It's Bad For You

   Yesterday I found an article about Candice Bergen. The article was about how she has gained 30 pounds in the last 15 years. In it she says that she just doesn't care anymore. She was talking about weight in general and commenting on how women do things to stay thin.
  I'm beginning to feel the same way about eating what is good for you. I'm having trouble keeping track of what is healthy and what is not.
  When I was young, there were the four basic food groups. There were meat, grains, dairy and fruits/vegetables. It was simple. Eat from these four food groups and use other things like butter, jam, syrup etc. sparingly. Then the four groups changed to a pyramid. It was still the basic four, but arranged to show how much you should eat of each group. Not too hard to understand. Then things began to change.
  Fats are not good for you. Anything that contained large amounts of fat like meat for instance, was something that you aren't supposed to eat. It isn't good for you. Everything should be baked, steamed of poached. No fried food. Avoid fats as much as possible. Carbs are better. They don't contain fat. A plate of spaghetti is much better for you than a plate with steak on it. This also lead to a whole bunch of  low fat and no fat versions of foods like cheese. Butter is bad. Margarine is all right if you have to have it.
 Then things swung the other way and carbs were now the enemy. Carbs make you fat, tired and ugly. Carbs are quick energy that leaves you feeling sick and depleted.  Restaurants started offering low carb options and foods were touted for their low carb count.
  It was then discovered that only certain kind of fats are bad. Unsaturated fats are all right. Saturated fats will clog your arteries faster than you can say "roto-rooter" Tropical oils which are coconut and palm were considered to be the worst of the worst. It's all right to use them for tanning, but don't eat them.
  Now gluten is Bad For You. It used to be just those poor unfortunate souls suffering from celiac disease that had to worry about gluten. Now we all have to because it is Very Unhealthy. Eating gluten is making you fat and if you have any intestinal issues at all it is due to gluten.
  I'm starting to lose track of what I am and am not supposed to eat. Gluten is bad. Red meat is bad. Anything that is white in colour is bad. Sugar and salt are both bad. High glycemic fruits and vegetables are bad for you. That means carrots, potatoes, grapes, oranges and bananas are out. Cantaloupe, sweet potatoes and berries are in.
  The problem is that all the things I like to eat are not good for me. Do I really have to eat cantaloupe? It's slimy. I thought that that bananas had potassium in them and oranges have vitamin C which means they are good? Right?
  Then there are the things that used to be in one group and are now in the other. Dairy products, soy and wheat used to be healthy foods. Now they aren't. It figures, I was just starting to like tofu. Coconut oil, red wine and coffee used to be bad for you and now they are considered to be healthy. (In moderation).
  Then there are the things that flip flop. Chocolate, for instance, was bad for you, then good for you, then bad for you again. Now it's good for you, but only if it is dark chocolate. Popcorn used to be good for you. Then it wasn't and now I think it is good for you as long as you don't put butter on it. (Can I make it with coconut oil?)
  I'm starting to lose track of all the different kinds of diets as well. There's Mediterranean, Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers and Paleo. There's eating for your blood type. There's vegetarians and vegans.
  I confused. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be avoiding GMOs or not. The government says they are safe, but can you really trust them? I've heard they are going to change the name of high fructose corn syrup so that people won't recognize it and companies can put it in whatever they want. I'm grateful for high fructose corn syrup. It is the only thing I know that has always been bad for you.
  I give up. I think the best thing to do is eat what I want in moderation. I'll also try some new things like brussel sprouts, rutabagas and avocados (not in the same meal of course) I'll watch everyone else try to figure out this puzzle. In the meantime, I'm going make lunch.