most recent 30 from http://paleohacks.com 2013-05-26T03:09:41Z http://paleohacks.com/feeds/question/72554 http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation Ruth 2011-10-25T12:25:24Z 2012-03-12T12:11:01Z

<p>When I'm explaining my dietary choices in following paleo (only when solicited), I have found that people's default, when they decide it's too hard to not eat bread (duh), is "well.....everything in moderation." They shrug, the conversation ends, and they walk away feeling like well-balanced individuals......while I'm the healthy one. :)</p> <p>What can I say to them that will not be nasty or snarky, but will challenge them? I want to get people to think more about what they put into their bodies, or even to come back later for more discussion. The last thing I want to do is turn them off by acting like a snotty, know-it-all a-hole.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72556#72556 smiley 2011-10-25T12:42:10Z 2011-10-25T12:42:10Z

<p>It's my opinion that people will learn just from being around you and seeing your choices. Our diet choice, like any of our choices, is ours to make. In Robb Wolf's Paleo book, he says something like most of us can't handle grains/gluten. Some people don't know they're sick. And when they do get sick, they can't handle gluten. (Something like that.) So maybe you could arm yourself with more information for when the time comes. Also his book says we only need to eat gluten every 15 days for it to continue to aggravate our system. So much for moderation! Since I read that I've been being more strict and not having the occasional beer or wheat item.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72558#72558 Erik of Rockford 2011-10-25T12:50:08Z 2011-10-25T12:50:08Z

<p>I was talking with my father in law the other day and he can't grasp the idea of a lifestyle diet, he can only associate food choice with weight loss. Anyway, I told him about how I made a Meatza, and he asked why we would trouble with that when we can just have tiny pizzas made on tortillas. I explained we don't eat tortillas, he said well if it is a lifestyle choice, you can cheat with a little tortilla 3-4 times a month.</p> <p>I put my hand to my head, and said it is a lifestyle choice not to make my body feel like crap. He responded you have to cheat occasionally otherwise it is just not healthy.</p> <p>Hand went back to head and I said, ok but if and when I cheat, I make it worth it. It is going to be a heaping plate of pancakes, or something else ridiculous, maybe once every 3-4 months, not frequent tortillas.</p> <p>His Reply: "Well thats not going to help you lose weight."</p> <p>I gave up.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72559#72559 gydle 2011-10-25T12:59:35Z 2011-10-25T12:59:35Z

<p>How about "As you like it. To each his own."</p> <p>IMHO there's no need to overdo it in the "challenging them" department. He/she is likely to store the info deep down in his/her brain somewhere. How/when/why they use it or follow up on it is up to them. Your job is done once you've explained why you eat the way you do. Then you just gotta let it go ... and serve as a relaxed, fit, healthy, cool example. Actions (adn health) speak louder than words.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72560#72560 Kewpie 2011-10-25T13:03:15Z 2011-10-25T13:03:15Z

<p>If it is a conversation worth continuing (sometimes it's just better to walk away), I usually point out that there <em>are</em> some things that shouldn't be consumed by anyone at any time in any amount. Transfats being one of those things. Most people who are even marginally interested in nutrition are aware that transfats are bad. Full stop. Even the U.S. government (who seems to find a way to defend every processed food), doesn't have a safe level of consumption for transfats because no one should be eating them. Ever. </p> <p>I realize tranfats have nothing to do with the bread you were discussing, but it does prove their comfortable excuse false and forces them to examine what they really believe instead of just spouting out a trite saying. </p> <p>It's not likely to cause an immediate conversion to paleo, but it is a small crack in the SAD shell they are living in and once that crack forms it's a lot easier to get new information inside. After all, how many of us went straight overnight from a full-on SAD diet of McDonalds and Banquet frozen dinners to a full-on paleo diet of all local grass-fed/pastured meats and local organic vegetables? It usually happens over time with smaller changes; crack the shell and the small changes will start to happen. </p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72562#72562 Grocket 2011-10-25T13:04:26Z 2011-10-25T13:04:26Z

<p>When it comes to bread made from un-soaked, un-fermented, genetically-modified wheat, I think "moderation" should be something less than the central focus that it currently enjoys in the SAD.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72563#72563 Pieter D 2011-10-25T13:11:45Z 2011-10-25T13:11:45Z

<p>"Everything in moderation!"</p> <p>"Tell that to an elephant or a lion."</p> <p>"What do you mean?"</p> <p>"Well, they don't eat everything in moderation."</p> <p>"No, that's because they are obligate herbivores or carnivores. We are omnivores, we can eat everything"</p> <p>"Oh, so grass in moderation is ok?"</p> <p>"Well, you know what I mean, not 'everything'."</p> <p>"No, I don't know what you mean. Why is it ok for an elelphant to eat leaves, and not for us?"</p> <p>"Uhh?"</p> <p>"Elephants evolved by natural selection for a certain lifestyle, just like we did. And grains are not part of our evolutionary history, just as tree-leaves are not, and grass is not."</p> <p>...</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72564#72564 Matt 2011-10-25T13:13:59Z 2011-10-25T13:13:59Z

