Everything in Moderation

If I hear that crap again, I am gonna punch the person who says it moderately hard right in the face.  The most recent individual I've heard blurt these words was the CEO of Pepsico, the owners of Pepsi Cola and Frito Lay.  Here are a few quotes from a Fox Business News interview of  Indra Nooyi, presumably an intelligent person who thinks most everyone else is stupid:

"Doritos are not bad for you,"  "Doritos are nothing more than corn mashed up, fried up in a little oil, and flavored in the most delectable way."  "Pepsi Cola was discovered in a pharmacy."  "These are not bad for you products."  

Ridiculous.  She blames obesity on a sedentary lifestyle.  Go take a look at the product portfolio of Pepsico.  Those cheap, processed foods are making people obese and unhealthy.  I recently read a book called Food Politics by a former nutritional policy advisor to the US Department of Health and Human Services.  The author's name is Marion Nestle.


The narrative  is a little dry but worth a read if you are interested in where our government's food recommendations come from.  I can tell you after reading the book that the USDA Dietary Guidelines are not formulated based on science.  They may talk like it is but don't be fooled.  The term, "Everything in Moderation", was spawned out of politics.  Our government is so influenced by lobbyists that it does not have the balls to stand up and say don't eat this or don't eat that.  


This book was written in the late 90's and early 00's.  Low fat was still the widely but wrongly accepted way toward optimal health.  That opinion is not so widely accepted anymore.  As Marion wrote in her book, many on the USDA panel of advisers wanted to recommend drastic reductions in the consumption of red meats.  The lobbyists threw a fit when they heard this.  The result was a change in wording to recommend eating more lean meats.  


Recently the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines were released.  They were more of the same crap from the past just more stringent restrictions on cholesterol and saturated fats.  The recent research done on the mutliple health benefits of lowering carbohydrate consumption was dismissed completely.  


Should this be surprising to anyone?  The USDA is the same government organization that allocates tax payer funded subsidies to farmers of carb rich grains.  The people who are telling us what is safe to eat are also somewhat responsible for the production of that food.  Does it seem possible that organization would recommend eating less of something they have such a big financial stake in?  Pepsico is a $105 billion company.  You think they might find some creative ways to throw some of that money around with the intention of influencing what Americans eat?


The next time you hear anyone mutter the words "Everything in moderation", think twice about agreeing to that statement.  Think about how ridiculous the statement really is.  


CP