Nutrition alarmists once more in question

There are people in this world who like to control other people. Down here in Florida they wiggle into positions of authority on homeowners association boards, telling neighbors which particular mailbox they must buy and how many palms must be planted in front of each house (but no more than the prescribed number, either). In politics, they get elected and then proceed to pass unnecessary laws to force their constituents to follow their preferences - for their own good, of course. Just recently, a city board member here was quoted, in regards to a strongly resisted plan to widen a local road, as saying that she sees the bigger picture and people just need to be led. (It looks like the plan will fail.) We all know busybodies and control freaks who match this profile.

Another favorite technique for controlling others' behavior is to declare something an emergency and then proceed to legislate a solution. Global warming comes to mind. So does diet and nutrition.

Some years ago, someone declared that tomatoes were poisonous. Now we know they are packed with lycopene, a recently touted health food. Carbs were the food of athletes, then became the bane of dieters. Chocolate was always bad (after all, it is sweet and tastes good). Now it is judged to be a potent antioxidant and good for the cardiovascular system (yaay!).

So no surprise when coffee recently made headlines as not only not bad for you, but good enough that they recommend three or four cups a day. Wine, too (of course, in moderation, because we can't admit that something enjoyable is good for you without putting the brakes on how much pleasure you are actually allowed to get from it.)

Finally, the latest and my absolute, absolute favorite. Because it gives the lie to all the hysteria about butter and oil in cooking. We all know that the artificially created transfats used in baked good to increase their shelf life are said to contribute to clogging of the arteries. So now, cooking schools are reverting to...ta dah, butter! And olive oil! After all these years of butter substitutes.

But of course, only in moderation.