everything in moderation? i respectfully disagree

babytmarie27

I feel bad now that you are being ripped a new one lmao. I do understand your underlying point that even foods in moderation can be very damaging to the body! If people have the option to choose otherwise they should. If they dont they need to be grateful for whatever they have. :drinker: this is organic booze cheers to freedom to express our opinions! ....at least until a moderator yanks the thread lol

sweetsarahj

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:

Ok, so yo know alcohol is poison right? The 'pleasant' intoxicated feeling we get from booze is sign our bodies give us that we are poisoning ourselves. That's an alcoholic beverage in your profile pic right?

EDIT***OOPS, caught up reading and I see it's cranberry juice.... you know too much fructose can make you fat, right? LOL.

carolynmittens

I'm more of a live and let live dieter. How other people eat affects me not in the slightest. It may very well be an age thing.

It might be. I don't much care at all how the people around me eat. When I'm doing it right (my way right), I feel great. If I'm under eating or over eating, I'm kicking myself in the butt mentally.
But the age thing comes in to play I think with tolerance.
Like, I'm really really miffed that this chick is trying to tell me how to eat and what not to put in my body. Maybe if she was your age. Or a doctor.
Her diary is private, so we have no idea how she's eating. All we know is that she's had some serious eating problems in the recent past. (Sounds to me like she's trying to downplay anorexia.) I get it in my head that she's eating who knows what? 500 calories, maybe. But all of her calories are perfect and pure and have no artificial incredients or colorings. I try to eat 1200 calories (don't exercise yet) and once or twice a week I have a yogurt with Aspertame in it, and once a week I have a wonderful cheat day. Who's eating worse?
Perhaps if I was ten or twenty years older, I might just be able to see what she posted and say "psh, whatever. I definitely need to read this chick's posts in moderation" and move on.

i eat a lot. immeasurably more than 500 cals a day. i thought i had set my diary to public - i switched it to private because i don't log everything i eat, and sometimes i log stuff in just for curiosity. like i logged in 20 pizzas once just to see how much i'd weigh in 5 weeks. i've been logging everything lately, so i set it to public again but for some blessed reason i guess it didn't work!

to the people who get offended by someone telling them Coke is harmful, who cares what i say anyway? if it's that important to you, drink up! i'll even cheers you with my wheat grass shot.

wonnder1

I logged in 20 pizzas once just to see how much I'd weigh in 5 weeks.

:laugh: I thought I was the only one who did that.:laugh:

Just let the negative comments slide. You have your opinion, it seems you're in the minority, but hey, as long as you're happy.

lodro

Hey--I don't think she was trying to be mean. It was preachy. Anytime you write a post about how YOU believe things should be done, that's preachy.

She gave her opinion...we can take it how we will.

I think the fact that 1 person agreed with you (so far) means it probably ISN'T the way most people want to live.

well I agree with her. in fact, I think it IS moderation to take the matter of food into your own hands, including making it. I think it IS moderation that anything I cook will taste so much better than anything store bought. I think it IS moderation not to want to eat what McDonalds calls "food". I think it is extreme to eat what marketing departments tell you to. And call it "but I like my food". If that's preachy, then it's preachy. I really wonder about our priorities as a society. That so many are up in arms about this thread's first posting points out it has hit a nerve.

sweetsarahj

I ate crap food until a few months ago and I can honestly say people with your attitude kind of kept me eating that way. So judgemental and condescending with the fake air of concern.

I have a cheat day once a week that consists of pizza, doughnuts, chocolate and sugary drinks. Why? Because I enjoy food and taste. It's not the enemy. Lack of self control is. Your wonderful brownies probably could make people fat, too.

haha you are so right.

arewethereyet

Quite frankly, you can live your life like a monk in a temple, eating fresh herbs from your garden and never put one chemical in your body, yet still die from Cancer. Or have a massive heart attack. Or have lightening strike you.

I don't subscribe to the "eat like crap for your whole life" theory but I also think that life is too short to be too anal about anything.

I am more interested in the "treat each day as if it were your last" because it very well could be.

So be you, be happy and strive for health to preserve what you can, but in the end no one is guaranteed a long healthy life, we only hope for one.

