Ya gotta love the Brits. Just when I think that we Americans are out on a limb by not moving over to the metric system I see this post. I really did not know that folks over there were still using the stone as a unit of measure. But anyway, on topic, in my opinion one of the good things the FDA has done is regulate labeling of foods. This way at least we can have the information on what is in our food and use that to follow any diet we wish. Here is an earth shattering concept for you: Maybe different people respond differently to different diets. Maybe we should not try to all follow the exact same guidelines. But perhaps that is just my twisted view, having genetics that seem to keep me out of trouble with weight gain at about(hold on, let me get my calculator and conversion factors) 12st and 4lbs. Personally I think that if you do not like the current medical guidelines for healthy eating, wait ten years and it will change.

Okay, the regulated food labeling is a great convenience to me but still seems an imposition on liberty. Could this be accomplished by customer demand? Maybe/maybe not.

My suggestion though, Silence, is to have the government issue NO guidelines ever. That is not its job. Protect our borders and let me learn about diets from reading National Review, Cosmo, NYTimes, or medical journals. Different diets will come in and out of vogue but without a federal imprimatur.

Your point about different diets for different folks is well taken as well. I think a good plan accommodates different metabolisms and tolerances. Atkins maintenance is all about finding how much carbs you can handle. For me, it is unfortunately low.

I have to say that I know several long-term successes on Atkins and about ZERO who have lost/kept-off/feel good on a food-pyramid style diet.

I'm critical of concerning myself with the interests of public health relating to dieting. As far as I'm concerned, if a human being can live off of fruits and nuts, so be it. I don't care about Health issues. The more sharp observers of why the atkins fad is frivolity understand that it's a business tactic aimed at a public bent on enforcing social conformity-- Somewhere along the lines somebody told you that being fat was wrong, and you believed it. Now, billions of animals must suffer and die so lazy, stupid, fat americans can lose weight and add additional splendor to their already pointlessly bliss middleclass lives.

Or maybe you're poor, and you're a farmer-- but the agribusiness industry has ruined you. So you raise crops in hopes that some poor sucker out there might still like eating subs and french fries.

Or perhaps you're an enviornmentalist or an ecologist, stiffled once more by the mass dissemination of stupidity, arrogance, ignorance, selfishness and apathy that impoverish 1st world nations-- and slowly you're rendered to that cynical, snide, misanthropic passion of waiting for the human race to annihilate itself. Good, keep eating grease to loose weight, you hope, but they'll never die. You're just wondering why you've always tried to save them in the first place.

Or maybe you're just a kid who wants an ice cream cone, a bag of onion rings saturated in animal fat, and a pack of chewing gum to top it all off. No sweets and transfats for you, my son, you're only eating immitation soy tuna fish now-- so we can avoid mad cow, fish fog, ecoli, and salmanila.

Why, because vegeterian meat is better for children, you see... but their friends won't think so.

And if you're a vegan, run for cover or get yer fuckin' guns ready.

If we are humanity, we are doomed

The Drunken Shyster ;>

We would invest in www.mrgoodburgers.com if they didn't use white flour buns. It would be a much healthier alternative to saturated animal fat. We are fed up with Atkins Zombies who go along with whatever they are told, and all the lies and propaganda put out by the meat, dairy, and fast (fat) food industries.
Sincerely, biologists who know how to read and think on their own.