If this were just my neurosis, it wouldn’t matter, but it’s where we are in affluent corners of the west, not eating, but hitting our macros, catching micro-nutrients like we are Pokémon, fibremaxxing and recolonising our microbiome. TikTok is suggesting people drink a daily slurry of chia seeds, and the algorithm repeatedly offers me lion’s mane snacks and prebiotic drinks promising “glowing skin, a stronger immune system & flourishing microbiome”. Supermarket shelves have filled with GLP-1-friendly “nutrient dense” products; protein grams appear in shouty capital letters on yoghurt pots.