Perfect example. My grandmother and grandfather. (gma born 1888 and gpa 1868)

Grandma came from Ireland with her weatlhy family. Lace curtain Irish they called it back then. She ate healthy and regularly, never smoked or drank, devout Catholic going to church every day. She worked in her parents boarding home until marrying grandpa later in life.

Grandpa was Shanty Irish. Sent over on an old boat with a priest in hopes of a better life. Ate potatoes in every why imaginable as a child. He was 13 when he starting working the roads of NY, laying brick. 17 when he went into the army. He smoked lucky strikes, up to 2 packs day (before that he rolled his own) drank a pint of booze every night. Not a drunk by any means, was just the times.

Grandpa passed away at 73 of cancer.

Grandma passed away 20 years later, at the age of 73, of...........you got it-cancer!

God rest their souls. It amazes me to this day.

marci355

I'm with you on that one, but wow, your tone is just going to set off a whole lot of comments. (What you were going for?)

straight up honesty. i need to give the OP a fist bump of solidarity. yeah, it probably came off a little snarky but i don't bull**** around because nice doesn't always work. you should see me irl lolol

Yep, it was snarky.

carolynmittens

I logged in 20 pizzas once just to see how much I'd weigh in 5 weeks.

:laugh: I thought I was the only one who did that.:laugh:

Just let the negative comments slide. You have your opinion, it seems you're in the minority, but hey, as long as you're happy.

oh i always let them slide. i get this same exact drill from my family every time we have dinner together, i'm so used to it :P

arewethereyet

i basically agree with you, but are you drinking a pina colada? :-)

she has addressed that she is drinking cranberry juice from a shaved coconut:yawn:

lodro

In a perfect world...where a person is single and without children and has a good job a person could probably live that way. I try to eat as natural as my budget will allow but guess what, at the end of the month when Im broke and need to eat I will eat what I can afford and will be grateful for every morsel. Plus I do allow my son to have treats in moderation he is not going to be the weirdo in school nibbling on an organic banana while the rest of the class is having a pizza party. That lifestyle is nearly impossible for most people. Besides I'm not going to spend my life in fear of whats in our food, while millions end their night hungry. Im glad it works for you though.

I have a family, not a very high income, live in a city and i live roughly like that without too much effort. It does require re-thinking a lot of what we take as being "normal" in today's society. but if you feel a group of like minded people as support, that too can be done.

Nailrep

This is not meant to be disrespectful. But if you are on MFP to lose weight, have you always followed your own advice? It's easy to say you are gonna do the right thing forever. But actually living that is tough.

The reason why I believe in "everything in moderation" is because this is a lifestyle change. We may not always be in the postition to buy certain foods or shakes (etc). And most everybody wants something BAD from time to time. I believe if Whoppers are your weakness, have one a month. It will help to keep you on track the other 29 or 30 days. But true moderation is knowing you have to follow the 80/20 rule - 80% of the time you eat good. 20% of the time you indulge. And if you are into serious health/fitness,the 90/10 rul applies. JMO.

carolynmittens

This is not meant to be disrespectful. But if you are on MFP to lose weight, have you always followed your own advice? It's easy to say you are gonna do the right thing forever. But actually living that is tough.

The reason why I believe in "everything in moderation" is because this is a lifestyle change. We may not always be in the postition to buy certain foods or shakes (etc). And most everybody wants something BAD from time to time. I believe if Whoppers are your weakness, have one a month. It will help to keep you on track the other 29 or 30 days. But true moderation is knowing you have to follow the 80/20 rule - 80% of the time you eat good. 20% of the time you indulge. And if you are into serious health/fitness,the 90/10 rul applies. JMO.

a few other people have brought up the expense argument... but isn't it a lot cheaper to make your own brownies than buying a box of pre-made from the grocery store? i bought a bag of barley flour for like $3 and i've made maybe 4 batches of brownies (among a bunch of other things) and i'm not even halfway through it yet. it's been so much cheaper to make my own food.

sweetsarahj

She does have some valid points and information in her post. BUT....

