Let's Face it, if you took Statistics in College, you learned that they can be used to Prove, or Disprove any point of view.  You most likely made Models for some abstract idea, and the Teacher/Professor would tell you to start with some "fair and reasonable" numbers and build your Model from there.  But this Article is Not about learning Statistics, or even Understanding Statistics, because we all know they are used, and ignored, to fit the needs of discussions in the News as a Starting point for debate.

When it comes to the foods we eat, there is no shortage of "Numbers" being thrown around in the News, Social Media, and Magazines.  4 out of 5 (fill in the blank) say this or that, 38% of those Tested had some Great, or Terrible Result, this Diet has a 70% Success rate, Blah-Blah-Blah.

The Natural Act of Eating Food, has become a science, and this is all because the Medical Establishment, Sciences Community, and Even the Government continue to Micromanage the Foods We EAT.  They learn some small bite of information, and dig so deep that the small piece of information gains a "Life of it's Own".

Now, I am not saying that this is a Bad Thing, quite the opposite, I Love Science, Biochemistry, and believe that there is an "Art" to every aspect of our lives.  It is the dissemination of this information that becomes the problem we all have to work out, and try to figure out, if it works, and helps what we are trying to achieve.

No one would disagree that we have no shortage of information, or statistics, in today's World of the internet, just Google Healthy Foods for yourselves.  

Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable. Mark Twain  Our scientific age demands that we provide definitions, measurements, and statistics in order to be taken seriously.  And yet, with all these measurements, what do they tell us in total?   To me they say that somehow they (the Science and Medical community) are smarter than us, these Statistics become the shiny objects that distract us, and leave us all more confused than enlightened. 

The Increasing Incidence of Diabetes in the 21st Century In the October 31, 2008 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Diseases and Prevention (CDC) reported that the incidence of new onset diagnosed diabetes in U.S. adults has increased by 90% over the past decade. An assessment of the geographic distribution of newly diagnosed diabetes on a state-by-state basis was realized through the use of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys for the periods 1995–1997 and 2005–2007. Among the 33 states that participated during both time periods, the age-adjusted incidence of diabetes increased 90%, from 4.8 per 1000 in 1995–1997 to 9.1 in 2005–2007.

Death rate, poor health rise for middle-aged whites, reversing trend.  The death rate among middle-aged, white Americans rose significantly between 1999 and 2013, reversing a decades-long trend of improvement, new research shows. This group also reported worse physical and mental health than other age groups, according to the NIA-funded study, published online Nov. 2, 2015

HUMMM, I guess the Food Pyramid and Myplate is not working out so well.  For decades and even longer, the Government has been watching out for our Health, with diet guilds and advice, and the results are in, They Don't Work! here is a free PDF, no sign-up just click.  This is just a short bit of history on the FDA, and their thinking, and what started our Nation's Health Downfall.

It was Impossible to find a Graph that showed a Timeline with all data overlayed on it of why we are getting worse off, not Better Off.  When our Diets Changed, to High Carb and Low Fat, things began to change, but if you just look around, and read the statistics of deaths and diseases one can make the correlation that our changes in diet are the problem.

Every chart and timeline, if overlayed on top of one another would show that there is a Trend happening, and it is not a Good Trend.  The Gold we Seek, is in knowing that all the Shiny Things we see, Day to Day, are just a Mind Numbing, illusion, that only searves to confuse us.  As Humans, we survived millions of years eating what was provided by the land, we had little choice of what we consumed 20,000 years ago.  There were not hundreds of types of lettuce, Bananas or apples, Smoothies and Breakfast Drinks, and depending on the environmental conditions where you lived determined what you ate, there was No Whole Foods or even Wal-Mart.

With so many choices these days, and tons of data to back any goofy-ass diet, we can pick and choose from any and all foods, natural or not.  There will always be some statistic to prove you or on the right track, but are you?

In the Mountains of Statistical Data, Research and Findings we see only One Truth if we look beyond the shiny things. The More We Learn, The Sicker We Get.  Yes, with research, science and doctors can cure censer, treat diabetes, and keep us alive longer, while making us whole again, but, that is only the Band-Aid on the wound, What Caused it in the First Place should be the ultimate Goal of Our Treasure Hunt.