Low fat — low carb, low cholesterol, — high fiber, low salt — low sugar…how on earth are we supposed to know what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat.

In one ear we have someone telling us that a low cholesterol diet is good for heart health, in the other ear someone is telling us that cholesterol is necessary for brain function health and the prevention of memory loss and illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.

For those of us who may have more than one health issue, finding a diet that is just right can be next to impossible. We are shell-shocked by diet information overload.

The latest infomercials on television are all about the nutrition extractors, those handy little gadgets that pulverize whatever you put into them into a “delicious nutrition-filled smoothie” or shake.

These are reminiscent of already existing drinks in the grocery store with the fruit and vegetable juice mixed together. These products are used to trick children into “drinking” their vegetables while believing they’re drinking fruit juice instead. I am sure even small children are smarter than that. Taste buds don’t lie.

Not one of these concoctions I have tried has actually tasted as the label claimed. When you take cranberries and blueberries and mix them with red cabbage, carrots and other assorted vegetables, the ensuing beverage is never going to taste like cranberries and blueberries. So I image a “nutrition smoothie” wouldn’t taste like bananas or strawberries, if you added in kale, cabbage, ginger, and flaxseed. Doesn’t sound appetizing at all — maybe that’s why it works.

Another problem to sticking to a healthy diet is the cost. Have you ever priced a bag of kale, a bundle of bok choy, or a stalk of fennel? And let’s not forget the price of those leaner cuts of meat, seafood, or fish. Talk about shell-shocked! By the time we get through the checkout line, our wallets are empty and suddenly we’ve lost our appetites. Hey! Maybe diets do work after all!

If worse comes to worse, we could always try the Biblical diet. Though we have received many blessings from God, we haven’t seen actual manna fall from heaven in our lifetime. We could try locusts and wild honey, then again, we probably wouldn’t envy John the Baptist’s diet one bit.

Let’s just stick it out in the farmer’s market and the grocery aisles.