If you look at her profile she has also been eating very unhealthy for years just as the rest of us have. The only difference is while we were putting unhealthy fuel into our bodies she was putting none at all into hers or scarcely limited. We have all made bad choices in our pasts and that is why we are all here. To make better choices for ourselves and our bodies. But we should all keep that in mind when posting. We should never speak down about anyone else on this site. That's not what it's for. Otherwise our phone may ring, "Hello, Pot? This is Kettle. You're Black."

you're absolutely right - and when i was 19 and eating very infrequently, i was completely ignorant and honestly didn't think that would have any long-term negative affects on my body. i'm really grateful to the people who told me about the dangers of fasting as often as i was. so now i don't do it anymore. i personally think trans fat is dangerous because it will clog your arteries and give you a heart attack, i'm not trying to judge other people at all, just inform them. but as someone previously said, only one other person agrees with me about the dangers of trans fat and GMOs, so obviously i'm preaching to the wrong audience :P

Here's the thing- if you make a post preachy to everyone about how the should eat, you're not going to get a lot of support. I don't eat processed food. I am a chef so it is very easy for me to eat 'clean,' cooking is second nature to me. However, if I went to someone's house for dinner and they fed me Hamburger Helper, I'd eat it and be grateful.

Next time you want to start a debate about the virtues of food, start with facts and evidence and try to leave opinion and shame out of it.

robin52077

While I agree that it is best to put natural whole foods into our bodies, I do not agree with the choice of the word "never".
as soon as someone tells me :

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.

that's when I stop listening. I thought "well, you had some decent ideas of how to properly fuel the human body, but this is not communist russia in the 1950s and for someone to tell me I can NEVER eat something, that just makes me tune you out!"

So I will have my spinach salad for lunch, my steel cut oats for breakfast, an apple for a snack, and if I choose to have a Yoplait Light Fat Free Red Velvet Cake Yogurt with contains "GASP!!!" HFCS after my lunch I am damn well gonna do so...because ....

"EVERYTHING IN MODERATION!!!!!":drinker: :drinker: <- that's the BEER I had at my friend's wedding last night...the only drink I have had in MONTHS (again, everything in moderation!)

sweetsarahj

I was thinking about this thread, and it made my remember my grandmother.

She firmly believe in "everything in moderation".

She avoided junk food, quit smoking at a young age, and exercised well into her geriatric years. She didn't know what "organic" or "clean" meant, but always cooked meals made out of whole foods, like her Italian emigrant parents taught her. But she would always eat a slice of birthday cake at a party or share a dessert with me if we went out to lunch.

She was active and independent until nearly the very end, and passed away at age 89.

You can live whatever kind of life you want, but I have my own role model, my "everything in moderation" grandma.

Great post! I'm a nurse and that makes me think of the little geriatric patients who are well into their 90s. When asked, on occassion, what the secret was to old age, I don't remember any of them saying "Well dear, I never ate any chemicals..."

My grandma lived to 107. They were very poor and had to make do with whatever food was available. They very often ate greasy food like bacon, then soaked up all the bacon fat in the pan with bread, and ate that too. She lived with smokers, drank, and had 12 children. Frankly I think longevity has more to do with genetics than anything else. So I figure I need an amazing retirement plan

TourThePast

i personally think trans fat is dangerous because it will clog your arteries and give you a heart attack.

This is exactly the sort of statement that makes you sound preachy, even though you say you are trying not to be.

Yes trans fats are to be avoided, yes they can contribute to clogging of the arteries, yes that can increase the risk of heart attack. But saying "It will clog your arteries and give you a heart attack" is incorrect and alarmist.

While there are foods such as trans fats which are best avoided, there is no food that "will give you a heart attack" - there are many many other factors in that equation, such as smoking, age, gender and genetics and exercise. The food you eat is only one factor, and while it is an important one, stating that Eating XYZ will give you a heart attack is far too simplistic.

The older I get, the more I realise that the world is not black and white, there is a lot of grey in there too - and not just in my hair! :bigsmile:

Noctuary

I'm dying to know the non chemical you are sippin on.

fittocycle

I think the original poster meant well, but it might have came across as "preachy" to some. I took a peek at her food diary and noticed she does eat as well as she encouraged everyone to. I would love to have the discipline to eat like she does and my doctor would love it too! However, each of us are different and we have different views.

