Everything in moderation

I've always said moderation is a mid-point in your health journey. Not because I don't believe in moderation, per se. But because no one knows what moderation. Or what things are.

WTF does that even mean.

Moderation is the avoidance of extremes or excess.

We as a society have lost all grounding in reality when it comes to what those words mean.

Moderation isn't something that you decide for yourself. It has a defiinition and words have meaning.

In college, I could drink a bottle of wine in an evening, drinking half a bottle now doesn't mean moderation. It's tempting to say it is, but it's reduction, not moderation.

Really?

Yes.

We talk about drinking in moderation, but what does that mean. For women, it means no more than 1 serving. Per day. You can't stack it all in one day and be safe. 1 serving is 4 ounce pour of wine. That's really it. It doesn't mean a free pour, or as much as you feel is good. It's a specific portion and number. Point blank. Source

We also no longer know what things are. Which is a bananas statement, but frankly we are a bananas society.

McDonald's French Fries; they are not vegan friendly, which is a wild statement for a vegetable fried in oil. They are treated with a dextrose solution to keep them from graying. They contain hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk, which means they are not able to be consumed by people with gluten or dairy sensitivities or allergies. I googled hydrolysis in food and my eyes started to cross and roll back in my head, so I'm not even gonna really get into that besides it's used as a flavor enhancer.

It's not pendantic, it pragmatic.

Words having meaning, it keeps us grounded in reality. It keeps us anchored to a point in time.

So, while french fries made at home in your kitchen by slicing potatoes, seasoning and frying in oil or the air fryer contain 3-4 ingredients, McD's fries contain 14. Many of which a preservatives, and are manufactured, I haven't ran across much soybean oil while out and about in nature, but I have run across quite a few potatoes (Idaho problems). It poses the question, after a certain amount of manipulation, is it still food? Is it still providing nourishment? Is it fueling your body and creating a net positive? Is mild hunger and waiting for a meal a better alternative? The answer is probably yes.

So everything in moderation, but are we still considering a McDonald's fries food? The difference in effect on the body between a handful of homemade fries, and a few fries from your kids' happy meal is stark . It's a question that only you can answer for yourself. The same can be said for protein bars and shakes. Quest's chocolate chip cookie dough protein bar 1) contains more carbs than protein, and 2) contains protein blend and polydetrose in higher concentration than almonds, appearing as the first two ingredients. So is it a protein bar? According to wikipedia, no. It doesn't meet the basic, crowd- sourced and approved definition as a convenience food formulated to have a higher proportion of protein compared to carbs and fats. Is it food? I'm not sure.

If you can't pronounce it, don't know what it's made from, when it was made, and doesn't meet the minimum threshold for definition, then should you be consuming it?

Peanut butter can be made in a blender in your kitchen with 1 ingredient. However, Jif is not peanut butter. It's peanut butter spread, due to the addition of palm oil and sugar.

So we have to ask ourselves: What do you consider food?

At what point in the continuum of processing do you decide that it's no longer suitable for your body?

Can you have a 4 ounce pour of wine and feel that was satisfying? I know for me that's only a few sips. It's not really worth it to me, but I'm not a conniseur, wine by the bag seems like it should be poured into ten ounce tumblers. So I just don't bother anymore.

What are your exceptions? Vacations? Tuesdays? Primally, we try to follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to moderation. So it's not Tuesdays, it's vacations, or holidays or birthdays. It's a small fry, not a large. It's one glass. It's not to say we don't fall off the wagon and go to extremes, but that's what it is and we have to be able to acknowledge that and use the correct words.

Everything in moderation isn't a feeling. It's not a decision in the moment. It's measurable. It's a point on a line. It's a definable action.

So are you moderating? Or is it something else?