Diet theories change, but moderation still a key

Breakfast just got a little sunnier-side up.

Eggs are officially no longer bad for us, and 40 years of warnings from Washington that we shouldn't eat cholesterol-laden foods are about to fall by the wayside. It's not really all that surprising that dietary cholesterol isn't dangerous. Lately we're finding out that a lot of things that we were told would hurt or kill us probably won't.

In 2011, after decades of fevered exhortations to cut down on sodium, an analysis in the American Journal of Hypertension found no strong evidence that lowering salt intake reduced the risk of heart attacks, strokes or death in people with normal or high blood pressure.

After just as many decades of claims against saturated fat, research now shows not only that consuming yummy stuff like bacon and cheese does not give us heart disease, it doesn't even make us fat. It's the carbohydrates -- the breads and the pastas -- that actually make us so chubby.

Oddly, we often see that people don't resume consuming salt and eggs even when the science allows it. What's the big new worry in this food-neurotic age? Orthorexia, a pathological obsession for biologically pure and healthy nutrition.

Atkins, Paleo, fat-free, gluten-free, raw foods, no processed foods -- there's a little wisdom in these diets, but a whiff of obsession in doing too much of any of them. We mostly know how to be healthy. Try a reasonable amount of exercise, consume a wide variety of nutritious, not-too-processed foods in moderation, don't smoke, don't drink too much, maintain a reasonable body weight and get plenty of rest. This is wisdom that should serve us well no matter what.