What a great thread I agree with much of what Bear said. The best idea is to keep things simple... avoid the foods and drinks made by "scientists". Avoid anything that's been modified. I don't buy low-fat or artifically sweetend foods... fake foods don't do it for me. I personally see a trend that my over weight friends are the ones that seem to eat fake foods and my slim and healthy friends don't. My biggest concern is the ammount of soft drink most people seem to drink. Personally I think it should be limited to a few times a year... at parties only. Soft drinks create really bad imblalances with healthy gut flora (bacteria). Bacteria is needed to help absorb nutrients. There's a saying "Death begins in the colon". We are not designed to consume as much sugar as we generally do. I think the first step most people should take is banning soft drink from their homes. This is my policy.