I’ve often felt that specialized diets are nothing more than organized eating disorders, co-enabled by businesses who want to a make a buck off the gullible. There was a time when hosting a dinner party was simply planning a menu, now you have to go through the guest list and figure out who’s vegetarian, who’s vegan, who has allergies, who’s lactose intolerant and who’s gluten-free. That often requires a separate dish for every single guest, since no entree can ever satisfy all the requirements.
In the Spectator, this conundrum is approached from a nutritional stand point, and points out that healthful eating is not as healthy as subscribers might imagine:
The supermarket aisle has become a confusing place. It used to be full of recognisable items like cheese and butter; now you find yourself bamboozled by all manner of odd alternatives such as ‘raw’ hummus, wheat-free bread and murky juices. You have to stay pretty alert to make sure you pick up a pint of proper milk, rather than a soy-based alternative or one free from lactose. Supermarkets have become shrines to ‘clean eating’, a faith that promises happiness, healthiness and energy. Food is to be worshipped — and feared… (read more)
Myself, I think it’s a sign of prosperity when people are not only given multitudinous choices over what they can eat, but can also choose what they don’t want to eat. I just pity the hosts.