Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

62 ALICE CALLAHAN, PHD, HEATHER LEONARD, MED, RDN, AND TAMBERLY POWELL, MS, RDN
riboflavin, niacin, and folate) and minerals (iron, magnesium, and selenium). No one food is
more important than the other. It is the combination of all the different food groups (fruit,
vegetables, grains, dairy, protein and fats/oils) that will ensure an adequate diet.
Moderation
Moderation means not eating to the extremes, neither too much nor too little of any one
food or nutrient. Moderation means that small portions of higher-calorie, lower-nutrient
foods like chips and candy can fit within a healthy diet. Including these types of foods can
make healthy eating more enjoyable and also more sustainable. When eating becomes too
extreme—where many foods are forbidden—this eating pattern is often short-lived until
forbidden foods are overeaten. Too many food rules can lead to a cycle of restrictiondeprivation-overeating-guilt.
2 For sustainable, long-term health benefits, it is important to
give yourself permission to eat all foods.