The importance of balance, variety, & moderation

All foods fit.

“All foods fit” philosophy incorporates balance, moderation, and variety of all types of foods in a person’s life. This means that a person should allow themselves to have foods that are tasteful, provide satisfaction, and meet the needs per person’s lifestyle, while also considering nutrition goals.

For many people, this is hard to do, especially someone with an eating disorder, since we are taught by diet culture to eat “clean” or avoid certain food groups to be “healthy.” Diets in general aren’t sustainable and can be harmful to a person’s health since they are usually restrictive. Diet culture teaches us that our bodies aren’t acceptable by others and need to be changed or manipulated in order to be “accepted.” This can produce feelings of shame if we don’t reach our goal weight or body shape while being on a diet.

Balance, variety, & moderation means incorporating a little bit of all types of foods into your diet, including vegetables, starches, dairy, protein, and “fun” foods. It’s important to get a variety of all types of food since our body relies on us to feed it for energy, important physiological functions, and feelings of satisfaction. We want to live our best life and also nourish ourselves according to our lifestyle. So the next time you are craving that food, go ahead and honor that!