Eric,

Great article and good response. But I still stick to my point. Most of these changes have to do with nutritionists debunking the claims of industry (margarine) or restating something similar, rather then experiencing any creative breakthroughs like those that occur in other sciences. As the article points out, humans have been doing OK figuring out how to eat in the past, so is the only reason that we have nutritionists to rage against the machine?

I, too, remember the food groups. It started as a square. By the time I was in middle school it was a pyramid, and by the time I was out of high school it was something in 4 dimensions. But was that science, or just kind of a subjective reshifting?

I don't remember meat being promoted in large quantities, but I had moderate parents. I did live through the Carb wars, (unless they haven't ended, in which case I'm not sure that I have).

So let me ask a different question. Is there anything considered safe to eat right now that maybe isn't safe ( a la margarine)? And is there anything that we should clearly be eating but that is not at all part of the American diet?