Moderation.

Written by Theresa Gray

The definition for eating in moderation is defined as a subjective term, meaning something different to individuals and their perspective. Moderate according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means recognising reasonable limits and avoiding extremes in behaviour or expression.

I was at the check-out today when I overheard a mother and her teenage daughter discussing a product “Sara Lee, Sticky Date pudding” in their shopping trolley. My ears pricked up immediately as they do when anyone is talking about nutrition and food.

At first, I thought the daughter was justifying to her mother why she needed to eat this cake, reading the nutritional facts on the packaging and explaining to her mother how many carbohydrates and kilojoules it contained. But then I realised the daughter was actually advising the mother not to eat this item. The mother gently explained to the daughter she works hard and she exercised today and if at the end of the week she feels like a treat she is not going to deprive herself.

I felt a sense of joy arise in me,  the mother was teaching her daughter about moderation.

So what is moderation?

If you look up  “Eating in Moderation”  on the web there is a plethora of information that  describes its broad meaning and debates the issue in regard to "eating food in moderation" may not be such a good term to use, as everyone has their own ideas.

My perspective:

In a nut shell

If you eat healthily following The Australian Dietary Guidelines, serving sizes of vegetables/ legumes, fruits, wholegrain cereals, dairy and lean meats/ protein, 7 days a week and include some type of exercise (this could be incidental exercise or planned physical activity, just as long as your body is moving at a minimum of three days a week) then deciding on one or two days a week to eat a treat, like a sticky date pudding or in my case a caramel nut icecream, is a welcomed treat.

There is a trick though.

If you decide to have a treat then enjoy it to its fullest, take in the smell and the sight and saviour every mouth full, but if you begin to feel like you don’t need any more, you have had enough sugar or you suddenly feel full then “Stop”. You don’t need to finish it.

In the scheme of things one ice-cream included in a healthy balanced diet is acceptable and won’t break my health or well-being and tarnish my values.

As a nutritionist, I believe people need to be happy with their food choices rather than try to eat by rules and regulations and continually feel unhappy by the restrictions they put on themselves. This is not productive and can lead to binge eating and yo-yo dieting.

Healthy eating is more about what you do every day rather than what you do occasionally and if that means on occasion you have a glass of wine, a row of chocolate, a packet of chips, a slice of pizza (whatever your pleasure), but have still eaten a huge salad, 2 pieces of fruit and a bit of dairy “So Be It!”

If you are not happy with your food choices every day and feel guilty, stressed, fed up or just unwell, don’t despair, come and see me! I can help making simple and balanced suggestions, free of restrictions and fad dieting. Just good healthy food for everyday people.