Eating in moderation – what it means and how to do it

“Everything in moderation” is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot when it comes to talking about food.  I am a big fan of moderation, but I think to apply it to eating healthy, we need to look into what moderation really looks like, and why it can be so hard.

Poo-pooers of moderation say it’s simply an excuse to overindulge, a blanket statement to justify why someone has chosen to have that extra slice of cake, or extra helping of pudding. I disagree. For those that throw around “all in moderation” as a justification for a poor diet, it’s not what it’s about.

Moderation, by dictionary definition, means the absence of extremes.  In my opinion this means allowing yourself a little of the things you love rather than extreme approaches of never eating (or severely restricting) certain food groups such as carbohydrates or sugar.  Some people are quite happy to eliminate foods, and if that works for them that’s great (some have to due to allergies). But from what I’ve seen, most people enjoy eating a range of foods, and extreme restriction does not work to help them create long term healthy eating patterns. In fact, it can cause the opposite and lead to overeating and binging.

Moderation is being able to enjoying foods and not feel guilty.  It’s choosing nourishing, wholesome foods most of the time.  It’s allowing pleasurable foods some times.  Moderation means you don’t always eat everything on your plate. It’s responding to hunger and satiety signals.  Moderation means you can stop at one or two biscuits, because you know you can eat them another time.

If you feel like you can’t do moderation and have to be an all or nothing person, here’s something to consider.  If you’ve been a dieter and tried to follow rules around eating, chances are you’ve lost touch with your own internal hunger cues, and ability to trust yourself to eat.    Have a think about the last time you ate something pleasurable.  Did you feel guilty?  Did you keep eating past the feeling of satisfaction and fullness because you thought you’d been “bad”, so you may as well keep going and be “good” again tomorrow?  The thought that you’ve “been bad” is part of what drives the cycle of overeating, food guilt and feelings of being out of control with treat foods.

If you want to be able to enjoy treat foods in moderation you need to let go of the whole good and bad food concept.  While it seems that good and bad are just words, they are more than just words, they change the way we think about eating, and how we eat.    As a starting point, change the language you use when talking about food.  Use “nourishing” instead of “good” and either “pleasurable” or “sometimes” or “treat” foods instead of “bad”.

It’s also important to start to know and listen to your body cues.  Learn to feel hunger and respond appropriately.   When you eat, stop when you are no longer hungry, rather than feeling overstuffed.

It’s also important to start noticing satisfaction with food. Often the first few mouthfuls of a treat or pleasurable food is the most satisfying, after this enjoyment will decrease.  Learn to eat food slowly and really notice the tastes and texture.   This is part of what’s known as mindful or intuitive eating.  Noticing satisfaction, and eating mindfully are two skills that make it possible to stop at one biscuit, or leave the rest of the dessert on your plate because you’ve had enough.

Here’s some tips and a summary on how to move towards eating healthy and enjoying treat foods in moderation.

1. When you shop, fill your fridge and cupboards with nourishing, wholefoods, include plenty of fresh vegetables and some fruit.  Minimise processed sugary/fatty/salty foods.

2.  Eat mindfully. Enjoy the experience of food, spend time tasting and enjoying the texture and flavours. The more you do this, the less you are likely to overeat.

3. Learn to honour your hunger and satiety signals.  Stop when you’re no longer hungry, rather than feeling stuffed.  Avoid rules around hunger and eating – if you’re really hungry, it’s ok to eat.  Signs of hunger include a grumbling stomach,

4.  If emotional eating is an issue for you, work on changing your thinking and dealing with emotions in non food related way.  It’s ok to ask for help with this.  A psychologist, or appropriate counsellor are professionals who can help with changing thought patterns.

5.  Avoid thinking of foods as good and bad. This only leads to food guilt.  Enjoy the foods you love without guilt. This will become easier by following the above steps.

Healthy eating and  moderation is about eating mostly nourishing, wholefoods, with plenty of plant based foods. It’s about limiting highly processed foods, especially those that are high in refined carbohydrates, sugars, salt and fat.  But it’s not banning these. It’s enjoying all foods mindfully, and especially enjoying those pleasurable foods without guilt.   Start to change how you talk and think about food, learn how to eat mindfully and moderation will become something you can do.  You need to learn to trust your body rather than relying on food rules. This isn’t always easy, but it can be done.

Featured image from here