I spent 15 minutes reading tuna cans in the grocery store the other day. I could have spent hours if I decided to look up each type online.

Keeping the price in mind, I wanted a smaller variety of tuna to avoid high mercury content and something with few dangerous chemicals in the packaging.

Finally, I made a decent choice. A mid-price smaller variety of tuna.

I'm not really sure about the chemicals in the packaging… but one thing I read online suggests avoiding a can in favor of a plastic pouch.

Food is an information-overload minefield.

For years "experts" have gone back and forth about whether salt, eggs, and animal fats are good or bad for you. They've introduced sugar substitutes, only to later link them to cancer.

And the debate will forever rage between the vegan and paleo religious sects.

Trying to find the ultimate truth of the best diet will drive you mad.

People react differently to this confusion. You could:

Abandon all attempts to eat healthily. Eat what tastes good, and resign yourself to being unhealthy or overweight.

Choose a dietary dogma, stick to it with religious fervor, and evangelize to others about the one true dietary-deity.

Do your due diligence to eat pretty healthy. Adapt the info to your own body and situation, and don't stress since no one seems to know anyway.

I choose option 3 because missing from the others is individuality. Has anyone ever considered that perhaps there is no one diet that is perfect for everyone?

Some things that are obviously unhealthy–sugar and fast food. My body tells me to stop ingesting this stuff because I feel like crap.

But that doesn't mean everyone reacts the same.

A friend of mine grew up on candy and fast food. He was the most athletic of my friends in high school. And he still looks pretty good approaching his 30s, despite a corporate job.

Maybe his body reacts better to that stuff. Or maybe he always does enough exercise so that it cancels out the damage. Or maybe his body is rotting from the inside out, and will only start showing the signs of years of abuse in another decade.