Dear Dr. D,

I read the article last week titled "Vending Options," (SN 9/6), by Elizabeth Swanson. Frankly, I'm confused. Are we really only supposed to eat 1/3 of a Snickers bar? What do you think?

— Confused

Confused,

"Oh, Henry!" It's the "$100 Grand" question! All "Snickers" aside, the question begs a serious answer.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you've felt the need to stand on a box and proclaim you are right and everyone else is not? Well, this is one of those times. Food is not "bad" or "good," "healthy" or "unhealthy," "right" or "wrong." It is just food, and frankly, we are screwing up our society and our children by continuously labeling food the way we do.

Most people cannot even define the concept of health, let alone use the concept to say what food is healthy and what is not. Health is not about restriction. Is it any wonder that according to the 2006 National College Health Assessment, nearly 40 percent of MSU students who are at the proper weight or below weight are still trying to lose weight?

After reading the vending machine article, I had a vision of a science-fiction movie called, "The Lurker." It would be the story of how cyborg vending machines lurked in the basements of MSU residence halls, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting students. The media is full of these types of stories, and frankly, it makes me want to scream, "Thank God for the food police."

What would we do without them looking out for us, telling us what is good and bad for us, telling us what our portion should be? Just think, without the food police, we would have so many nutrition problems in our country, such as weight issues, eating disorders and a $50 billion diet industry.

Weight! I mean, wait! We do have those problems.

But seriously, I don't find fault with the reporter, since most of them just regurgitate what is "fed" to them by the culture we have created around food. Because you do refer to that article, let's talk about what is really being said and how to interpret it in a way that is more helpful.

First, vending machines don't lurk. They are inanimate vehicles that accept money for your choice of food. And by the way, it is your choice.

Second, they are not the "health-conscious student's worst enemy" — ignorance is.

Statements like "possible to choose a snack that minimizes damage" have to be followed with the question, "What damage are we talking about?" Are we saying that eating a bag of potato chips or a whole Snickers bar is going to cause permanent, marring damage? Nutrition is about how we eat during an entire day, entire week, over time.

I also have concerns when we tell people, "When considering chips, baked chips contain less calories and fat than the original versions."

I say, "So what?"

If I were going to live off potato chips, this might be an important consideration. But if it is only part of what I eat that day, it might be just fine.

References to substituting a food for the one you really want are also problematic. Just ask anyone who has tried dieting before. They know that if you really want something else, you can eat 10 things (supposedly healthy, good things) trying to avoid the "bad" food, and then end up eating the bad food anyway. You would have been better off eating the food or beverage you wanted in the first place and enjoying it.

What about checking nutrition labeling? Not a bad idea, except nutrition labels are confusing to almost everyone. They tend to cause people to think they need to externally decide what to eat, rather than listening to their bodies — to their internal cues for hunger (how much you want), appetite (what you want) and satiety (when are you comfortably full).

You can't get that from a label. People need to start looking inside themselves, not outside, to monitor their intake.

Ellyn Satter, R.D., wrote in her definition of normal eating, "Normal eating is being able to eat when you are hungry and continue eating until you are satisfied. … It is being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it — not just stop eating because you think you should. It is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating. … In short, normal eating is flexible."

Say goodbye to the "food police," and enjoy what you eat. Just make sure you stay out of the basement.

Dr. D