Is 'Mother Nature' a Psychopath?

The above question is posed by Joanna Blythman, who also asks 'why would she design foods to shorten the lifespan of the human race?' (https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/sep/26/food-myths-busted-dairy-salt-steak-swedish-study-science-health-advice). The answer, of course, is that nobody has 'designed food' for us. Eggs, cheese and meat were not designed for the benefit of humans. Food is basically what an animal can get from its environment. In ancient times, humans wouldn't have been 'too picky', so long as they got the calories needed to grow and function. Remember also,that early humans would not have been too obsessed about their lifespans (nasty, brutish and short?). Clearly, Johanna has a thing about the benefits of 'whole foods' and a corresponding aversion to the ultraprocessed (which she claims currently accounts for 50% of the UK diet). One can have some sympathy her attempt to bust 'food myths'. Dietary advice is, however, a highly contentious area and is in a constant state of flux. It's difficult to be sure of anything when a) contrary evidence is not presented and b) the funding supporting studies is not clarified. It's interesting that a study of more than 4000 Swedes, studied for 16 years, suggested that a diet rich in dairy fat lowered the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). The meta-analysis cited to support this finding is, however, not the only study on saturated fats and CHD. Jumping from CHD to stroke also seems a bit of a leap. Many people, in addition to Johanna, think the '5-a-day' mantra for fruit and vegetables is too simplistic. She is probably right that it ends up with people ingesting too much sugar from fruit (people are not as keen on veg). Her advice not to worry too much about salt intake, so long as it is 'moderate', seems acceptable. There is, however, a link between high dietary salt and elevated blood-pressure. Johanna's claim that you can eat as much steak as you like, as long as you dump the hot-dogs, is a bit contentious. Even if you are unworried about climate change and methane from beef, too much red meat has been linked to health problems. She also says you can eat as many eggs as you like. Virtually anything in excess, is likely to be unhealthy. The trouble is that people like simple messages. 'Whole foods-good: Processed foods-bad' is likely to appeal to many people. It's probably more complex than that.