Science (food) contradictions

I don't recall if I've blogged it, but I've felt for a long time that the idea of living and eating healthy is hogwash. Certainly as far goes as to finding out what the heck is "healthy" and what is not.
So big thanks to Michael Johnston for writing this addendum on his blog:

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Here's a partial list of some of the assertions I read in my traversal of diet and nutrition books:

• Beans are a wonder food and the best way to get all the protein you need on a vegetarian diet.
• Beans are nearly indigestible by humans and responsible for many digestive ills.
• Humans evolved to eat animals and raw plants and haven't been able to evolve to adapt to the produce of husbanded animals (dairy) and domesticated grains and agricultural crops yet.
• Dietary fat is the cause of heart disease and therefore fat-free diets are essential to health. Carbohydrates should be the bedrock of your diet.
• Carbohydrates are terrible for you because they spike your blood sugar and cause an insulin overresponse. A no-carb diet is the best way to lose weight.
• Vegetarian diets are the healthiest.
• Vegetarian diets are extremely unhealthy and can actually result in malnutrition.
• It's calories in, calories out. 
• It's all a matter of metabolism.
• We're all human and our bodies are all the same.
• We're all different and respond to dietary inputs in radically different ways.
• Diet is a health issue.
• Diet is a moral issue.
• Diet is personal.
• Diet is cultural.
• You need to eat a big breakfast.
• You should be a vegan until 6 p.m.
• Moderate exercise is crucial to a dietary weight loss plan.
• Moderate exercise has no effect on your weight and weight loss is not the reason to exercise.
• Your instincts will take care of you, so you should eat whatever you want.
• You must avoid all processed foods.
• You should never "graze," nosh, or snack.
• Lots of small meals throughout the day are best.
• Fructose is the "bad half" of sugar and should be avoided at all costs.
• Fructose is found in fruits and therefore makes a good sugar substitute.
• The body treats all kinds of sugar the same.
• Honey, and brown sugar or "raw" sugar are much better for you than table sugar.
• Nuts are high in fat and should be limited.
• Nuts correllate with disease prevention the best of any food.
• Sugar is the cause of the obesity epidemic.
• High fructose corn syrup is the cause of the obesity epidemic.
• Meat and dairy are the cause of the obesity epidemic.
• Carbohydrates, breads, and potatoes are the cause of the obesity epidemic.
• Laziness, lack of exercise, and lack of willpower are the cause of the obesity epidemic.
• Antibiotics are the cause of the obesity epidemic, because they have affected the bacteria in our guts in ways we don't understand.
• Industrial food is the cause of the obesity epidemic, and small, part-time organic farming is our hope for the future.
• "Organic" is a marketing word that's been co-opted by Big Ag and everything associated with it is a fraud and a rip-off.

Michael Johnston