Nutritionism

It is one of the main things wrong with American society and nobody seems to notice.

Nutritionism is the belief that it matters what you eat. More specifically, the belief that it matters what young healthy people eat at particular meals. I am not disputing that it is necessary to get enough calories to sustain life, enough of the essential amino acids, and enough vitamins and minerals that we all know we should be getting, although that amount is much much less than the government and media tell us.

How many people have scurvy? Or rickets? The government tells us the average person has a Vitamin E deficiency, but "poor transmission of nerve impulses, muscle weakness, and degeneration of the retina that can cause blindness" are not everyday sights. Dietary vitamin K deficiency is "very rare". Most Americans don't consume half as much potassium as they say we should, but who has hypokalemia? The problem is not that you are not getting enough fiber. The problem is that you have unrealistic expectations.

You can live a very long time just putting any old thing in your mouth and what is more important, you will no longer upset me.