Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

What made me so happy with the US government’s down to earth advice and recommendations has made this writer angry and frothing at the mouth.

• SFGate.com – Weak Links in the Food Chain: Why Uncle Sam won’t tell you what not to eat by Michele Simon

She’s angry because they didn’t protect the unwashed masses from the evil food industry, which strips us all of our responsibility. She assumes that we are too stupid to know what whole grain foods are without informing us the difference between them and the evil processed food that she is so willing to shield us from. In fact, she even goes as far as to say, “People don’t think in terms of ingredients. Most consumers don’t even buy ingredients anymore because they don’t cook.”

I want to put my arm around her and say, “There, there… Calm down… We’re not THAT dumb.”

I don’t want Uncle Sam to tell me what I can and cannot eat. It’s my responsibility to make sure that I eat healthy food, not the government. The minute I pass the responsibility over to the government (or anyone else, for that matter) is the minute that I start deluding myself. I am the only one who has the power to put food in my mouth. The food industry isn’t cramming unhealthy food down my throat. They are making food that tastes amazingly good. It’s my responsibility to eat it in moderation, if at all.