The Government Didn't Make You Unhealthy, You Did.

We recently published an article refuting all of the liberal claims about why people are unhealthy, particularly the poor and working-class in America. They aren't the only ones who cling to the idea that systemic pressures, government subsidies, and corporate greed are directly responsible for poor health outcomes. Many on the right wing also adhere to collective myths about health.

The Blame Game on the Right

Conservatives are quick to remind others that life is about personal responsibility. Yet when it comes to health, many of the loudest voices on the right adopt the same excuse-making patterns they ridicule in the Left.

Instead of blaming “systemic racism” or “capitalism,” the targets change:

• Big Pharma & Big Food supposedly collude to keep you fat, sick, and dependent.

• Vegetables are no longer safe, because they’re “poisoned with pesticides.”

• Seed oils are framed as the secret toxin behind every chronic disease.

• The Food Pyramid is held up as the smoking gun that supposedly brainwashed America into obesity.

Different villains, same story: “It’s not your fault.”

But if you claim to believe in self-reliance, discipline, and freedom, you can’t abandon those values at the dinner table.

The Food Pyramid Didn’t Make You Fat

The infamous 1990s Food Pyramid has become a scapegoat. Yes, it emphasized grains. Yes, it wasn’t perfect. But let’s deal with reality:

• Nobody followed it. In the 1990s, Americans weren’t eating 6–11 servings of whole grains a day. They were eating Big Macs, French fries, chips, soda, and donuts. Fast-food sales more than doubled from 1970 to 2000.

• Obesity skyrocketed because of choices, not charts. Between 1971 and 2014, daily calorie intake for U.S. adults jumped by about 23% — mostly from processed snacks, sugary drinks, and refined carbs.

• The pyramid is long gone. The USDA replaced it with MyPlate in 2011, which recommends balanced meals of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. 

The truth is, most Americans didn’t get fat because they followed the pyramid. They more or less got fat because they chose a life of decadence, convenience, and leisure over accountability and personal triumph. Put the blame where it belongs: on yourself. 

 

The Seed Oil Panic

Right-wing health influencers love to vilify seed oils, painting them as the hidden poison that explains all chronic disease. But the numbers don’t back this hysteria.

• Seed oil consumption has risen, but so has processed sugar, refined flour, and fast food. The real driver of obesity isn’t canola oil in your stir-fry; it’s 2-liter sodas, pizza rolls, and a sedentary lifestyle.

• Ultra-processed foods are the problem. According to published data, 57% of the average American’s calories now come from ultra-processed foods — soda, chips, fast food, pastries, candy. Not salad dressing.

• Dose matters. Demonizing a tablespoon of soybean oil in a home-cooked meal distracts from the mountain of donuts, drive-thru burgers, and sugary coffee drinks actually driving chronic disease.

Seed oils aren’t the cause of America’s health crisis. Lifestyle choices are.

The Truth About “Premium” Foods

Let’s be clear: grass-fed beef, pastured butter, wild-caught salmon, avocados, nuts, and high-quality dairy are not unhealthy. In fact, many of these foods are nutrient-dense, providing omega-3s, protein, and essential vitamins. If you can afford them and enjoy them, by all means, include them in your diet.

The problem isn’t with these foods themselves — it’s with the idea that they are the only path to health. That’s simply not true.

• Beans, rice, lentils, and tubers provide complete proteins, fiber, iron, potassium, and sustained energy — at a fraction of the cost.

• Whole grains like oats and quinoa support cholesterol management, gut health, and long-term energy.

• Vegetables and fruits remain the foundation of micronutrient intake worldwide.

A balanced diet doesn’t have to be elitist or exclusive. You can mix “premium” foods with staples and get the best of both worlds — nutrition, affordability, and sustainability.

Rejecting beans and oats as “peasant food” while demanding $25 grass-fed steaks every night is not only unnecessary, it’s a betrayal of the principle of self-reliance. Real health is built on consistency, balance, and discipline — not on luxury branding at the grocery store.

So yes, grass-fed beef and avocados are fine. But beans and potatoes are fine too. What matters is showing up for yourself every day with discipline.

The Conservative Contradiction

This is where the hypocrisy bites. Conservatives mock liberals for saying: “The system made me poor. The system made me a victim.” Yet when it comes to health, they say: “The government made me fat. The system made me sick.”

That’s not conservatism. That’s the same as liberal excuse-making.

True conservative values — discipline, responsibility, overcoming challenges — mean recognizing that the government didn’t make you unhealthy. You did.

And that’s good news, because it means you have the power to fix it.

The Positive Message

Blaming conspiracies, corporations, and the government makes you powerless. But accepting responsibility makes you powerful. Tell the bastards to do their worst, and you will persevere regardless. That's the true liberation that conservatism champions. 

Think about it: if Big Food, Big Pharma, or the Food Pyramid are the true cause of your poor health, then you’re stuck. There’s nothing you can do until the system changes. You’re dependent. But if the cause is your own habits, then the solution is in your hands — today. That’s real freedom.

And the available data and the overwhelming balance of tested evidence show that small, consistent choices matter more than elite food trends:

• Exercise: Just 150 minutes of moderate activity per week (like brisk walking or light lifting) reduces the risk of chronic disease by up to 50%. That’s 30 minutes, 5 days a week — less time than most people spend scrolling on TikTok in a single evening.

• Diet: Shifting even 20% of your calories from ultra-processed foods to whole foods is linked to significant drops in obesity and cardiovascular risk. You don’t need a perfect diet — just steady progress.

• Staples work: Verifyable, falsifiable, and retestable research shows the longest-living populations thrive on beans, whole grains, vegetables, and modest amounts of meat or dairy. They don’t live to 100 because they eat ribeye every night — they live that long because they eat consistently well.

The government didn’t make you unhealthy. Conspiracies didn’t stuff your pantry with junk. You did. And that’s the best news of all — because it means you can undo it.

Take responsibility. Batch cook real food. Move your body. Build consistency. That’s how you win back your health — and your freedom.

 

Stay disciplined, question everything, fight tyranny in style! 👇