Nutritionists

Just read the first part of this article by Michelle Slatalla of the New York Times and you'll see why nutritionists should reside below members of congress on popularity lists. To summarize, the article is really about the increasing popularity of community agriculture - monthly baskets of local fruits and vegetables - a swell idea. But the story features an episode in which the author and her husband, sipping beer on their stoop, cower from a nutritionist neighbor in order to avoid talking about their cholesterol-laden dinner choice. It's written cutely, maybe facetiously. But not completely. And that's enormously sad, silly, and even counterproductive for anyone who claims to be "health conscious." Why?
Well, there's the real oversight of Ms. Slatalla. She prominently features Michael Pollan's School of Sensible Eating in her piece. Yet Pollan himself is entirely dismissive of nutritionism, as he should be. Nutritionists have been wrong about food and its human effects for nearly a century. Few fields of study seem to be as filled with nonsense, poor science, unwarranted fear, and bad rules to live by. Yet Slatalla shares the sentiments of many when claiming to fear a confrontation with her nutritionist neighbor. And for what reason? Because she planned to "grill a big fat steak brushed with butter" for dinner. The horror! Not only that, but she then feels the need to make amends by sharing their desire to include more vegetables in their diet. Bully for them, but why in the world should that matter to anyone else, including their assumedly nosy nutritionist friend?
So this is where we are, apparently - conditioned to feel guilty, or worse, for eating a steak. I'll pass. Oh, and for dinner tonight, grilled vegetables with plenty of olive oil flavored with some local pork sausage. For god's sake, don't mention it to any of my neighbors.