(Photo: Ted Eytan / Flickr)It all started in the US in the late 1960s as a result of the countercultural revolt. Disaffected youths rebelled against conventional norms, including the proliferation of processed food and the chemicals used to grow, process and preserve food. Gradually during the past four decades, however, this legitimate concern has given rise to a monstrous industry that contributes heavily to neurotic disorders, physical disease and capitalist profits.
The nutritionist industry inadvertently serves a political purpose as well, keeping the American working class confused, self-hating, tranquilized and demoralized. Nutritionism is an original American belief that a person's health hinges on what one puts into one's mouth. "You are what you eat," has become the national slogan; "Eat right!" has become the prime medical imperative.
Nutritionism and American advertising
Only in industrially advanced, English-speaking countries, especially the United States, do we find nearly all packaged grocery store items with health claims plastered all over their exteriors.
"Our healthy/natural/organic/calorie-reduced food . . . which is fat-free/sugar-free/low in carbs/protein-rich/vitamin-enriched. . . and is fortified with anti-oxidants/omega 3 fatty acids/extra fiber/phytonutrients/folic acid/vitamin Z . . . will boost your energy/cleanse your body/burn fat/strengthen bones/make you smarter/reverse aging/get you laid."
In France and Germany, the claims are quite different. "Fresh," "extra-rich," "extra-creamy," "super delicious" and "party-sized" are the usual assertions that European food companies make in order to sell their products. If they were to place health claims on their packages, the public wouldn't buy the food because they would figure there was something wrong with it in the first place. Most people in the world, including Europeans and Japanese, do not suffer from the American food crazies yet. Most French people do not know a carbohydrate from a carburetor - and probably don't care to know.
American TV and print commercials are constantly giving advice on what to eat and drink to be healthy. Diet book authors, nutritionists, health professionals of all disciplines and friends are always ready to tell us what to eat and drink, what not to eat and drink, when to eat and drink and what supplements are absolutely needed to be healthy.
"Truth in advertising" is a big fat lie. Companies can claim anything they think will sell and will hire battalions of spin doctors, lawyers, scientists and lobbyists to fight for them.
Although advertising was not invented in the US, it was developed to its full potential by American propagandists in the early part of the 20th century, namely by advertisers and public relations people. The PR folks working for the US government found great success in convincing reluctant Americans of the dire need to fight first the degenerate Spanish then the sub-human Filipinos and finally, in World War I, the evil Huns.
Soon after the war, an American publicist named Edward Bernays wrote an influential book titled Propaganda. Bernays went on to devise a brilliant advertising campaign in the '20s that successfully convinced American women that cigarette smoking was the cool thing to do. American advertisers have since evolved psychological trickery to an exalted science and art that the rest of the world can only hope to emulate.
Self-trust vs. trusting the "experts"...
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