About two years ago, my son was diagnosed with a corn allergy. It was an eye opener for me because I never realized how many additives were in food or how much corn (in various forms) were added. Out of necessity, I changed the way I shopped and cooked. Almost all the food I prepared was made from scratch-hamburger buns, salad dressings, etc. It took a little more planning, but really, not much more time.

My son was found to be clear of the corn allergy, but honestly, we still eat about the same way. After reading books like The Omnivore's Dilemna and watching the movie, Food Inc. I've decided to keep most of those changes. I buy organic when I can afford to and am very conscious about what we eat.

To be fair, if it wasn't for my son's food allergy, we would still be eating the same way. It gave me an opportunity to look at things in a different light. I think each of us have different priorities and we need to respect those differences.

rharris86dc

I think it's funny that your topic says you disagree with the phrase, yet you use in in the second paragraph. LOL

But anyway, not everyone is on the organic bandwagon. So yes, if they want to have something that isn't healthy, it's their choice.

tobitude

Yea it is always the same thing wether it is here or somewhere else, some one always has to tell you that you are doing the wrong thing!!! I am so tired of others being judged by someone who thinks they are better than someone else. Get over it and let us live our lives, our lives is for us to live!!! Like I tell my kids "quit worrying about what everyone else is doing and worry about yourself" that is what makes us open to new things and new opportunities.

Nailrep

PS to OP............if you *think* your metabolism slowed down at 25, I got news for you..................................wait till you hit 50! LOL

Yeah, right? I think my metobolism was at an all time FAST at 30 -35. 25? No way! Forget that excuse!

FearAnLoathing

Hey guess what my great grandma drank diet soda from the day it hit the market to the day she died at 104!! She was 100% healthy the day she died from a car accident. I eat what I want when I want I am also very healthy my numbers in everything are excellent,blood pressure,cholesterol ect ect.

Let me ask you this do you use deoderant? advil? dye your hair? lotion? makeup? all unatural chemicals that end up in your body.
One more question exactlly how many calories do you burn climbing up on that pedistal?

bigdawg025

man, whiny people piss me off. i think its interesting how many people are posting in disagreement with the poster and have a large amount of weight to lose. correlation? maaaybe.

before you go trip out on me, i ate the same way for a long time. its programmed into us at this point. but you know what? you can change it. stop being afraid and wimpy and whiny and make yourself push past 'moderation' into healthy. i make minimum wage and work less than 20 hours a week and i'm a full time college student trying to pay off debt. guess what? i feed myself organically with no HFCS, enriched flour, or gluten on less than $200 a month. and yes, the chipotle i am eating today follows the same guidelines.

its friggen doable. you just have to stop being afraid.

btw, cranberries are red. i really hope the person that made that comment realizes that.

Insert... preacher #2

myofibril

why would anyone want to put anything unhealthy into their body, ever? i mean is it ok to poison yourself in moderation?

Because it tastes good, it is pleasurable, it is socially inclusive and sharing food with friends and family is one of the most fundamental, cross cultural bonding experiences there is.

It's a question of costs v benefits. Little cost if eaten in moderation in comparison to the above benefits, high if eaten in excess. In addition flexible dieters tend to keep weight off more successfully in the long term and have less issues with eating disorders, many of which stem from feelings of guilt and shame attached to perfectionism applied to food intake.

Where do you draw the line? By your logic I should stop brushing my teeth with toothpaste as it contains fluoride and fluoride is more toxic than lead. I won't because I like my mouth being minty fresh. I also like having teeth...

smileybsa83

man, whiny people piss me off. i think its interesting how many people are posting in disagreement with the poster and have a large amount of weight to lose. correlation? maaaybe.

before you go trip out on me, i ate the same way for a long time. its programmed into us at this point. but you know what? you can change it. stop being afraid and wimpy and whiny and make yourself push past 'moderation' into healthy. i make minimum wage and work less than 20 hours a week and i'm a full time college student trying to pay off debt. guess what? i feed myself organically with no HFCS, enriched flour, or gluten on less than $200 a month. and yes, the chipotle i am eating today follows the same guidelines.

its friggen doable. you just have to stop being afraid.

btw, cranberries are red. i really hope the person that made that comment realizes that.

