Is A Balanced Diet A Lie?

Over the last few years, some people have said the idea of a "balanced diet" is oversimplified or even misleading, especially when it is used as a catch-all without context. The whole “balanced diet” idea has started to look like a clever distraction from deeper systemic problems in how food is produced, marketed, and consumed. It can depend on who defines "balanced": governments, food corporations, or health influencers.

Is a balanced diet a lie because:

The food pyramid (or plate) has flaws.
It ignores bio-individuality (what works for one person might not work for another).
Is it influenced by industries pushing dairy, grains, or processed foods?
It promotes moderation of things that might not be good in any amount.

1. The Food Pyramid (or Plate) Has Flaws

Oh boy, where to begin...

🍞 The base of the old pyramid = 6–11 servings of grains per day?!

That’s wild, in retrospect. Especially when we know how refined carbs mess with insulin, energy levels, and mental clarity.
It was designed mainly with food surplus and economic interests in mind — not metabolic health.

🧈 Fats were demonized

The pyramid lumped all fats together and told people to eat them "sparingly." Lumped trans fats into the same category as avocados, olive oil, or eggs.
Result? People ran toward "low-fat" processed foods, which were often loaded with sugar and polyunsaturated fats (seed and vegetable oils). Moreover, people ditched saturated fats such as tallow and lard and adopted unsaturated fats.

🍗 Protein barely got a mention

No differentiation between a slice of turkey breast and a hot dog. Just “meat and beans” in the same group.

🥦 Vegetables were tossed in but not prioritized

Instead of emphasizing nutrient density (think liver, sardines, leafy greens, fermented foods), it focused more on quantity and food group quotas.

⚖️ The food plate (MyPlate) tried to fix things… but only halfway

It simplified presentation but still failed to deal with the ultra-processed nature of most people's diets.
“Whole grains” still reign. Dairy still gets a plate slice. No mention of food quality or sourcing.

2. Bio-Individuality Is Ignored

This one is huge — probably the most under-discussed flaw in nutrition guidelines.

🧠 Everyone’s body is different

Some people thrive on a high-fat, low-carb diet.
Others feel better on moderate carbs and can digest beans, grains, and veggies just fine.
Some folks have genetic conditions (e.g., lactose intolerance, MTHFR mutation, histamine intolerance, and autoimmune issues) that make generic advice actively harmful.

🌍 Cultural & ancestral diets matter

Inuit people thrived on high-fat, animal-based diets with almost zero plants.
Traditional Okinawans ate mostly sweet potatoes, some rice, and very little meat, and lived long.
Maasai warriors ate plenty of meat, drank blood and milk, barely ate veggies, and stayed lean and strong.

Yet mainstream “balanced” diets act like everyone should eat from the same plate.

🤒 Medical conditions? Too bad

Diabetics are told to eat whole grains and fruit “in moderation.”
People with IBS or Crohn’s are told to eat high-fiber vegetables.
It’s often a one-size-fits-all approach dressed up in friendly graphics and catchy slogans.

3. Industry Influence: Dairy, Grains, Processed Junk

Some nutritional gods didn't hand down the food pyramid and its modern equivalents — they were built in committee rooms, often with lobbying groups breathing down necks.

Grains: These are heavily subsidized and promoted as the base of the old food pyramid. But most grains are processed, stripped of fiber, and spike blood sugar.
Dairy: “Milk builds strong bones” was more marketing than science. Some people don’t digest dairy well, and calcium is found in plenty of other foods.
Processed foods: Companies push for "low fat" or "whole grain" labels, but the foods are still ultra-processed. Snack bars, cereals, "diet" meals — all are technically balanced by the guidelines but packed with additives.

What’s “balanced” is often just “what benefits big agriculture and food conglomerates.”

4. The "Moderation" Myth

“Everything in moderation” sounds nice, but:

Should we moderate poison? Nobody says, “Just a little arsenic is fine.” Yet we say, “Just a little soda, seed oil, or trans fat won’t kill you.” But over time, it might or rather, it will kill you.
It blurs the line: If you believe you can eat anything “as long as it’s balanced,” you may end up regularly consuming things your body doesn't tolerate or that harm your health slowly.
Food addiction & modern hyper-palatable foods: “Moderation” doesn’t work well when food is engineered to override your hunger cues. Try moderating Cheetos.
“Moderation” is often an excuse to avoid taking a hard look at what we’re eating.