The craze for all things organic and calorie-free

For the past few years, we've been living in a "health conscious" craze: everybody cares about what they eat and every meal, not to mention every bite, involves so much fretting that the very act of eating, which was once pleasurable, has now become downright stressful.

In my world, we all fall into two kinds of food "consciousness." First, there is the "calorie" category: the "I wanna eat sugar free and light, avoid getting fat and basically aspire to the Twiggy-skinny canon." Then, there is the "organic" category: the "I wanna eat natural food with no additives, no colorants, no preservatives and make sure it's all fair trade."

So, what's it gonna be: shape or substance? The "I wanna save my looks" or the "I wanna save the world?"

In the "calorie" camp, people follow models and body types – while the "engaged" camp is on a mission: they need to save themselves and the entire planet.

Everyone wants to be more "aware": What am I eating? Where does it come from? How did it get here? What's its carbon foot print? (That last question didn't quite make it to the Middle East yet).

Both camps share an obsessive interest in information and rely heavily on what they hear and what that tiny label says. We all seem to firmly believe what we are being told, without really thinking it thru. It's sugar free - says the label - but that yoghurt contains worse things than sugar! It's cholesterol free - but those cookies contain a different kind of fat which is no better! It's light - says who? It's natural - but still contains loads of chemicals, naturally!

Trusting a food label is really just like believing what the weather guy says on TV...Don't fool yourself. Most of the time, all this is about is giving oneself a good conscience and with it, upgrading a mundane consumer activity into something more noble.