Investigative journalist Matthew Lysiak discusses his book on the fascinating changes in the world's diet. Topics include the crime of the century, the end of the gold standard, inflation, food, and Bitcoin, the connection between nutrition and climate science, the dangers of obesity and nutrition misinformation, starting a publishing house, and controversy surrounding global warming.
Religious beliefs, such as the idea that meat consumption leads to carnal desires and disease, infiltrated government agencies and shaped nutritional policies with profound consequences on public health.
Ansel Keys and his flawed diet-heart hypothesis demonized saturated fats and promoted vegetable oils, influencing dietary policies and contributing to a rise in chronic health conditions globally.
Inflationary monetary policies devalue currency, leading to cheaper food alternatives and reinforcing harmful dietary guidelines supported by government subsidies and industry-funded science.
Challenging prevailing dietary narratives and promoting self-autonomy through hard currencies like Bitcoin can provide a solution to the manipulation of dietary guidelines and the perpetuation of harmful dietary standards.
Deep dives
The Influence of Religious Zealotry on Dietary Guidelines
The podcast episode explores the influence of religious beliefs on dietary guidelines. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, led by Ellen White and John Harvey Kellogg, promoted the idea that meat consumption leads to carnal desires and disease. This warped religious ideology infiltrated various government agencies, such as the American Dietetic Association, shaping nutritional policies for decades. The church's influence on the American food system, driven by anti-meat sentiments, has had profound consequences on public health.
Ansel Keys: The Architect of Dangerous Nutritional Recommendations
The podcast episode delves into the role of Ansel Keys, a prominent figure in shaping dietary recommendations. Keys pushed the flawed diet-heart hypothesis, associating saturated fats with high cholesterol and heart disease. His infamous Seven Countries Study served as a basis for demonizing saturated fats and promoting vegetable oils. The misguided beliefs perpetuated by Keys and his followers influenced dietary policies in the United States and beyond, contributing to a global rise in chronic health conditions.
The Power of Fiat Money and Cronyism in the Food Industry
The podcast episode highlights the connection between fiat money and the food industry. Inflationary monetary policies have devalued currency, prompting individuals to seek cheaper food alternatives. Meanwhile, government subsidies and industry-funded nutrition science reinforce the narrative that benefits large corporations. This collusion between the government, industry, and certain religious ideologies enables the perpetuation of harmful dietary guidelines, contributing to the deterioration of public health.
Confronting the Matrix of Dietary Misinformation
The podcast episode underscores the need to challenge prevailing dietary narratives perpetuated by institutions and experts. The rise of bro science, or individuals sharing their personal experiences and evidence-based outcomes, challenges the credibility of mainstream nutrition science. Bitcoin and other hard currencies offer a potential solution, as they provide a check on the power of fiat money and the ability of vested interests to manipulate dietary guidelines. By promoting self-autonomy and critical thinking, individuals can break free from the cognitive dissonance imposed by the prevailing dietary matrix.
The Link Between Fiat Monetary Systems and Quality of Food
The speaker argues that people on fiat monetary systems end up eating garbage due to being impoverished and unable to afford high-quality food. The government benefits from inflation and uses it to influence people's food choices, claiming that they should consume cheap alternatives. The speaker criticizes modern nutrition and climate science, considering them pseudosciences aimed at justifying the reduction of costly items due to inflation. Food and fuel prices are felt on a daily basis, making inflation particularly impactful in these areas. The government manipulates the food supply to hide inflation, pushing people toward consuming cheaper, low-quality options.
The History of Nutrition Science and Dietary Recommendations
The podcast explores the history of nutrition science and dietary recommendations. It mentions a debate between Ansel Keys and John Yudkin back in 1970, where Keys advocated for reducing meat consumption while Yudkin believed sugar played a more significant role in health issues. The conversation highlights the influence of fiat monetary systems, as the money printer allowed certain individuals and institutions to promote their ideas and views. The speaker emphasizes the marketing strategies employed to shape public opinion and control our food choices, citing examples of manipulating public perception around eggs and meat consumption.
Questioning the Credibility of Nutrition and Climate Science
The podcast challenges the credibility of nutrition and climate science, labeling them as pseudosciences filled with corrupt and flawed arguments. The speaker asserts that these fields aim to remove cause and effect from individuals' health and convince people that their health is beyond their control. The discussion covers the negative effects of trusting credentialed advocates and the dangers of accepting guilt-based narratives. The speaker and the podcast host share personal experiences in adopting a carnivore diet that led to improved cognitive abilities and overall health. They encourage critical thinking and questioning of established narratives.
Investigative journalist Matthew Lysiak has written a fascinating inquiry into how the world's diet has changed over the past century, and the characters and institutions that have brought about this change. The book is being published today by Saifedean's publishing house, The Saif House, and it contains an introduction and two chapters by Saifedean. He joins the podcast to discuss the amazing stories he learned while looking into the crime of the century!
Enjoyed this episode? Join Saifedean's online learning platform to take part in weekly podcast seminars, access Saifedean’s four online economics courses, and read his writing, including his new book, Principles of Economics! Find out more on Saifedean.com!
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