... but in a good way.

Interstate Bakeries, which made its fortune (and then its bankruptcy) by selling such questionable substances as Twinkies and Wonder Bread, is unveiling a line of natural breads that will have no artificial flavors or preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, or trans fats. 

This is what change looks like. The only reason a company takes an action like that is because it thinks it can prosper by doing so, and the only reason it thinks that is because its market studies reveal that that's what people want.

Of course, greater consumer interest in more natural foods is not a new phenomenon, but I do think we're still closer to the beginning of the trend than the end. For example, many people have thought high fructose corn syrup to be unhealthful for decades, but only recently has the market been responding.

My own experience goes far beyond just HFCS; I have been avoiding all refined sugar for for about 20 years, and all flour for about 15. As you can tell from the photos on the left side of this page, I was impressively obese at one time, and one of primary ways I keep my normal-sized body today is by avoiding these substances.

No, I haven't been perfect in this, both through errors and weakness, 'cause lots of the goods made with those products taste really good and are very convenient. But after decades of experimenting with those substances and then without, I am convinced that I'm much healthier when I stay away from them.

I fought the notion long and hard — "you'll have to pry my pasta fork from my cold, dead hand," I used to declare — and I see little groundswell for it yet. But I do believe it will come into vogue, certainly not for everyone, but potentially for millions of Americans. That's what change is going to look like in the future.