Top 3 tips for eating in moderation

With the many many diets out there now, there a whole load of women (and men too) who are utterly confused with what they should be eating for good health. Paleo and I-Quit Sugar have been quite popular as have the 5:2 diet and “Clean Eating”.

Over the past 15 years working as an Accredited Practising Dietitian & Nutritionist, I have seen hundreds. No. Thousands of people following all sorts of diets and for all sorts of reasons.

However I have noted one thing:

The happiest and healthiest people seem to be those that eat in moderation and don’t subscribe to a particular dietary regimen. They seem to have chosen a more ‘balanced’ or ‘flexible’ approach.

What does eating in moderation really mean?

Eating in moderation is getting back to basics, listening to your body, your own personal tastes and health concerns and letting go of unnecessary and often restrictive eating. Of course, there might be a couple of nutritional items of importance if you have a particular health issue. No matter what health condition you have though moderation still works.

Top 3 tips to eating in moderation

1. Let Go – Let go of the idea of “good” and “bad foods”. The more you tell yourself you can’t have something and that it’s “bad”, the more your brain will want it and the more likely you will be to eat more of it (and feel guilty for doing so). It’s OK to have your favourite foods. The key is to give yourself permission and enjoy them when you eat them.
2. Listen – Listen to your hunger levels. Getting more in touch with your own body’s cues will enable you to learn to eat at the right time for you and in the amount your body needs.
3. Love – Love what you eat and where your food comes from. Taking the time to choose food we love, knowing where it comes from and who prepared it helps us to appreciate the eating experience more. When that happens we eat slowly and make balanced food choices.

Eating in moderation is not sexy, trendy or expensive. It works for life though.