Moderation

Ever notice how when you tell yourself not to eat something, suddenly it's all you can think about?

My doctor recently suggested that a slight intolerance to dairy may be aggravating my allergies.  I'm not really a big fan of dairy: I prefer soy milk over of cow's milk, I've only come across maybe 2 types of cheese that I like, and I went through a (very short) phase when I was trying to force myself to tolerate yogurt for its live cultures and healthy enzymes--I couldn't do it!  Anyway, the doc suggested I try cutting dairy out completely for a while just to see how my body would react and if my allergies would go away.  But as soon as I left the doctor's office, I was obsessed!  How would I ever be able to eat anythinggg without cheese on it?  Where could I find the biggest container of ice cream and dive right in?  And forget about losing the whey (a derivative of milk) protein shakes that I make at least twice a day--I basically need them for survival!  Suddenly, the sinus infections and headaches I was getting in response to my allergies (that were allegedly caused by a intolerance to dairy products) didn't seem as bad as having to give it all up!  It sounds crazy, but what was happening was that my mind immediately went into "survival mode."

In my mind, Do not eat = I'm gonna die without it!

I'm sure I'm not alone in this crazy mental game.

In reality, of course I won't die if I don't eat dairy.  In fact, I will probably be healthier in the long run. (As many as 50-90% of Mexican-, African- and Asian-Americans are lactose intolerant.  Humans are the only one who drink other mammal's milk, or milk at all after infancy)  But by telling myself I absolutely could never touch another ounce of the stuff EVER AGAIN in my life, seemed close enough to a death sentence.  This goes for anything you tell yourself you shouldn't or can't eat.  Our brain will easily trick our body into thinking we're starving it, and therefore panic occurs.

The solution?  You've heard it before: Eat in moderation.  Whether it's fast food, fat, sugar, carbs, chocolate, dairy, or Grandma's famous mac and cheese, there's no reason to punish yourself!

Allow small servings of your guilty pleasure every once in a while and you won't feel deprived.  More and more research is showing that people who eat in moderation, don't obsess about every single morsel they put in their mouth, those who have a well-rounded diet, and those allow a little guilty pleasure here and there are the most successful at maintaining their overall health and fitness goals.