everything in moderation? i respectfully disagree

carolynmittens

i keep seeing this phrase thrown around all over the place. "it's ok if you ate a quarter pounder from McDonalds last night, everything in moderation!" "don't feel guilty about eating that Snickers bar, everything in moderation right?" i don't really understand this frame of mind - why would anyone want to put anything unhealthy into their body, ever? i mean is it ok to poison yourself in moderation? because that's what junk food does to you. especially genetically modified, heavily preserved or artificially sweetened junk food.

to indulge is one thing. i make some seriously delicious and indulgent dark chocolate brownies from time to time. but they're made out of whole grain barley flour, 100% dark chocolate, and sweetened with applesauce or dates. if i'm in the mood for pancakes i make buckwheat pancakes. i'm not saying everyone should cut out desserts or treats, not at all. you can absolutely indulge in chocolate, cookies, pancakes, etc in moderation. but people, there are healthier versions of these foods that taste just as good and won't kill you!

it is never ok to drink soda, regular or diet. it's never ok to consume snacks that contain more chemicals than real food. it is NEVER ok to consume BHT, hydrogenated oils, artificial colors like yellow 6 and red 3, high fructose corn syrup, sodium nitrite, or aspartame. check your favorite "cheat treats" - if it contains any of those ingredients, please don't eat it. i wish people would get out of this "everything in moderation" mind frame, and start asking themselves "what is this food going to do for my body?" instead. if there is nothing at all beneficial in the food you're about to eat, why are you eating it? food is meant to be fuel for our bodies, stop catering to your taste buds. your taste buds make up like .001% of your body, what about the other 99.999%? if you think you're satisfying your taste buds by eating that Twinkie, doesn't it bother you that you're hurting the other 99% of your body?

i understand cravings, and that if you deprive yourself of something you'll likely binge out on it at some point. i don't condone deprivation, i just think you can find a perfectly natural substitute. if you NEED a cheeseburger, make your own out of organic beef, please don't eat that artificially flavored chemical smorgasbord from McDonalds. if you need cookies, make your own, don't reach for a box of Entenmann's. every food in its natural state can be consumed in moderation, absolutely. but when you enter into the world of freaky genetically modified lab experiment foods/additives/preservatives, there is absolutely no reason to go near it, even in moderation.

your body is a temple, treat it with respect :flowerforyou:

wonnder1

That's a lovely theory.

And those of us who don't own an oven? Or can't afford organic? Or work long hours?
Sorry, while I didn't take offense, and thought it was a lovely bit o' prose, for some people those aren't viable options.

Splurging for me is going someplace and having someone cook for me. No organic restaurants in my neck of the woods.

So, you do what's good for you, and I'll do what's good for me and the two of us shall live happily ever after.

youngmomtaz

Love!! But on the other hand, I have a bag of oreos in the cupboard that has been calling to me.

VenusEnvy

This is rather ironic when you compare it to you avatar. Is that water you're drinking?

sweet_lotus

Well, if you can stick to your plan forever, good for you! I couldn't so I don't even try.

angijunbug

Yes, all great in theory, however some would say the same about alcoholic drinks, use of hairspray, breathing in second hand smoke. Oh I could go on & on...honey, you got to live in this world & everybody has the choice to do as the choose. Accept the things you cannot change.

hellokatee

This is rather ironic when you compare it to you avatar. Is that water you're drinking?

HEHE! :laugh:

bluebird321

For myself, I agree. I have a lot of control over my environment since I work from home and I literally live next to 5 different supermarkets, one of which is a healthfood store. The challenges for someone like my sister, who is a fulltime working mother of 3, are a bit more severe. What seems normal to me is a bit extreme for her, hence "everything in moderation".

VegGrrl

ITA. BUT, as a human with human failings, sometimes I eat stuff that's not the best thing for me. I think a lot of people go the "moderation" route because being PERFECT is so daunting that they would be setting themselves up for failure. And eating better most of the time (or even some of the time) is better than eating crappy all of the time. A lot of people need to change their diet in shades of gray - not go from black to white overnight.

