Everything in Moderation

Foods don't have moral value. And eating (or not eating) certain foods doesn't make you "good" or "bad," either.

I eat French fries, or some other version of salty potatoes (chips, wedges, tater tots) just about once a week. At least.

I used to think it was a badge of honor, or a sign of my willpower, if I didn't touch them. Not a single one. Yes, I will substitute fries for a salad for an extra $2. No, I will not give in to the allure of salty potato deliciousness.

Now I eat fries regularly. I enjoy it, and I don't feel bad about it, because just about everything is okay in moderation. (Of course, this doesn't apply if you have food allergies!)

Foods are not "good" or "bad," and we are not "good" for restricting ourselves to “healthy” options or "bad" if we don't. Foods simply exist with different nutritional compositions, and we assign meaning to them that either makes us feel better about ourselves or worse.

Some of the foods we label as "good" really are more health-promoting than others, but sometimes marketing and culture get it wrong, and we mislabel foods as "bad" when they can actually be very beneficial (fruits, carbohydrates, fat, the list goes on and on).

If you have moral associations toward certain foods or food groups, stop and ask why. Who taught you those things were "good" or "bad"? And more importantly, what did they have to gain from it?

When it comes to fitness and nutrition, there are a lot of people (salespeople and marketers!) who have a stake in making you believe certain foods or exercises are better than others. It might be sorta kinda true, but it's never as extreme as you typically see on the internet! That’s because sensational headlines are the ones that get clicked on and too-good-to-be-true book titles are the ones that sell more copies. Bonus points if they get a celebrity endorsement.

It’s not fresh or sexy or exciting to hear that you need to eat a range of less-processed foods in appropriate amounts for your goals, or that you need to get up off the couch and move your body and you also need to drink water and sleep. That’s not the fun stuff. That stuff requires you to put some thought and effort into your daily life – it’s much easier just to pay someone to tell you to cut out entire food groups.

But easier doesn’t equal better or longer-lasting or healthier. Besides, is it really “easier” if you have to follow a rigid eating plan, only eat between certain hours, avoid some foods altogether, or feel hungry all the time?

If your “healthy eating plan” is making you feel miserable, grumpy, or low-energy, is it still healthy?

On the flip side, if you say “Screw it, I’m going to eat whatever I want,” and that means a lot of fast food, processed food, alcohol, candy, etc., that can also lead to low energy, digestive issues, and other negative health effects.

Eating in moderation means having fries sometimes if you want them but also loading up on more nutrient-rich foods most days.

It means eating enough food to have energy for your daily life (a 1200 calorie diet ain’t it, friends) but also listening to your body’s hunger cues and stopping when you’re satisfied, not overstuffed.

It’s all the basic stuff our bodies and minds already knew how to do before we started overthinking everything we read online and turning food into a moral dilemma.

Good nutrition doesn't require a lot of rules and guidelines and restrictions. It's not as complicated as we make it, and it's not as extreme as what any fad diet would have you believe.

If you're confused about nutrition or exercise, you're not alone, and I'm here to help! If it's a quick question, hit reply and send it over -- guaranteed if you don't know the answer, someone else is wondering, too. I'll help break it down as best I can. If it's something specific to you, personal training or nutrition coaching might be your next best step.

And if everything you just read makes you think, "Yeah, ok but I just need to know what to eat," click here. I've got ya covered ;)