For this and the next few blog posts, I’m going to be exploring some of the Stories and “tall-tales” that have crept up, been created (oftentimes intentionally) and/or have been rammed down the throats of nutritional consumers (yes, you and me).  I’ll be shining a bit of a light (sometimes a spotlight, sometimes a floodlight) on some of the biggest Food (and phood) myths out there, with the idea of bringing some knowledge, balance and, perhaps, just a little bit of controversy to the table.

The number seven seems to be common when making lists in books, blogs, newsletters and other informational sources; so here goes: The Seven Myths and Stories about Food and Good Nutrition.  (However, note that when I get through these seven, there will certainly be more bits of misinformation that surface, and I hope that some of you send me some of your “favorite” myths that can be discussed in future posts).

1.  Fat is bad

This is a bad  myth because believing it deprives people of one of the most important sources of good nutrition and health and has created a “low fat” craze that has put millions at health risk and made millions for the food industry.  I’ll discuss what fats are and why they are so critical and why going “low-fat” can be so dangerous.

2. Saturated fats are even worse

This, in a way, is a corollary to number one, that has demonized and vilified Saturated Fats as “the really bad guys”, when, in fact, they are critical to so much of our natural, healthy functioning,  including good heart health.

3. Cholesterol is bad and causes heart attacks

This is one of the most insidious of medical/nutritional myths and lies, that is deeply ingrained in almost every part of our nutritional/health world these days.  Created, propagated and institutionalized by Big Food, Big Pharma and Big Government to the point where most people take it as “gospel.”  I’ll dig into the history and politics behind this one, and give you lots of sources to explore in great detail.

4. Soy is Good and Good for You 

This one goes right to the heart of the health food “industry” and health foodists and many folks who embrace an “alternative”, seemingly healthy lifestyle, and has been created, nurtured and promoted by Big Agriculture, to the point of being a multi-billion dollar industry.  We’ll look at the major downsides of a soy based diet.

5. Pasteurizing and homogenizing milk makes it healthier 

We’ll look at how Big Money, Big Brother and Big Agriculture have taken an extremely whole, vital, and balanced natural source of nutrition, and cooked, stirred and degraded it into an empty (and harmful) source of calories.

6. Vegetarian and vegan diets are healthy (sorry!)

This may be the hardest, and most controversial, of all the myths and stories for many to embrace.  I’ll talk about these relatively “new” nutritional lifestyles that leave many people deprived of the needed nutritional combinations for healthy funtioning.

7. You need to take antacids for high stomach acid

This one relates to one of the most common dysfunctional problems that I see in my practice.  Another example of how Big Corporations and Big Medicine reap the financial benefits of bad science, bad biology and greed.

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So, here are seven big ideas that will be developed and expanded over the next several posts.  I’ll include links to articles and books and authors so that you can dig more deeply into each of these.