizens of the Stone Age who are standing around, chatting; one of them muses to the others: "I can't understand it. There's no pollution, we get lots of exercise and eat unprocessed, natural foods—but none of us lives past 30."

If you believe the blandishments of the self-styled food police, every food science innovation further contributes to obesity, chronic diseases, and even addiction to fat and sugar. That's nonsense, of course…..To Read More……