Variety, Balance, and Moderation – what do they mean?

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            You read magazine articles and hear it on the news: the key to a healthy lifestyle is moderation along with variety and balance. But what exactly does moderation mean? Does it mean a daily splurge, weekly splurge, or a monthly splurge? Or does it mean if you are eating healthy 80% of the time, the other 20% does not matter?            Moderation is the act of limiting or restraining certain things. Moderation combined with variety and balance does lead to a healthier lifestyle. Variety helps keep food interesting while giving your body the proper nutrients it needs. If you continue to eat the same foods day after day, you will become tired of those foods and more willing to make an unhealthy decision or splurge. Also, different colors of food provide the body with different nutrients. For example, red fruits and vegetables give the body lycopene and blue fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins. Thus, a little variety in the diet helps “spice things up” while providing a full range of nutrients.
            Balance refers to the balance of the food groups and portions consumed. It is important to eat all the food groups. Restricting a food group could lead to deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals. Also, portion sizes should be balanced. A “handy” way of remembering what a cup looks like is using the size of your fist. One fist or cup is the proper serving of a fruit or vegetable and whole grains such as pastas and cereals.             Lastly, moderation is the ultimate key. As mentioned, it is limiting or restricting certain foods from your diet. Restricting food groups is bad but restricting foods such as candy, fried foods, or sugary beverages is beneficial to a healthy lifestyle. This could be a gradual change such as only drinking one soda a day compared to four, etc. As far as “splurges” are concerned, it differs from person to person. One person may need a small daily splurge such as a piece of dark chocolate but another person may want to look forward to that coffee drink from Starbucks once a week. It is important for you to find the balance in your life and stick with it. If you customize your diet plan to your needs and wants, you are more likely to stay on track and motivated than if you just copied a diet from someone else. It is your life and your health so remember to eat a variety of foods, balance portion sizes, and keep everything in moderation. 

Stephanie Bailey, Dietetic Intern University of Memphis

BIOMechaniks: Train the mind and the body will follow