Official: eating food is harmful to health

That's right. As you have no doubt heard, now all three major food groups, which I leaned at school were essential to a healthy, balanced diet (along with a smattering of vitamins and trace elements- and, by the way, how long before those too are condemned as being bad for us?), are harmful to health. Fat raises cholesterol, leading to the build-up of plaque in arterial walls and increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Carbohydrates, all of which are converted into glucose by the body, lead to obesity and increase the risk of diabetes. And now, even protein is implicated in causing cancer.


So where does that lead us? Up the proverbial creek I would have said. Basically, we can't eat anything without its endangering our lives. Shit!


There is a group of people in southern California who are determined to live to 120, or even more. In order to achieve their aim, they take daily and rigorous exercise, running at least 10K and/or working out at the gym for upwards of two hours. They eat, I am told, no more than 1200 calories a day, the vast majority of which consisting of fresh fruits and raw vegetables. They assiduously avoid all processed food, which they believe to be anathema. And from what I hear, it may be working. A number of them have already advanced well into their 80s and are looking remarkably fit and svelte, if a little leathery in appearance. I have little doubt they will achieve their ultimate aim, as long as their genes are good (that has always been a critical factor in my experience) and also provided they didn't live too profligate lives before they adopted their ascetic, almost monk-like existence.


So what can we ordinary norms do? I would say, get regular exercise, though not so much we end up compromising our joints, thus rendering further exercise impossible, and try to eat a balanced diet, that is the exact same one as was proposed in my biology class in the mid 1960s, but, and this is truly important, avoiding eating too much of anything. We shouldn't smoke or do too many other drugs, including alcohol; we should try to adopt a positive attitude towards life and death, and above all, we should trust to good fortune to keep us safe


In conclusion then, as I like to say on these occasions: good luck with that!