And you also have to take into account that for many of us, food is more than just fuel for our bodies. It has a lot of issues and emotions tied to it. We wouldn't be overweight or be here needing support if it didn't. I hope some day I can view food as merely fuel, but although I have made progress (maintaining a mostly organic, whole foods, vegan diet for 9 years) I still have a long way to go.

I applaud your post as a wake up call for those of us that haven't considered the ramifications of what we eat beyond calories and fat yet, but please be compassionate to those of us who do realise, and do care, and are struggling to make the changes that will bring us to optimum health.

Namaste girlfriend!

1113cw

I both agree and disagree with you.

I agree about eating processed garbage, all day, everyday. I try to eat healthy at least 90% of the time and try to make the healthiest choices possible. But I do, from time to time, crave a Big Mac (as well as other things) and know it's not the best thing out there for me. And no, nothing I could make at home will come close. I don't believe that eating 1 or 2 a year will inevitablly kill me. For me, it's not about being completely perfect, it's about being as healthy as I can be but still enjoying the things I like to enjoy. This is where moderation comes in. For me anyway. I respect that you have a completely different point of view and that's ok. But for me, and many others on this site, progress is defined with change. And change is sometimes slow and in baby steps. I commend you for taking it to the next level but realize that not everyone is there yet. Might not ever be. But if you go from consistently eating processed, high fat foods to indulging every so often, that to me is a victory. It's not about perfection but about making progress and getting better.

Just my two cents...

bigdawg025

I agree with the person who said... you do what works for you, and I'll do what works for me. I have a problem with someone telling me that it's NEVER ok to do anything regardless of what it may be provided it isn't some illegal activity or something to that effect.

In fact... after my 10K race me and 2 others that I work with who ran went out for breakfast and had eggs, bacon, hash browns, a giant pancake, a giant omelet, and eggs benedict. (all of our 3 meals contents... by no means could I eat all that.) Our half marathon guy had the 6 egg omelet. LOL

So... bash away because we LOVED every bite!

suzycreamcheese

you gotta live too.

I really enjoy the occasional cheeseburger or choccy bar, and i dont think your brownies would necessarily be any more virtuous than a snickers tbh.

I think everything in moderation is a great way of thinking, because it means youre less likely to feel deprived and give up

MyaPapaya75

Interesting post ...if it works for you Im happy however it rarely works for the mainstream..myself included..there are several contributing factors as to why this is ..economy, money, lifestyle, location and their own personal goals....cheers Im going to imagine that your drinking a blend of freshly picked exotic fruits in that picture and that no pesticides were used in the creating of....just sayin

Time2BSkinny

I think it's more that people give into these indulgences knowing they aren't the best decisions because...well...they are YUMMY.

Just like people smoke knowing it's not the best decision, drink too much knowing they are going to get drunk, go tanning when they can get skin cancer, forget to put sunscreen on, skip a workout because they are tired.

I admit to sometimes eating unhealthy things, drinking a little too much on occasion, and enjoying the sun. To me, it's human.



I think that's great you can stick to all of that- I wish I could.

dragonbug300

Imagine peak health as a shining beacon at the top of a long staircase.
Most people who are on MFP start at the bottom, eating nothing but these processed unhealthy foods. Often it's all they know--they were raised with it.
With every step, the MFP-er gets closer to that shining beacon of health. It takes time, though, and a gradual alteration of attitude and physical composition.
Switching from processed to organic is like giving up drugs cold turkey. There are physical side effects.
Same goes for the mind's adaptation to a new lifestyle. If the body goes one way but the mind isn't ready, people will fall off of this allegorical staircase, or at least tumble down to a lower step.
No, the junk food is not good in any way, shape, or form. But if a person is able to go from eating 90% unhealthy and 10% healthy to 50%-50%, that's a tremendous change. If they can go from that to 30% unhealthy-70% healthy, that's even greater of a progress. The indulgences are still bad, but they're BETTER than what they're used to. It takes gradual adaptation of the body and mind to reach that beacon of health that you've been able to get so close to.

So when people say "everything in moderation" I imagine that's what they mean--don't deprive yourself of something terrible for you if it means you'll end up doing even worse later. Forgive yourself, avoid the cortisol explosion of stress (which can cause worse indulgences) and move on up that staircase.

