Sensible Eating Guidelines, Or Why You Shouldn't Believe What You Read

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Some years ago I decided I wanted to eat more healthily, but I realized I didn't actually know what 'healthy' meant. I started studying the best I knew how, which was to start with Google and go from there. Nothing could have prepared me for the mess I was about to get into.
Here are a few things I learned:

• I don't trust the food industry. Their objective is to sell their products, and they'll tell us whatever their focus groups say we want to hear.
• I don't trust the government. The FDA and the USDA and all these agencies do help consumers in some ways, but ultimately they are all subject to industry pressures through a variety of channels.
• I don't trust people who write books about food because they are usually more interested in selling their books than in presenting all sides of a story.
• I don't trust the opinions of random people because, for the most part, they just tend to repeat what the above entities say. Independent thought is rare.

You shouldn't trust what I'm saying here, either. I have my own agenda: I want you to read my blog and like it and tell all your friends about it. So consider me as just one data point in a vast network of opinions that you need to consider. Food in modern society is a topic complex enough to devote a career to, but it's worthy of some study from you because, hey, your eating habits are probably more important than any other factor in determining how long you live and what your overall quality of life is.
These are some of the guidelines I personally find useful:

Be practical.

You can go overboard with anything. Like everything else in life, the quality of your food choices is a trade-off. You have to choose between time, money, enjoyment, potential longevity, and other factors.

Less is more.

Studies on animals indicate that calorie restricted diets promote longevity. Odds are good this applies to humans as well. I personally feel better and have more energy when I'm at a lean weight, so this is a no brainer.

When practical, choose plant over animal products.

Poisons tend to accumulate as you go up the food chain.

Choose only low glycemic-load carbohydrates.

Insulin spikes seem to cause diabetes, put you at risk for heart disease, and make you sleepy. Why bother? Stick to the time-release carbs.

Avoid trans-fat.

It's associated with heart disease.

Avoid genetically or otherwise modified foods.

We evolved eating certain types of food. Modifying those foods is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's somewhat like modifying a running software program: without extensive testing you don't know what the results are going to be. And you are kidding yourself if you think these companies do extensive tests.

Take it all with a grain of salt, and remember this is not advice. It's what works for me.