<p>You're going to get people to throw "moderation" in your face when you follow rigid, dogmatic paleo principles. But the reality of the matter is that the majority of paleo benefits result from the very minimal initial efforts. The vast majority of people are concerned about getting the most "bang for your buck". The vast majority people are never going to be as dialed in as your average PaleoHacks user. </p> <p>Honestly, ask yourself: why not paleo "in moderation"? (Yes, of course, there are reasons to be strict with paleo, but the overwelming majority has little need to be as strict as most of us are.)</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72565#72565 Frikasee 2011-10-25T13:27:36Z 2011-10-25T13:27:36Z

<p>As I always say: "Everything in moderation; including moderation..."</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72569#72569 honeybee 2011-10-25T14:02:34Z 2011-10-25T14:02:34Z

<p>Ruth, in my opinion, many people want to stay in the dark. When I was a CCU nurse, I can't tell you how many people I saw who were deathly ill, maxed out on every single medication possible, but would not even consider changing their habits. I asked one of my patients about this (he was waiting on the heart transplant list), and he said to me, "Why should I do that. That's what the medicine is for." No lie.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72574#72574 The Japsican 2011-10-25T14:21:42Z 2011-10-25T14:21:42Z

<p>I usually respond:</p> <p>Yes, EVERYTHING in "moderation" (put up air quotes when you say the word "Moderation").</p> <p>...including <strong>cigarettes</strong> and <strong>heroin</strong>...</p> <p>then I repeat it: "Everything in "moderation!" (air quotes again)</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72578#72578 staceychev 2011-10-25T15:01:59Z 2011-10-25T15:01:59Z

<p>People will <em>never ever</em> change until they're ready to change. You can scream and shout until you're blue in the face, but you can't. Make. People. Change.</p> <p>What you can do is be honest and open about the choices you've made and then hope they come to you when they're ready. For me, the answer to "everything in moderation" is "some things in moderation." Now that I've lost 63 pounds (OK, 6-1/2 of that was baby), I will sometimes eat cheese or even a little high quality ice cream. But other things I'm happy to never touch ever again (beer, for example) because I know it'll make me feel like crap. I tell people that. And then, when they're ready, they ask me more. </p> <p>I've also had to come to terms with the fact that some people, like my mom, will probably never be ready. It drives me crazy. I still offer the occasional piece of advice, but I just drop it in an email and walk away. It's not my job to change her life. </p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72579#72579 Lady_Arwen 2011-10-25T15:17:06Z 2011-10-25T15:17:06Z

<p>Really - you want sickness in moderation, too??!! You want pre/diabetes, obesity, arthritis, osteoporosis, and heartburn in moderation, and all those diseases mentioned on the drug commercials too! </p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72600#72600 Mallory 2011-10-25T17:41:18Z 2011-10-25T17:41:18Z

<p>i like grilled cheese... but im not having it everyday. thats not moderate. doesnt mean ill never have it again in my life...</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72616#72616 sage_ 2011-10-25T20:15:34Z 2011-10-25T20:15:34Z

<p>".....results in a moderate life"</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72620#72620 Edward J. Edmonds 2011-10-25T20:40:30Z 2011-10-25T20:40:30Z

<p>Everything in moderation. Except most people who claim "everything in moderation" use it to justify a "habit" they don't do in moderation.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72649#72649 Amy 2011-10-25T23:24:06Z 2011-10-25T23:24:06Z

<p>"Everything in moderation, ESPECIALLY moderation!" I believe I first heard David Wolfe (raw food guy) say that. It's definitely true.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72663#72663 David Rourke 2011-10-26T00:15:51Z 2011-10-26T00:15:51Z

<p>"Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature." --George Bernard Shaw</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72676#72676 NoGlutenEver 2011-10-26T01:59:02Z 2011-10-26T01:59:02Z

<p>I ate moderately for years. And now, for me, the level of moderation that works is pretty extreme. But the migraines are gone. The meds didn't work, so diet was my only option. </p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72679#72679 The Loon 2011-10-26T02:08:43Z 2011-10-26T02:08:43Z

<p>"Everything in moderation" is a code-phrase for "whatever", only meaning that your friend is either too nice or too passive-aggressive to tell you how they really feel. When you hear this phrase, it is your signal to say that you agree and then let it drop.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/72723#72723 Dan Moffett 2011-10-26T10:08:39Z 2011-10-26T10:08:39Z

<p>If it's a friend, I've found the way to deal with the problem is to give them a copy of the book "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis. Several friends have put wheat out after reading the book. After one reads it I pass it along to someone else. It works.</p>

http://paleohacks.com/questions/72554/how-do-you-respond-to-everything-in-moderation/104389#104389 Korion 2012-03-12T12:11:01Z 2012-03-12T12:11:01Z

<p>Paleo comes closest to moderation as far as I know. Isn't everyone's goal here to have perfect blood tests, or, in other words, to have balanced (= moderate) levels of minerals, hormones, cholesterol, ...?</p>