Most books on nutrition assume everybody is the same. But it ain’t so. We’re all different. Yet we are told to avoid fat and eat fruits and vegetables as if there’s no difference between us.

Fat is blamed for everything. Heart disease. Cancer. Overweight. Rising petrol prices. You name it. Instead we should switch to carbohydrates - fruit, veg, grains etc.

Fat Is Good

Let me inform you of a doctor approved diet for certain types of children. 90% of the calorie intake of the diet is made up of fat. Yet these kids are normal in weight and their cholesterol levels are only slightly higher than ideal. These children are afflicted with epilepsy. The diet helps to control their seizures.

The children might eat a meal consisting of chicken and carrots with butter and double cream. Not exactly your standard fare, but for the children and their families, it’s what they require.

You’re still not convinced are you? You think that’s a special case. Surely we can make the general statement: fat is bad; fruits and vegetables are good?

No, it’s not as simple as that. The number one dietary deficiency, according to some nutritionists, is…..fat.

Saturated fat from dairy foods and meat are not to be avoided like the plague. They may not be the healthiest fats to eat, but humans have evolved to eat it. The problem fats are the ones that come from eating the products of the fast food industry. This leads us to eat far too much trans fats and omega 6 fats and far too little of the omega 3 fats derived from oily fish.

Vegetable Can Be Bad

A Glasgow university professor warns us that the fastest growing cancer in the UK could be caused by eating vegetables. Professor McColl and his colleagues at Glasgow University believe that nitrate fertilisers may be responsible for seeing the incidence of throat cancer treble over the last 2 decades.

Buying organic is not the answer. They are also loaded with nitrate.

I could also talk about al the toxins, carcinogens and mutagens that occur naturally in fruits and vegetables. But I’ll leave that for now.

I could also mention those people that are especially sensitive to carbs. They need to limit how much fruit and vegetables they eat because they effect their blood sugar levels. But we’ll leave that alone as well.

I could even refer to those people that have a toxic reaction to fruits and vegetables like onions, tomatoes, oranges and grapefruit.

I could also mention those that are allergic to aspirin. The chemical which is contained within this drug is also high in vegetables and fruits.

Of course I’m not seriously telling you to avoid fruits and vegetables and eat fatty foods. I’m making the simple point that you are an individual, with nutritional requirements that are personal to you. There is no other person on earth that’s like you, so don’t let anybody tell you what to eat and drink. Get to know your own body and understand what makes it tick.

Listen to your own body, not to the nutrition gurus.