Confessions Of A Nutritional Heretic

There is so much contradictory information out there on the topic of nutrition that I opt not to spend my entire waking life trying to get to the bottom of it all. The jury still seems to be out on a lot of this stuff, and I’m not willing to invest too much in anyone’s opinion. Doctors, health experts and authors of nutrition books are all better at reworking the research to prove their point than I am. I’m not an epidemiologist or any kind of scientist and there are no letters after my name. I’m just a mom who wants to keep her kids healthy.

Care to join me in a quick rundown of all the different opinions around nutrition that exist?

For every group that is absolutely convinced of one way of eating, there is an opposing camp with an equally logical sounding argument.

One camp says that meat is evil and will make you fat, congested, ooze cancer cells and die early, there are those who say you need it for optimal health and that our ancestors and all cultures the world over eat it and thrive.

One camp says that milk is nasty and slimy and causes everything from bad breath to constipation to failed marriages (ok maybe not but almost), and then there are those who say milk is a perfect heath food but it needs to be raw.

One camp says that food should be eaten raw, the opposing camp says we don’t have multiple stomachs to digest raw fibrous vegetables easily and even monkeys cook their food to get maximum nutrients.

One camp says that fruit has too much sugar and it should be avoided, the other group says that the body can’t tell the difference between “natural” sugar and the white stuff once it hits your blood stream so go ahead and eat that cookie!

One camp says that carbohydrates should be avoided, that they cause tooth decay, overweight, diabetes, low blood sugar, schizophrenia, mood swings and other evils, and the opposing camp says that it’s too much protein that is the dearth of humankind and that can lead to osteoporosis and other ills.

One group swears that fat is bad, the other says fat is a health food and necessary for brain development and nervous system health. This group even tries to debunk the cholesterol “thing” that the Doctors have been preaching for decades.

One group is convinced that food combining will make you live forever, the other group says that’s nonsense and that your stomach can handle whatever you throw at it.

One camp says that you should only eat foods that work with your blood type, others say that’s utter poppycock.

One camp says fish is absolutely essential to good health and a veritable wonder food, and their detractors cry “mercury”!

One group says gluten, flour and wheat are bad for everyone and will make your teeth fall out, and that the grains you do eat should be sprouted, others say bread is the staff of life.

One camp says that soy will prevent hot flashes and help you stay thin, the other side claims it’s industrial waste and a poison that will give your sons boobs.

Don’t even get me started on beverages either! Oh, what the hay.

For everyone who says coffee is bad for you, there is another study showing some health benefit to drinking it.

Here’s another thing to ponder: It confounds me that people all over the world eat profoundly different diets yet lead healthy lives.

How is it that the Masai peoples in Africa subsist on meat, blood and milk and are healthier than most vegetarians? And how is it that one billion people who eat mostly rice all day long are also healthy? And how is it that the native Inuit and other native tribes thrived on a diet of mostly fat with no (gasp!) vegetables or fruit? And the Irish built a civilization and they ate mostly potatoes?

It’s enough to make a natural Mom a little nutso. Could it be that it just doesn’t matter as much as we believe it does? That we’re all just looking for something to feel constant guilt and obsess over?

Perhaps the pursuit of the perfect diet is not unlike an eating disorder in itself. Are we so obsessed with every crumb that passes our lips may be creating more disease in themselves and their kids than those who have a more relaxed yet balanced approach.

So maybe in the end, the best thing to do is flip a coin and pick a school of thought, and then don’t question it anymore. At the very least you would have more time to devote to other endeavors, like playing with your kids.