Welcome to 2012. Question: what is the one thing everyone wants to lose at the beginning of a new year and you would be so happy to never find it again ... but come March it finds you?
We’ll leave that answer to the end of the Blog.
I hear this so many times – “moderation in everything". It used to end nutritional discussions before they begin, as if it were a "universal law." And in most areas of life, it is pretty good advice. But when it comes to what you put into your body, it is a huge diet trap.
Some substances are harmful, even when taken in moderation. In fact, there are substances and foods of which even a miniscule portion can kill you - arsenic, for example, or mushrooms. I have just read that two people in Canberra died just this weekend eating wild mushrooms. Of course these are extreme examples, but both demonstrate - immediately and emphatically - the inaccuracy of the phrase. This trap is particularly effective at snaring the unwary eater because it is regularly passed off as a principle.
"Moderation in everything" is not a principle.
This phrase is an untruth (what my mum would call a "lie"). It is a rationalization promoted by people who have a vested interest in maintaining the nutritional status quo and our addictions to junk foods.
When you eat "everything in moderation," you may experience a number of negative consequences - being overweight is just the most immediately visible.
Here's what nutrient rich expert advisors Alan Goldhamer, D.C. and Doug Lisle Ph.D. write in their landmark book, The Pleasure Trap:
"A little bit of coffee is only a little bit toxic and results in only a little bit of increased blood pressure, and thus is responsible for only a little bit of an increase in stroke probability. "A little bit of refined flour is likely to be the cause of only a little bit of excess body fat, and is therefore only a little bit aesthetically displeasing, and is only associated with a little bit of an increase in all-cause mortality."A little bit of alcohol only kills a little bit of the brain with each use, only slightly reducing cognitive capacities, and results in only a small increased risk of death from liver disease or hemorrhagic stroke." You don't need to be some sort of idealist when it comes to food and drink. There will be plenty of times when you will eat some small amounts of nutrient poor food, and enjoy it thoroughly!
Don't sweat the small stuff. "Don't major in minor things," as Tony Robbins says. Instead, focus on eating a diet that is 80-90% nutrient rich. Consume nutrient poor foods as the exception, not the rule.
If you're eating 50-60%, 60-70%, 70-80% nutrient rich, that is all good for you too. What you will realise is that the more nutrient rich you eat the more nutrient rich you will want to eat, because over time, you'll want more of good thing, and only want to eat first class foods.
Unfortunately, here is how we interpret "everything in moderation": "It's OK if I eat pastry, muffins, animal products and drink Pepsi and coffee all day. I'll just make some attempt to have a salad later to get my vitamins."
Who doesn't know this trick? Your mind remembers the last thing you ate and the "vegetable chaser" makes you feel better - as if your body doesn't still have to deal with the large steak or bacon.
When you make these "everything in moderation" decisions over and over each day, your diet basically consists of junk food.
Of course, "moderation in everything" is a central tenet of the Food Pyramid nutrition training and the food marketing practices in which almost all of us have been immersed since kindergarten, or even preschool.
This principle, packaged into the Four Food Groups, is still the basis of how schools are training our children today and how we as dietitians are trained as well and it continues to form the basis of what most Australians believe about nutrition. And this is so, despite the fact that thousands of studies have shown that consumption of a balanced diet based on the Four Food Groups will do nothing for you, except make you fat and more likely to die of heart disease, cancer or stroke.
"Moderation in Everything" (often called "a balanced diet") is not a successful way for you to eat if you aren't striving for extra weight, disease or early death. Half of the people who die in Australia this year will die of a heart attack or stroke. Most of them would not be on this "Preparing to Terminate" list if they weren't basing their diets on the faulty "wisdom" of the "everything in moderation" trap.
We at Transformation will teach you how to get through the ‘Pleasure Trap’. Why not give yourself a great start to 2012 and unlock your hidden force.
Oh yeah, the answer is weight. Have a great 2012 and we’ll see you in Feb.
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