Libertarianism, Health, and Diet

What does eating have to do with libertarianism?  It doesn't seem it should have much to do with it, just as investing shouldn't have much to do with libertarianism.  But unfortunately, we live in a world where the state is nearly fully entrenched in our lives, and food and diet is one of those things.

Unless politicians and bureaucrats are stating something that seems undeniably true, then you can probably safely bet that whatever it is they are saying is false.  But there may even be some things that you think are undeniably true that really aren't, only because of the perpetual brainwashing.

Health and diet are good examples of where you shouldn't believe what politicians say, along with those who are doing their bidding.  There might be some obvious truths where they can't get away with lying.  If someone says that eating broccoli is good for you, then that is an obvious truth.  If someone says that eating a plate full of chocolate brownies is bad for you, then that is an obvious truth.  If a politician thought he could tell you that eating brownies is good for you and that most people would believe it, then he would probably say it.

It is hard to know where to even start when it comes to health and diet myths.  There are so many things that have been ingrained in us for decades.  There is all of this hype of cholesterol, which is based on faulty and incomplete studies from a long time ago.  Instead of believing the hype, read some alternative viewpoints, such as The Great Cholesterol Myth.

The government, along with most of their trained doctors, will tell you to severely limit your saturated fat.  But the problem is that they are completely wrong.  Saturated fat is really good for humans.  You should be eating things like avocados, eggs, butter, and coconut oil.  They are good for you.

It drives me nuts to see so many people order egg whites.  The yolk is the most nutritious part of the egg and people are trying to avoid it.  In addition, the whole egg tastes a lot better in my opinion.

The whole food pyramid that has been pushed on us is mostly backwards.  Perhaps a few parts are correct, such as eating vegetables.

And then don't get me started on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  It is better to eat sugar.  But many food products substitute sugar with HFCS.  And why?  Because the government subsidizes the corn industry and puts massive protective tariffs on imported sugar.  So the government makes as poorer and less healthy, all at the same time.

In terms of obesity, it is actually frustrating for me just to watch other people.  Some think that the only way they can lose weight is by hours and hours of exercising or basically starving themselves.  I can attest to the fact that it is mostly about diet.  But when I say "diet", I don't mean starving yourself and I don't mean a temporary thing.  It should be a lifestyle change on eating better.

For the last year and a half, I have eaten a mostly paleo diet, which limits carbohydrates, grains, and sugars.  I eat meat, vegetables, eggs, nuts, and a little bit of fruit.  I do "cheat" on my diet, but it isn't a lot.  I started it for health reasons, but I lost some weight, even though I wasn't that heavy to begin with.  I eat more now than I did in the past, but it is hard for me to put on weight.  I think the only way I could put on a lot of weight is by going back to a regular diet of high carb foods.  But eating fat - the right kind of fat - doesn't make you fat.  If you eat saturated fat, it will make you skinny.

These are just a few observations.  Almost everything the government tells you is wrong.  Unfortunately, most doctors are on board with the conventional "wisdom" and will not stray far from the establishment.  They are trained to prescribe pills and do surgeries.  They are not trained to take a whole body approach.

I am not completely against doctors and western medicine, as I think there are some good reasons to go to a doctor and I acknowledge that some of the new technology is great for saving lives.  But in general, if you have health issues, you should look at your diet and lifestyle and do your own research and probably avoid doctors as much as possible.  Just make sure to use your common sense.  And most of all, do not listen to those in government.  You would be better off doing the opposite of what they say.

In conclusion, you can eat cupcakes and still be a libertarian.  As long as you don't advocate for the initiation of force for political or social change, then you can eat as many cupcakes as you want and keep your libertarian credentials.  But I think we are starting to see a little bit of a correlation between those who believe in liberty and those who take care of their bodies.  Just as there are probably a higher percentage of libertarians who own gold, there are probably a higher percentage of libertarians who eat a diet of natural, unprocessed foods.  It is because libertarians tend to be far more skeptical of government and the government is usually lying.