Losingitin2011

The idea of everything in moderation is a way to NOT made food an issue. What good does it do to berate yourself and belittle yourself because you ate something "bad". NONE. So many people make an issue out of food, and those are the people who end up gaining weight, binging, and having terrible self esteem issues. It's great that you can afford to go all organic and whatnot, but don't condemn those who can't. It DOES cost more, and many people are barely making ends meet as it is.

If I want a dang snickers bar I'm gonna have one, and you know what? That's FINE.

PJilly

ITA. BUT, as a human with human failings, sometimes I eat stuff that's not the best thing for me. I think a lot of people go the "moderation" route because being PERFECT is so daunting that they would be setting themselves up for failure. And eating better most of the time (or even some of the time) is better than eating crappy all of the time. A lot of people need to change their diet in shades of gray - not go from black to white overnight.

And you also have to take into account that for many of us, food is more than just fuel for our bodies. It has a lot of issues and emotions tied to it. We wouldn't be overweight or be here needing support if it didn't. I hope some day I can view food as merely fuel, but although I have made progress (maintaining a mostly organic, whole foods, vegan diet for 9 years) I still have a long way to go.

I applaud your post as a wake up call for those of us that haven't considered the ramifications of what we eat beyond calories and fat yet, but please be compassionate to those of us who do realise, and do care, and are struggling to make the changes that will bring us to optimum health.

Namaste girlfriend!

I agree with you 90 percent. The only area where my opinion differs somewhat is that I don't want to view food merely as fuel. Mostly maybe, but not exclusively. I think food should be enjoyed, a thing of pleasure, while it's fueling our bodies. :drinker:

Sezmo83

Life is for living and I'm afraid I'm not going to constantly worry about whether every single thing I put into my body is perfectly healthy. I've been around people who are like that and I do NOT want to live like that. As long as I make healthy choices almost all the time I don't see a problem with eating out or having takeaway or whatever now and then.

Driagnor

While I do kind of agree with you (I'm loving eating healthily, and have absolutely no desire to go near fast food or chocolates), for some people it's just not that easy. As far as I'm concerned, if people feel that having a non-nutritious meal once in a while is going to help them avoid the feelings of deprivation, and maintain this healthy weight loss journey (especially if they can fit it within their calorie goals), then that to me is a far better option than deciding 'screw it, I can't live like this' and dropping out completely.

I don't think many people would argue the point that fast food is generally not nutritious, has too many calories and too much saturated fat, and that unprocessed foods are better for our general health, but just cutting out everything may not work for some, and that cheat meal may help them to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle.

Each of us is approaching this individually, and trying to shoehorn everyone into a one size fits all plan isn't realistic.

foodforfuel

I respect your opinion, for sure. Although most of us are similar in our goals, many of us are at different stages in our journey to become more healthy. Different lifestyles for different lives. If you think your metabolisim has slowed at age 25, heaven help the 40 year old single parent with 3 kids working 12+ hour shifts in the E.R. while trying to get her Master's Degree at the same time! Looking back, do you think some of your earlier poor eating habits had anything to do with the stress of obtaining your teaching degree? Good luck to you, it sounds like you are on a wonderful path, but for many on this site, doing the best you can trumps not doing anything at all!

milaxx

I actually eat like this. It isn't hard. I don't always buy organic, but I buy fresh fruit & veg whenever possible and frozen when I can't. I don't drink soda and rarely buy juices. I was fortunate enough to be gifted a juicer and make my own. I coupon to save. I spend one day a week prepping. It comes to about an hour clipping and sorting coupons and another 1 or 2 hours prepping food for the week, That includes making a pot of beans, a pot of brown rice and chopping veg for salads to grab and go through the week. I grocery shop probably every 2 weeks and try to buy food that's as clean as possible.I still go out to eat but I pick and choice. No fast food, it's too high in sodium and sugars to make it worth it.I invested in several to go bottle so I have drinks with me in the car and I ziplock snack like almonds and cranberries. I buy larabar bars. I even got a popsicle mold from the dollar store and make my own popsicles for sweet cravings. I have been laid off for several months now and honestly my food budget had not increased I actually save money buying dried beans and cooking them myself or quick sale produce that I blanch and freeze or roast myself. I'd say a half a day once a week is not too much time to devote to better health.