Moderation is sexy

How to create balance without a spreadsheet, and 5-minute smoked mackerel and lentil salad.

Hey! I’m Dina, a registered Nutritionist, I chat about realistic healthy living for diverse bodies, with monthly 5-minute meals. If you’re new here, you can read more about what to expect on the D-List.

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about this cool new thing called fibre. According to wellness trend reports, ‘fibre is the new protein’.

When I read this stuff, my face starts to hurt from all the eyebrow-raising and eye-rolling.

Fibre has always been here and has always been essential, just like protein, fat and carbs. The human body needs a variety of food groups and nutrients to function. It does not utilise one at a time, according to what is hot right now. There is nothing new or sexy about roughage.

Western wellness trends rebrand basic nutrition into something more aspirational and exclusive than it is. A limited-edition label is slapped onto what our ancestors have been eating for centuries. Who are you going to trust - your gran or the wanky wellness warriors?

Fibre is fabulous, it certainly deserves some airtime, and we all need more of it. But it does not work alone.

Plant foods naturally come packed with a complex mix of carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, phytonutrients and fibre, because that’s how they’re built to grow and thrive. And when we eat them whole, that synergistic combination works better in our bodies than anything we could extract and eat in isolation. Nature did not make a mistake - it’s called balance. We don’t need to mess with it or overthink it.

Some of the richest sources of fibre also contain some very unfashionable nutrients:

• Fruit is high in fibre and sugar

• Avocado is high in fibre and fat

• Oats are high in fibre and carbs

So if you want more fibre, you’ll probably have to eat some sugar, fat and carbs too, even though they have all been cancelled by the gurus.

Although this reputation could change soon! According to international news, Gwyneth has recently lifted the ban on carbs. Maybe she heard about this fibre thing too 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Moderation vs Extremism

For those of us with the privilege of choice and access to a wide variety of foods, it seems irrational to intentionally deprive ourselves and create stress around eating, while so many are currently being starved of the basics.

Moderation means freedom. You get to enjoy a bit of everything, with a variety of benefits, without restrictions, stress or guilt.

But moderation is less marketable than extremism. People spend big bucks on clear-cut solutions - quick fixes, hacks, trends, the best diet, and the one superfood that promises to fix you. But good health is not black and white, it exists in the slow, sustainable, grey areas. It’s not content-worthy. It’s imperfect, it’s boring, and it’s for life.

Once we accept that there is no secret to good health, no magic ingredient, and no ‘perfect’ way to eat, then we can make peace with nutrition and chill the fuck out. If you’re eating a variety of whole foods, most of the time, you don’t need to join the fibre cult.

Of course, there are exceptions if you have allergies, deficiencies, medical conditions or performance goals. But that’s when you get personalised support from a qualified professional, not a radicalised influencer.

Some thoughts and tips for creating balance:

1. Thankfully, you don’t have to be a mathematician to create a balanced meal. Choose meals based on variety and enjoyment, rather than macros, calories or a made-up points system. You just need:

   • Mostly plants and protein

   • Some carbs

   • A bit of fat

   • A sprinkle of joy

2. Most foods crossover into multiple categories, so you don’t need something from every food group to be balanced. For example, avocado (plants + fat), black beans (plants + protein + carbs). They’ve got fibre covered too. When in doubt, eat beans.

3. Fibre is found in most plant foods, so just eat the plants.

4. Stock up on convenient staples so you can always make a balanced meal without too much effort. Tinned pulses, frozen veg and some good spices can solve most meal problems. Read Shamelessly embracing convenience for ideas.

5. Have a backup list of meal ideas for days when even moderation sounds exhausting:

   • Ready meals: Sick & tired of cooking

   • Hummus on toast: Big chickpea energy

   • 5-Minute Meals (you’ll find one at the bottom of each post)

6. It’s not necessary to have perfect balance at every meal. Humans wouldn’t have lasted very long if this were a requirement. Once you have the foundations in place for the majority of your diet, the rest doesn’t matter. You can relax about the occasional comforting dessert, processed snack or takeaway (if those things bring you joy). Foods that nourish your soul are also essential.

7. If you don’t have the foundations in place, don’t waste your energy (and money) on what is trending - collagen, adaptogens, green powders etc. are not essentials. Normal food is.

8. Trends come and go - fibre is for life, not just for 2025. Your colon needed it way before it became cool.

9. There’s more to good health than a perfectly balanced plate. My 85-year-old father-in-law starts his day with Chocolate Weetabix and ends it with whiskey. I’m not trying to push the Whiskey & Weetabix diet™, but maybe we have been doing this all wrong 🙃

Nutrition doesn’t need rebranding

Many familiar dishes around the world already strike a perfect balance, without the need for spreadsheets or influencer approval. Simple dishes that we already know, provide us with plenty of fibre, and all the other stuff our bodies like.

• Shakshuka with eggs, tomato, spinach and chickpeas

• Stir-fry noodles with broccoli, mushrooms and seafood or tofu

• Chilli con carne with beef, kidney beans, rice and sour cream

• Lentil dahl with spinach, yoghurt and naan bread

• Falafel with hummus, tabouleh and pickles

• Burrito with black beans, avocado and brown rice

• Green curry with vegetables, seafood and rice

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Here’s your monthly 5-minute meal. Simple, balanced ‘recipes’ with minimal cooking and prep, when you can’t be arsed to cook.

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Smoked mackerel and lentil salad

A nourishing meal that comes together in 5 minutes - just open some packets and toss everything together.

Ingredients

• 1 cooked beetroot

• A handful of fresh mint

• Pre-cooked spiced lentils (or mixed grains)

• Ready-to-eat smoked mackerel fillets

• ½ a lemon

• A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

• A drizzle of pomegranate molasses (optional)

Directions

1. Chop the beetroot into bite-sized chunks.

2. Wash the mint and remove the leaves from the stalks.

3. Place the lentils on a plate and top with a couple of mackerel fillets, beetroot chunks and mint leaves.

4. Squeeze half a lemon and a drizzle of olive oil over everything.

Thanks for reading 💛 Remember, you don’t need to fear fruit or worship fibre. Trust in Mother Nature and eat the food. As always, let me know your thoughts. I love hearing from you!