“Everything in moderation” is rubbish.

I’ve never used the word rubbish before. I feel so British.

Why I Don’t Believe in “Everything in Moderation”

Think about your local grocery store. If I were to take a walk down the aisles, my guess would be that about 98% of what’s on the shelves is processed food. If you actually stop to read the labels, you'll notice things like seed oils, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, synthetic colors, MSG, emulsifiers, carrageenan, and a laundry list of other substances that you can’t pronounce and certainly don’t even resemble real food.  They are products designed for shelf life and continued consumption, not human health.

If I were to eat everything in moderation from the average grocery store, I would likely be overweight, insulin resistant, struggling with anxiety or fatigue, and a strong candidate for heart disease, autoimmune issues, or even cancer.

We love the sound of “a little bit of this, a little bit of that.” It feels harmless, even balanced. But what we don’t consider  is cumulative exposure—what happens when tiny amounts of harmful ingredients are consumed daily, over months and years.

These Ingredients Aren’t Harmless

Here are just a handful of commonly consumed ingredients and what we know about their risks:

• Seed oils (soybean, canola, corn, cottonseed) – High in omega-6 fats and chemically extracted using hexane. These oils promote systemic inflammation, a root cause of many chronic diseases—including depression.

• High fructose corn syrup – Linked to insulin resistance, liver fat accumulation, and metabolic dysfunction.

• Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, Ace-K) – Can damage gut bacteria, spike insulin, and even increase cravings and weight gain over time.

• Artificial colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1) – Associated with hyperactivity, allergic reactions, and potential carcinogenic effects.

• Emulsifiers (polysorbate 80, carboxymethylcellulose) – Shown to erode the gut lining and increase gut inflammation in animal studies.

• Carrageenan – A thickener linked to inflammation, gut issues, and immune reactivity.

• BHA and BHT – Synthetic preservatives that may act as endocrine disruptors and are classified as possible human carcinogens.

• Sodium nitrite/nitrate – Preservatives found in deli meats and hot dogs that can convert into carcinogenic compounds in the body.

• Titanium dioxide – A whitening agent banned in parts of Europe, shown to cause oxidative stress and DNA damage in lab studies.

• MSG (monosodium glutamate) – A flavor enhancer that can overstimulate neurons and cause symptoms in sensitive individuals.

• “Natural flavors” – A vague label that often masks a blend of chemical solvents and artificial additives.

And Yes—They Impact Your Mental Health, Too

What you eat has a direct and measurable effect on how you feel, think, and process the world. Here’s how:

• Inflammation is linked to mood disorders.
  Ingredients that trigger chronic low-grade inflammation—like seed oils and artificial additives—also disrupt neurotransmitter function and are now recognized contributors to depression and anxiety.

• The gut-brain connection-
  Over 90% of your serotonin is produced in the gut. When artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, and preservatives disrupt your microbiome, your mental health suffers. A damaged gut = a disrupted brain and mood

• Blood sugar instability drives emotional instability.
  That sugary Starbucks drink? It might taste like self-care, but it’s a blood sugar rollercoaster that ends in a crash—bringing irritability, fatigue, and anxiety with it. There’s nothing moderate about 64 grams of sugar in a cup topped with whipped cream and caramel drizzle.

• Dopamine is being hijacked.
  Artificial flavors, MSG, and processed sugar manipulate the brain’s reward system, encouraging addiction-like cycles that leave you moodier, foggier, and always needing more to feel good

• Over time, toxic overload burns you out.
  When your liver, gut, and nervous system are constantly working overtime to process chemicals, there’s less energy available for emotional regulation, focus, or joy.

So No—“Everything in Moderation” Doesn’t Work Anymore

Let’s get clear:
There’s a huge difference between eating a clean, nutrient-rich diet and having a scoop of ice cream once in a while—
versus eating 98% toxic, processed substances “in moderation.”

The food industry sells us the word moderation to promote constant exposure to substances that slowly degrade our physical and mental health. It's not moderation when it's your norm. It's not a treat if it's your daily coffee run.

What can you do:

Eat single food ingredients.

Eat organic when you can

Read labels.

Teach your children about the value of food, teach them to read labels.

Eat like our ancestors used to eat.

Food is medicine—or it’s poison.
Choose wisely.