What "Everything in Moderation" Really Means
This blog post was updated with new information on 2/10/23.
It's a common term that gets thrown around, especially in the health and fitness world. "Everything in moderation" follows the assumption that nothing is inherently bad for you as long as you don't consume too much of it. In my opinion, this school of thought is just an excuse to eat things that, in fact, are bad for you and not feel bad about it.
It amazes me that there are actually clinical nutrition and dietetics programs that preach this mentality. If "everything in moderation" worked, we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic and so much chronic illness. The fact of the matter is that there are some foods that just shouldn't be consumed ever. Not in moderation. Not on cheat days. Never.
"Never" Foods
These "never" foods might look different for everyone but I can tell you there are certain offenders that are going to be commonly found across the population. These are foods such as:
Gluten
Seed oils or anything “hydrogenated”
Food dyes
While some may think gluten isn't a problem, gluten is extremely inflammatory and should be avoided by all those with autoimmune issues and problems with inflammation. The problem might not even be the gluten itself, but rather the pesticide glyphosate (RoundUp) that is sprayed on the wheat crops. Glyphosate exposure is known to cause inflammation, GI issues like leaky gut, as well as certain cancers.
Seed oils are another big offender for inflammation. Seed oils refer to vegetable, canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, rapeseed, and rice bran oils. These oils are highly unstable and oxidize quickly — meaning that ingesting them will cause free radicals in the body which can ultimately damage DNA.
Food dyes are not fit for human consumption. They are created using chemicals that are linked to many different health problems. If you want to read more about food dyes, I wrote a full blog post on why they should be avoided.
What does this phrase even mean?
Another flaw with this thought is that "everything" and "moderation" are not distinct guidelines. What does moderation even mean? Once a day? Once a week? Special occasions? There are no guidelines for what "moderation" looks like and it's terrible advice especially for someone who is new to changing their diet.
Also, are we supposed to moderate everything? While some might say "no, just moderate the unhealthy things," I'm here to tell you there is a HUGE discrepancy in what people think is healthy versus unhealthy. I would bet a great deal of people would tell you to moderate fat and that whole grains are healthy and therefore do not need to be moderated, when in fact the reality is the opposite. This guideline is too vague to be a safe recommendation for virtually anyone.
What to do Instead
Start with an elimination reset. I recommend Whole30 which includes 30 days of no grains, dairy, soy, legumes, sugar, and alcohol. Short term elimination diets allow your body to reset and show you how good your body can actually feel. Following your 30 days, you start a reintroduction period where you introduce one eliminated food at a time back into your diet. Take note of how you feel as far as bloating, energy levels, pain, skin reactions, etc. and determine how each eliminated food impacts your body.
Most people don't actually know what "good" feels like
This way you candevelop a way of eating that's appropriate for your body specifically. You can determine your "never" foods and what foods you can tolerate without any adverse reactions. This eliminates the mystery of "moderation" and gives you a clear idea of what foods make you feel your best (and those that don't).
There are certain foods that I would recommend everyone should avoid all the time. These include:
Artificial sweeteners (splenda, aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, etc.)
High fructose corn syrup
Dyes (red #40, yellow #5, green #3, etc)
Seed oils
Non-organic produce on "the dirty dozen"
The Takeaway
Do some self experimentation to figure out what eating pattern works for you. Start with an elimination diet and do a proper reintroduction. Do what's best for your body and eliminate foods that do not make you healthier. And let's stop saying "everything in moderation," okay?