So-called experts have, at one time or another, deemed most food harmful. We’ve been told that real sugar and real fat is bad for us, yet we get force-fed overprocessed, genetically and chemically enhanced fruits and vegetables.

Rather than let our kids eat fat and real sugar and work it off on a playground or behind a lawn mower, these experts would rather they eat overprocessed versions of real food.

Instead of real fruit, we give them fruit-flavored fun snacks that are reputed to be “chock full of vitamins.” None of this stuff even looks or tastes like real fruit. It comes in a package rolled up like Fiberglas insulation and tastes like high-fructose corn syrup Kool-Aid versions of real grapes and oranges.

When the food experts outlawed lard, they ran off another fond memory from my childhood.

Lard to me is like grandma’s apple pie. In fact, my grandmother Lena used lots of lard in making the best-tasting and flakiest homemade pie crust the world has ever known.

Carp, catfish and chicken swam in black skillets of hot lard in many a kitchen back in the day. Old Crisco cans holding leftover grease from a month’s worth of Sunday dinners sat on top of every gas stove. Another can held bacon grease for flavoring everything from collard greens to fried potatoes.

Somewhere along the way, lard got labeled as being bad for us. It clogged our arteries, caused heart attacks and strokes, among many other nasty things.

Lard became a four-letter word. Lard-ass, Lard Belly and Lard Head became schoolyard and factory floor taunts.

Shortening and margarine were better for you all, the doctors and grocery ads said.

Supposedly that’s all changed now, according to a recent Slate article. The article cited a book by Jennifer McLagan called “Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes.”

The author points out how the fat from lard is mostly monounsaturated, which is healthier than saturated fat. Fat also helps the body better absorb nutrients and vitamins. Not only that, but many cooks prefer to use lard for frying and pastries.

Lard is also supposed to be environmentally conscious, because no part of the pig is wasted.

My grandmother cooked with lard and perhaps died from it, too. She died in her 50s from a heart attack. Countless other relatives died from strokes and heart attacks.

This happened so much, it caused my dad to outlaw chitlings and other fat-laden soul food staples from our holiday meals. He allowed greens, however. Everyone knows you can’t have greens without using fatback for seasoning.

Years ago, I spent some time with a Skidmore farmer for a story. The man was in his late-70s, but moved about with the deftness of a 20-year-old as he went about his daily chores. His workday involved cutting hay and tending to livestock.

His meals were full of lard and other stuff doctors say you shouldn’t eat. Bacon. Eggs. Biscuits. Gravy. Flaky crust pies with cherries and apples bathed in sugar.

I asked the gentleman if he was concerned about his diet. He told me his doctor gave him a clean bill of health. He was in better shape than many men half his age.

His secret?

“You gotta work it off,” he said.

Alonzo Weston can be reached at alonzow@npgco.com.