Moderation is the Key to a Balanced & Healthy Diet!
By Michael Sharp | September 19, 2019
To me, the title of this blog couldn’t be closer to the truth.
In my opinion, moderation is the most important factor in a balanced and healthy diet. The key word here is balanced.
Clean eating is the most effective way to experience true health and wellness. In saying this, there are many versions of “clean eating” that people take part in today! Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, keto, AIP… Whichever dietary regime you follow, there is likely always a component of dietary restriction involved.
Being a clinician, and seeing cases like multiple sclerosis, severe skin issues, arthritic issues, heart issues, detoxification issues, gut issues, hormonal issues, and so much more, dietary restrictions is one of the most important factors in supporting, and even healing from these health issues. If we don’t remove certain foods that may be triggering to a specific health concern, than the issue will never fully be supported!
As a clinician, I’ve also seen the struggles that people face when taking on a daunting new diet such as the ones listed above. Let’s face it, with the amount of stress we are faced with in 2019, adding dietary restrictions to the plate can tip someone’s stress scale WAY above 10! This is exactly why I feel moderation plays an extremely huge role in one’s success on a dietary protocol.
First off, I want to express that, in certain health conditions, especially ones that are severely degenerative or life threatening, such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, etc., there is less room to “slide” on a firm dietary program, so this may not apply to these concerns. However, in focusing on a clean dietary program 90% of the time and treating yourself to things that you enjoy dietarily 10% of the time, one will experience the true benefits of moderation!
When we have this 90/10 split, we ease off on being so in tuned, focused, critical, and restrictive as it pertains to our diet. The importance of this is that, if one is constantly stressed from their dietary program, it doesn’t matter how clean their diet is, they will likely fail!
The idea of doing something 100% of the time is extremely unrealistic, and downright impossible! This also applies to eating in an unhealthy way. Consuming junk food 100% of the time is also impossible, as sooner or later, the effects of eating this way will catch up to you, and drive you to change, or at least consider it!
So, cut yourself a little slack! Breaking off from your dietary program 10% of the time will allow you to relax and gain a sense of strength with your dietary goals. This will add longevity to your goals, as you will have something to look forward to when you decide to treat yourself! Being 100% restrictive with your diet all the time will lead to increased stress, a sense of deprivation, a hateful relationship with food, and the result will be falling even further behind with your health goals!
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Keep on living holistic
Michael Sharp, CNP, NNCP.
DISCLAIMER: The information listed above is for educational purposes and discussion of general health information only. The information, opinions, ideas, and suggestions listed above are in no way intended to diagnose disease/health issues or act as a treatment for disease/health issues and is not to act as a substitute for medical advice from your doctor. Before taking part in any natural or alternative approach to health, these approaches should be reviewed by your doctor for approval especially if there are existing health conditions and if prescribed and or pharmaceutical medication is being taken due to the potential for interactions between medications and any natural approaches to health.