I’ll be having my first-ever LinkedIn Live Event tomorrow at 1 PM register here. If interested, register fast as we have over 147 attendees. There’s never been more information about food—and never less clarity. Paleo? Vegan? Raw vegan? Mediterranean? Zone? Flexitarian? "Fruit-based keto, but with cheat days for oat milk"? The modern nutritional landscape is a Tower of Babel, with every influencer a prophet and every fridge a shrine to conflicting deities.
Subconscious Fat at 30,000 feet
Once upon a time, food was simple. You hunted it, gathered it, or occasionally stole it from a rival tribe who had done the hard work for you. There were no ingredient labels, no omega ratios to calculate, and certainly no five-step gut-health smoothie bowls on Instagram.
Now? We suffer from dietary schizophrenia. One day, fiber is a superpower. The next, it’s bloating you into oblivion. Red meat is a cancer bomb on Tuesday, and by Thursday, it’s the reason your great-grandfather could carry a goat uphill both ways. Confusion isn’t a bug—it’s the entire business model.
“People just need to eat balanced meals and stop obsessing,” Mr. Skeptical chimes in between bites of his kale-beet-barley medley. “You don’t need to go full carnivore. That’s just another extreme.”
“Ah yes, balance—the nutritional version of a shrug. The all-things-in-moderation approach that conveniently ignores the metabolic chaos modern diets create. But go on, Socrates of Spinach, tell us why balance is so important for our diets?”
Mr. Skeptical stops chewing and swallows. He shrugs his shoulders and says, “It just makes sense that we could benefit more by eating a balanced diet. I hear from medical authorities that balance is good.”
“Just because balance is a good thing when fighting gravity doesn’t mean it’s good in our diets. Just because common financial advice is to have saved money diversified, doesn’t mean we humans function best on a diversified diet.”
Subconscious Fat at 10,000 feet
Mr Skeptical adds, “Humans evolved eating fruits and vegetables, Hermann. You’re not exactly channeling your inner forager with all that ribeye.”
“Humans did evolve eating fruits, vegetables, and plants—but mostly when the hunt failed, or when the game wasn’t big enough to feed everybody, so you add cooked vegetables so people feel full. Some probably pretended they liked the bitter wild greens because no one wanted to admit they’d missed the antelope again.”
Mr. Skeptical folds his arms and adds, “Don’t you have an invented name for those foods?”
“Yes, I do. I call anything that’s not an animal a “filler food.” It exists to keep people from starving, like corn did, but just because it kept people from starving doesn’t mean it’s the healthiest food.”
“Well, most modern-day food is ‘Filler food.’” He gestures with his hands, the air quotes for filler food.
“Yes, it is, and that’s one reason for the obesity crisis we have now. The confusion isn’t accidental. It’s curated. The food industry thrives on chaos. Confused people buy more products. Fiber supplements for the constipation caused by oat milk and chickpea pasta. B12 pills to replace what vanished with steak. Omega-3 capsules to mimic sardines nobody eats anymore.
Clarity doesn’t sell. Confusion does.”
Subconscious Fat at Eye-Level
Americans still think that fat is bad. They still believe in the fat causes heart disease hype, which has been proven to be false. However, food manufacturers continue to sell low-fat items because people continue to buy them. The chart below illustrates how a low-fat diet contributed to obesity.
Practical Suggestions and Conclusions
“If you're a man over 40 trying to untangle this nutritional spaghetti, start by subtracting. The carnivore diet is known as the elimination diet. You eliminate filler foods and watch as the pounds fall off and health improves.”
Mr. Skeptical sighs, “Not everybody wants to be a caveman.”
“Perhaps, but if people truly knew the benefits, they’d at least try it. Remove processed foods. Remove oils your ancestors couldn’t press without a chemistry degree. Remove the need to micromanage your macros like you’re defusing a bomb. Let’s get back to simplicity.”
Mr. Skeptical raises an eyebrow. “So you’re saying the cure for modern confusion is to eat steak, lift heavy things, and delete Instagram?”
I nod solemnly. “Precisely, but if you’re a man over 40, I’d suggest lifting your body weight and using bands instead of the heavy weight, less chance for injury.”
He scratches his head. “And here I was, about to book a mindfulness retreat with goat yoga and kale smoothies.”
I smile. “You can still go. Just make sure the goat’s grass-fed and you wrestle it first.”
Be aware.
Other links related to this post:
Can Too Much Meat be Bad for You?
Lean Cuts of Meat
Oat Milk!
PS Links on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Full disclosure: Chat GPT was used to research and enhance this post.
PSS Register for my first LinkedIn Live Event tomorrow at 1 PM here.
There is definitely a lot of diet confusion. Thank you for your efforts to clarify the information. In my particular case, I have lost 24 lbs and my labs are now under normal range.
Thank you