Is everything o.k. in moderate?

No; There’s no amount of hydrogenated oil or second-hand smoke that is considered healthy.  And for some people, even a little alcohol, gluten, or peanuts can lead to trouble.

Is moderation a good rule to follow for nutrition habits?

It depends; You have to know yourself to know if moderation will work for you or if it will send you on a downward spiral of binge and regret.

Are you an abstainer or a moderator?

In Better than Before, Gretchen Rubin outlines her 21 strategies for habit change.  One of the strategies is abstainer vs. moderator. Here’s an easy test to determine which category describes you: Are you the type of person who can keep a chocolate bar in the refrigerator and eat only a square or two each night? You are a moderator. If, on the other hand, a half-eaten candy bar would haunt you until you finished it in one night, you are an abstainer.

Rubin, explains that moderators are satisfied by the first few bites of the treats they crave. If moderators were told to abstain from their favorite foods, they would feel too deprived. Moderation (within reason) is good nutrition advice for you if you fall into this group.

Moderation is not good advice for anyone who can’t leave a desert, a pizza, or a bag of chips unfinished. For these people, the first few bites aren’t satisfying; they instead make the cravings stronger. And once they’ve started on their tempting treats, it’s difficult to stop. If this describes you, abstaining is the best advice for creating healthy nutrition habits.

Moderation doesn’t work for some because those cravings are really addictions. Jill U. Adams reported in her article Cravings for Sure, But Can Sugar Cause Addictions? that when Harvard doctors “imaged the brains of 12 overweight or obese men four hours after a high-glycemic-index snack [they] found increased activity in regions of the brain that respond to drugs of abuse.” And just as with addictive drugs, we’ll do whatever we have to do to get more of the treats we crave: Another Harvard study showed that “40 percent of people who are already overweight or obese, when they’ve eaten a favorite treat every day…will work three times harder for that same treat than when they hadn’t eaten one every day for a week.”

You may feel liberated and hit your goals faster if you decided to make certain foods off limits.  Try it and see if it works for you. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all nutrition plan. The “diet” that worked for your friend, your spouse, or your favorite celebrity, may not work for you. The best plan is the one you’ll stick to.

Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with clients in classes and one-on-one.  She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email Alicia@AliciaCrossTraining.com.

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