During one of our Latin classes, Dr Gabb told me about someone he used to know—a former “friend,” though now an embittered and rather dangerous enemy. This man, when he was about my age, made up a list of things he wanted to achieve in life and decided when he wanted to achieve them. He spent the next forty years working through that list, leading his life as if by numbers. Now approaching sixty, he is rich but hollowed out, a man with no intellectual hinterland, no sign of human feeling. He has a man’s outward form, but the soul of a spider. Dr Gabb’s advice, based on this example, is to keep room for spontaneity. Goals are important, he says, but we must remain open to paths that may open to us unexpectedly and briefly.

I bear this advice in mind. However, I do have certain fixed goals I hope I shall always keep in view. One is to live as long as possible. Another is to retain as much as possible of my current shape, appearance, and general health. Another is to make myself rich enough to achieve the first two goals. Be assured there are other goals: these will do for the moment. Now, you may call these goals as vain as anything Dr Gabb’s friend conceived. Perhaps you are right, though I see them so plainly as good that I barely know how to start justifying them. Instead, I will pass to my main theme for today. I have been looking at the whole matter of diet and health. The other day, I reviewed a book by Gary Taubes on the likely causes of obesity and ill health. Today, I want to write at greater length about the subject, setting out what I know and what I think I know, in order to clarify my thoughts.

The Diet We Were Told to Follow

The mainstream dietary advice many of us grew up with was clear: eat less fat, consume more carbohydrates, and trust the science-backed food pyramid. This was presented as the unquestionable foundation of a healthy diet. Bread, rice, and pasta were to form the bulk of our meals, while fat was demonised as a direct pathway to heart disease. I speak in the past tense, but am only months away from GCSE Biology classes where I was shown cheerful diagrams of food groups—bacon and eggs to be eaten sparingly, bowls of cereal and slices of wholemeal bread consumed in abundance.

Yet, as Gary Taubes explains in Good Calories, Bad Calories, this advice is not only simplistic but potentially dangerous. Decades of flawed research, corporate lobbying, and government policy have misled entire populations. The food pyramid, far from being a scientifically unassailable guide, was shaped by agricultural lobbies and political expediency. The push to replace animal fats with grains and sugars may have been profitable for some, but has been disastrous for public health.

The Role of Sugar and Carbohydrates

Taubes’ work brings into focus the destructive effects of refined carbohydrates and sugar. Unlike fats, which satiate hunger and provide stable energy, carbohydrates flood the bloodstream with glucose. This prompts the release of insulin, a hormone that not only regulates blood sugar but also encourages fat storage. Excessive consumption of sugar and refined carbs leads to a cycle of energy spikes and crashes, stimulating hunger even as the body accumulates fat.

Consider how modern life accommodates these patterns. Sugary drinks, ready-made meals, and carb-heavy snacks are marketed as convenient energy sources. They dominate school canteens, vending machines, and supermarket shelves. It’s no wonder that obesity and diabetes have become epidemic, even among children. In my last review, I mentioned a classmate who has put on weight because of his taste for beer and pizza. I will elaborate. He goes to a gymnasium at least three times a week. I see him when I go there, panting and sweating over weights I would never consider trying to lift. It does no good. He has growing rolls of fat. Though it would be inadvisable to look at him too closely in the changing room, I am sure I have seen stretchmarks on his belly and bottom. I know another boy who is obsessed with counting calories. He is fat even so. The evidence suggests that sugar is not merely empty calories but a toxin, comparable in its long-term effects to alcohol or tobacco.

Calories Are Not All Equal

A central argument in Taubes’ book is that the “calories-in, calories-out” model is misleading. Conventional wisdom says that if you eat too much and move too little, you will gain weight. But Taubes argues that this ignores the hormonal effects of different macronutrients. Fats and proteins have minimal effects on insulin, while carbohydrates—especially sugar—drive the body to store fat and crave more food. This explains why some of my classmates, despite all efforts to eat less and exercise more are still piling on the fat. Their diets remain dominated by the foods that trigger overeating and fat storage.

The Consequences of Bad Advice

The shift toward low-fat, high-carb diets in the 1970s coincided with a rise in obesity and related illnesses. As Taubes points out, this is no coincidence. When the government endorsed the idea that fat was harmful, it didn’t just influence individual behaviour. It shaped entire industries. Food manufacturers replaced fats with sugar and refined starches to keep their products palatable. “Low-fat” became a marketing label, disguising foods that were anything but healthy.

The impact on public health has been terrible. Obesity rates in the United States and other English-speaking countries have soared. Conditions like diabetes, once rare, are now common. Worse still, the scientific community’s reluctance to challenge the established model has prolonged the damage. Careers, funding, and reputations have been staked on the idea that fat is the enemy. Changing this narrative is not merely a matter of presenting better evidence; it requires dismantling decades of entrenched belief.

Lessons for Living Better

Reflecting on Taubes’ analysis, I’ve started to reconsider my own diet. Swimming and other exercise may not be enough for the goals given above. Yet I see the pressures around me—advertising, social norms, even school policies—that push us toward unhealthy choices. I live and learn among vending machines filled with sugary drinks, pizza nights, and the general glorification of energy-dense junk food. These all reinforce habits that are difficult to break.

I’m not suggesting an austere diet of boiled greens and lean meats. I don’t  think I am. But I do think we need to question the wisdom of replacing natural, nutrient-dense foods with processed alternatives. Taubes’ research suggests that a diet rich in healthy fats, moderate in protein, and low in refined carbohydrates might be the key to long-term health. This approach, while radical to some, is rooted in how humans evolved to eat.

A Personal Philosophy

To return to Dr Gabb’s advice about life goals: I intend to keep spontaneity in my approach. I don’t wish to live by rigid rules, but I do believe in maintaining guiding principles. In terms of diet, this means favouring foods that nourish rather than harm, questioning “expert” advice when it conflicts with evidence, and avoiding the trap of modern convenience.

Ultimately, living longer and better is not about strict adherence to a particular diet but about understanding what fuels the body and the mind. Whether we achieve this through books like Taubes’ or through our own experimentation, the goal remains the same: to live not just long, but well.