Some people aren't just feeding themselves. Some of us have others who are dependent on us to not only provide food, but also a roof, heat, electricity, medications, medical care. Some of us have long commutes to our crappy paying jobs that require large amounts of gas, but before we go there, we have to take our kids to the sitter, which also costs money. Some people have to make that $200 you feed yourself with feed 3 or 4 people. If it works for you, great. But calling people "whiny" and "wimpy" for doing what they can is beyond judgemental...it's flat out rude.

As to the OP...more power to you. You can go through life knowing you've kept "poison" out of your body...I'll go through life knowing I did the best I could, and knowing that if I want, I can put a Snickers bar in mine. At the end of the day, we're all gonna die. It could be at 90 even if we eat biscuits and gravy every day, or it could be at 28 when I get hit by a bus. Life's too damn short to worry so much.

As for the "poisons"...I did a limited amount of looking. There are so, so many things that cause cancer in rats that have never been proven to have the same effect in humans. For example, artificial sweeteners...have not been proven to cause cancer in humans. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners

Yes, certain fats are bad. Yes, certain chemicals are bad. Yes, extremely high amounts of some of these things can hurt you. But, using an example from the link above: "In 2005, a laboratory study found more lymphomas and leukemias in rats fed very high doses of aspartame (equivalent to drinking 8 to 2,083 cans of diet soda daily)" Seriously...this is crazy. When it comes right down to it, there are new "dangers" appearing every day, and sometimes, those "dangers" are disproven to much less fanfare.

It all pretty much boils down to this...do what you want, do what works for you, and for the love of all things holy, try not to sound so condescending.

carolynmittens

but don't you guys realize it's the american mindset to worry about consequences only after the damage has been done? (i don't mean to sound ethnocentric either, but the majority of people with diet-related illness live in america). since when is information so offensive? how about research for yourselves what the adverse effects of these substances are, then. and if it doesn't concern you, then by all means don't. but don't get offended because i told you twinkies are bad for you. if a smoker was told it would be in his/her best interest to quit smoking, would you all be up in arms about that? why is junk food such a sensitive issue?

smileybsa83

Besides I'm not going to spend my life in fear of whats in our food, while millions end their night hungry. Im glad it works for you though.

This. This is perfect. Thank you for giving a great perspective!

Sabochan

to the people who get offended by someone telling them Coke is harmful, who cares what i say anyway? if it's that important to you, drink up! i'll even cheers you with my wheat grass shot.

Ah, you see, it's statements like these that tend to annoy people. I wasn't planning on responding to this thread, even though your original post made me raise an eyebrow. I do agree that eating as organically as you can is ideal, but I keep my opinions on that topic to myself. I don't like being told what to do, and I don't like telling other people they must obey the 'rules' of eating healthily. There are no rules, there is only trial and error. Every person is different, and others' bodies deal with food differently too.

As for the sarcastic toast with the wheat grass shot, thanks but no thanks.

I'm dying to know the non chemical you are sippin on.

I believe it was 'cranberry' juice.

carolynmittens

Hey guess what my great grandma drank diet soda from the day it hit the market to the day she died at 104!! She was 100% healthy the day she died from a car accident. I eat what I want when I want I am also very healthy my numbers in everything are excellent,blood pressure,cholesterol ect ect.

Let me ask you this do you use deoderant? advil? dye your hair? lotion? makeup? all unatural chemicals that end up in your body.
One more question exactlly how many calories do you burn climbing up on that pedistal?

since you asked, i make my own deodorant:
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/02/homemade-all-natural-deodorant.html

i drink teas for pain and use natural lotion and makeup. it's expensive but that's a sacrifice i make. see this sounds preachy too now, but you freakin asked so i'm answering. i know most people won't take it to this extreme, it's just what makes me happy. if twinkies make you happy then i'll give you a cyber fist bump and wish you the best.