There are some words that, in my humble opinion, should rarely, if ever, be used – the list is relatively short. You can probably come up with them all on your own – the “n” word, the “r” word, the “c” word…I’m sure there are a few others, but suffice it to say, that these words are frowned upon because as a society we have realized that they are hurtful in more ways than just hurt feelings.
It seems that there are some in the health industry who would like to take a few more words away from your vocabulary – the most prevalent one being “moderation”. Why do they want to take this word away from you? Simply put, because it’s a crutch; an excuse for poor choices; it means different things to different people; and my personal favorite people are too dumb to know what moderation really means.
Andy Bellatti, a register dietician, recently wrote on the Huffington Post that “Everything in moderation,” is another way of unnecessarily and inaccurately equalizing all foods. It operates on the inane and utterly insane notion that peaches, Pop-Tarts, muffins, soda, lentils and tomatoes should all be approached the same way.
Um…really?
He goes on to imply that you, the public, are not intelligent enough to understand that three cups of mixed greens as part of a salad are not the same thing as three cups of chocolate pudding.
And that you are too clueless to realize a large Dunkin’ Donuts Mountain Dew Coolatta should not be consumed with the same frequency as unsweetened green tea.
And that you have no idea that eating a pint of blueberries in one sitting is very different from eating a pint of Häagen-Dazs.
Hmmm…is that you?
Personally, I think most people actually do understand that.
Do you really think that three cups of mixed greens is the same as three cups of chocolate pudding? If I were to say to you that you’re okay to eat chocolate pudding occasionally, as long as it’s in moderation, would you interpret that as “I can eat 3 cups of chocolate pudding every single day!”?
Do you, as many of these health experts believe you do, believe that drinking a 32 oz soda slushy is the same as drinking unsweetened green tea?
In your mind is eating a pint of blueberries the same as eating a pint of Häagen-Dazs?
Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Now, Bellatti does have a point. Ask 20 people what moderation means and you will probably get 20 different answers, but you can bet next week’s paycheck that the majority (and to be specific I’ll say 80%) of the answers will be lumped together like a giant bell curve, varying only minutely.
Perhaps Bellatti and those of his ilk are former food addicts in a past life and feel they must go to extreme measures to keep their past behaviors under control. You know what? That’s not fair, I don’t know him at all, but perhaps Bellatti and his followers simply need to do a better job of reminding themselves what “moderation” actually means and relearn that a moderate amount of food A is not is not going to be the same as a moderate amount of food B…
Here’s a little help:
synonyms: self-restraint, restraint, self-control, self-command, self-discipline, temperance
Notice the synonyms?
I’m not a dietician. I don’t even play one on TV, in part, well, because I’m not on TV, but I’m pretty sure that someone who has worked hard for their RD status can work with individual clients and help those who want to know what a moderate amount of chocolate pudding would be…it’s certainly going to be a significantly less amount, in both volume and frequency, than a moderate amount of salad greens.
…but of course, most of us already knew that.
Run Luau Run 
For some reason I am imagining you doing this in some form of a monologue like Bill Maher or Dennis Miller…but very well put. I am so tired of people talking for us or down to us…seriously? Do they think that as a society we have fallen so low that we can’t even think for ourselves anymore. I know what moderation is, don’t expect a child to – that needs to be taught but seriously, give us some credit! Awesome job once again Luau
Wow … I had no idea I was so stupid. How did I ever make it to 50 without such sage advice??
Lol! Yeah…totally got my goat!
Mine too.
Great post by-the-way.
Thank you!
Sorry, but I strongly disagree with you on many levels.
1. You’re wrong about people being stupid. The average person really is pretty stupid, and in terms of health and nutrition, they are REALLY stupid. Our government, health care system and the coverage of health issues by the media make it even worse with their constant contradictions and sensationalism. I’m obviously being obnoxious, but I can’t tell you much stupidity regarding health and nutrition I’ve heard come out of the mouths of people who I know are otherwise pretty smart. For even more proof, just look at a map of the states by obesity, and then look at a map of the states by average education level.
2. You have no idea what it’s like to personally struggle with your own weight. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve had a rocket fast metabolism. Even in your pre-running days, you were never fat despite having a prodigious appetite. So for you state that people need to just remind themselves about “self-restraint” and “self-discipline” is ridiculous. Obesity is not simply a moral failing or personal weakness. It’s much more complicated than that. This brings me to…
3. You completely ignore the role of epigenetics on weight. You know what happens when you exercise? Your gene expression starts changing in response to the stimulus. By the same token, you know what happens when you start eating crapping food? The same thing but in opposite, negative fashion. Let’s be real. Big Food (agriculture, packaged goods, restaurants) spends billions of dollars in research just to figure out how to get you to eat more of their products, even when you’re full or past your calorie needs for the day. Their research is focused on finding ways to create foods that are hyperpalatable – foods that overwhelm our bodies’ ability to know when it is satiated. So even if you’re not stupid, they make it really difficult for you to “enjoy” their products in moderation. Once you start eating crap food, your body changes so that your sense of normal becomes abnormal. They’ve essentially created products that have destroyed our bodies ability to regulate itself. And in case that isn’t enough, they spend billions more on advertising and marketing. Sure there are probably plenty of your readers out there who can say that they are a counterexample to my argument, but at a societal level, the evidence is clear. The restaurants and food companies are winning.
