The intense marketing of protein-rich foods creates a perception of need. However, protein deficiency is extremely rare in developed nations, suggesting the trend is driven by consumer desire for self-optimization and industry marketing, not actual physiological requirements.

Advocating for 'moderation' is often a psychological tactic to make disciplined health choices seem low-status (fragile, obsessive) while elevating one's own lack of discipline to high-status (flexible, balanced). It's a form of memetic warfare used to protect one's ego from feeling inferior.

Attempts to change behavior are unsustainable if your core identity remains the same. Your brain will always revert to actions that align with its perceived identity. Therefore, you must first change who you believe you are before new habits will stick.

Many popular wellness practices are rebranded versions of traditionally harmful eating behaviors. For example, 'intermittent fasting' is what used to be called skipping meals or starving, and a 'cheat day' is simply a binge. This reframing normalizes disordered eating patterns under the guise of health.

Despite intense marketing, the current cultural obsession with protein is not a response to widespread deficiency, which is extremely rare in developed nations. Instead, its popularity is driven by a desire for self-optimization and clever marketing that positions protein as a shortcut to health, power, or essential nutrition.

The choice between diets like carnivore, keto, or vegan is less important than long-term adherence. Before starting any restrictive eating plan, ask: "Can I see myself doing this for the rest of my life?" If the answer is no, the approach is unsustainable and likely to fail.

New fad diets are rarely novel; they are reworkings of previous ones. For example, Atkins, Paleo, and Keto all recycle the Victorian-era Banting diet's low-carbohydrate concept. This piggybacking on familiar precepts creates a sense of legitimacy and primes consumers to accept the next iteration.

In a world with crumbling institutions, people adopt diets like veganism or carnivorism to find identity and community. This search for meaning explains why nutritional choices have become dogmatic and tribal, functioning like new religions or online cults.

The concept of a single 'optimal' diet is scientifically flawed because it disregards crucial individual differences in genetics, age, health goals, and lifestyle. Promoting a universally optimal diet is salesmanship, not science.