Balance, variety, and moderation have been referenced in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for decades. Yet overtime, these terms are often thrown around with their meaning open for interpretation—often misinterpretation.
“Everything in moderation.”
“It’s all about balance.”
“I eat a variety of foods… well, a variety of ice-cream flavors!”
Many times, these words are used to justify a food choices or make us feel better when we eat foods that we feel are not “healthy.” Let’s change that. Instead of using these words to rationalize our eating habits (which is completely unnecessary and counterproductive), let’s talk about how these nutrition concepts can be used to support a more intuitive and flexible approach to food and nutrition.
Variety
Fruits and vegetables are usually the food groups that we think of when talking about variety in our diet. However, variety is encouraged among the major food groups and within all of the food groups.
Besides making a meal look more colorful, eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, dairy, proteins, and grains provides a wider range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, prebiotics, and probiotics—keeping our heart, mind, skin, eyes, and gut functioning optimally. Varying protein with a combination of eggs, dairy, beans, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds is especially important for vegetarians to receive adequate amounts of all essential amino acids.
In addition to the benefits at the biochemical level, eating a variety of foods can also make eating more satisfying. While it can be easy to rely on your staple foods for meals and snacks, experimenting new ingredients or choosing foods in season can boost flavor and prevent you from eating on autopilot. Swap out an apple for clementines in the winter; try roasting cauliflower instead of boiling it or cook farro in place of pasta. Choosing local and seasonal foods can also help to incorporate a variety of foods depending on the time of year. Giving yourself permission to eat a variety of foods within all food groups can also be freeing, helping to overcome rigid eating habits and food rules and appreciate the range of foods that satisfy your hunger and cravings.
Moderation
Sweets, fatty meats, fried food, fast food, soda… these are all foods that are often recommended to “eat in moderation”. While negative health effects of too much added sugars and solid fats have been identified in the literature, eating an excessive amount of water or chugging gallons of milk are also not beneficial for our health (i.e. hyponatremia and iron deficiency anemia).
Food is a huge part of our culture; it’s social, celebratory, and meant to be enjoyed in good company. Plus, cutting out any food group completely can be damaging to our emotional health, leaving us disconnected from friends and family and preoccupied with thoughts about food. That’s why moderation—not restriction—is key.
But, what does moderation really mean? Technically, the most recent dietary guidelines recommend limiting added sugars to less than 10% of total calories per day, saturated fat to less than 10% of total calories per day, and trans fat to as little as possible. Realistically, this may translate into having more added sugars one day (i.e. when you’re eating cake at a family birthday party), and having more saturated fat another day (i.e. when you’re eating pizza with friends on a weekend).
Moderation is about being open to day-to-day variations in your diet depending on your appetite, cravings, activity level, energy level, etc. Sometimes a big bowl of ice-cream is just what you may need to satisfy your sweet tooth, other times a small square of chocolate may be enough. Savoring the flavor of these foods and being mindful of how your body responds to them can help to determine what “eating in moderation” means for you.
Balance
Out of all three of these terms, balance probably gets used the most in relation to nutrition. A balanced diet is often defined as a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fat within the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges set by the Institute of Medicine. A balanced meal, on the other hand, refers to a balance of food groups consistent with MyPlate or Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate: fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, one fourth with lean protein, and one fourth with whole grains. Together, creating a balance of food groups and macronutrients can make meals and snacks filling (from the protein and fiber), satisfying (from fat), and energizing (based on the source of carbohydrates).
Beyond balance within our food choices, energy balance looks more broadly at the balance between energy intake (calories from food) and energy expenditure (calories used for exercise and metabolic processes). Energy balance is associated with weight maintenance, while energy imbalance can contribute to weight loss or weight gain. However, this concept is often oversimplified and deeply flawed because energy expenditure cannot be precisely calculated since many factors like the stress, hormones, genetics, and gut microbiota (bacteria in our digestive tract) can alter how we metabolize nutrients. For example, chronic stress can lead to high levels of cortisol, which signals the body to store fat, contributing to weight gain. In contrast, a diverse composition of gut microbiota may enhance metabolism and promote weight loss, according to preliminary research. Our bodies our complex and unique so it should be no surprise that there’s isn’t an exact formula to calculate our energy needs.
Considering the multiple factors influencing our metabolism, listening to our bodies’ hunger and fullness cues can guide healthy food choices better than relying on calculated formulas and food trackers. Creating balance, variety, and moderation with our found choices can help to build more filling and satisfying meals that meet nutritional needs, while preserving the joy and connection that food brings to our lives.
Note: This article was also published in the Friedman Sprout.
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