4. There are certain things that really shouldn’t be eaten at all, even in moderation. I’ve been thinking about this subject a lot lately (and this is partially why your post set off this response) because the FDA has finally proposed removing artificial trans fats from the GRAS list. People are trying to make this out to be about the nanny state overreaching into our lives, but they’re wrong. There is no research that shows any acceptable level of trans fat consumption, nor is there any proven benefit or nutritional need for artificial trans fat. They’re simply a poison that has been used for the benefit of the food producers to increase their margins. There is no reason they should be in the food supply at all – they’ve only remained on the GRAS list due to politics and lobbying.
I agree with you that ultimately it’s the individual’s responsibility about what goes into his or her body. But weight control and obesity are really complicated problems at both the individual and societal level. “Everything in moderation” oversimplifies the problem and just doesn’t really get us anywhere. You remember Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign? That was real effective, right? I think “Everything in moderation” is basically the equivalent. It’s a tautology – fundamentally true, but in practical terms, meaningless.
I appreciate your thoughtful, detailed response. I’m gonna sleep on it and let it roll around in my head. Thanks.
So I think there are a few things that may not have been clear in the post – I don’t think that telling someone that they need to practice self-restraint is the way to reel in his or her eating habits. I do think however that saying that we can’t use the word “moderation” is silly. Although the word is fluid, and can mean different things to different people, the point is that there can’t be a “one size fits all” formula when it comes to people’s diets. To say no one can eat Haagen Dazs would be oversimplifying things as well, which is what people like Bellatti and his followers would have us do. A moderate amount of ice cream for some will be different than a moderate amount for others, true, but that’s okay. I know I have been lucky (until now anyway) regarding my metabolism – I cannot truly know what it is to struggle mightily with one’s weight – so I know that the way I eat is different than the way you or some of our friends may eat. That doesn’t change the fact that if we avoid the extremes (learning in the process what those extremes are) we should be okay. We need to know ourselves.
Ultimately I think we have to remind ourselves that we are a spectrum, the human spectrum – moderation works…for some; it doesn’t work for others. We shouldn’t throw away the baby with the bathwater because a slice of the population pie, so to speak, needs a different plan. Banning a word because it doesn’t work for some, especially when it does work for others, is ridiculous. As a future trainer, moderation is probably where I would start, explaining if necessary that a moderate amount of blueberries is not the same as a moderate amount of ice cream, but if I see that isn’t working for a particular client, I would direct him or her to a registered dietician to really gain a true knowledge of what and how they consume and spend their calories.
Maybe I need to start first with “know thy self” then “use moderation”.
I’m going to throw in one more point here – and this also may not have been clear in my post – my issue is more with the health professional and internet gurus who would rather sweep a word like “moderation” away from the vocabulary as opposed to actually educating people on what a moderate amount of Food A or Food B might be, in addition to explaining why Food C may be one that should be left off of the plate completely. Instead, they take, what is in my opinion a lazy, broad stroked approach and simply wipe away certain foods altogether; which is why I wrote this:
“…perhaps Bellatti and his followers simply need to do a better job of reminding themselves what “moderation” actually means and relearn that a moderate amount of food A is not is not going to be the same as a moderate amount of food B…”
They are the supposed experts; they should know better than to think or believe that one size will fit all.
Yeah I think you’re right – there’s no reason to throw any tool out of the toolbox because there certainly are people who respond to a moderate approach. My approach has been to focus on eating foods that I know are doing good things for me (beyond just calories) rather than listing off things that I can’t have. It’s a subtle difference, but I find that by focusing on the positives of the things I’m eating (e.g. leafy greens, colorful berries, dark chocolate, green tea, pastured meats), I’m not thinking constantly of the things I’m denying myself (like soda). But even still, it’s hard and I don’t always win. It’s amazing how if I’m walking by the office kitchen and see some free cake sitting out there, I won’t be able to concentrate for hours because I’ll be fighting off the urge to go grab a wedge. Stupid office cake.
I am suddenly in the mood for leafy greens, colorful berries, dark chocolate, green tea, and pastured meats! I think your approach, though subtle can make a tremendous difference (not just for you but with anybody struggling with the thought that they are denying themselves foods that are “treats”.