“Everything in Moderation”… Except the Stuff That’s Slowly Taking You Down

By: Marcy Schoenborn

Let’s talk about the phrase people love to hide behind:
“Everything in moderation.”

It sounds reasonable. Balanced. Mature.
But in real life?
It’s usually code for: “I don’t want to confront the fact that certain foods are wrecking my biology.”

Here’s the uncomfortable truth — and I’ll just say it straight:
Your body does not negotiate with biochemistry.
It doesn’t care that your friend can eat pizza “just fine.”
It doesn’t care that you only have that food “sometimes.”
It doesn’t care that you want it to be okay.

Some foods act like medicine.
Some foods act like neutral fuel.
And some foods behave like slow-release rat poison — harsh, but accurate.

And no, that analogy isn’t dramatic. It’s clear.

If I handed you actual rat poison and said,
“Don’t worry, it’s just a little… everything in moderation!”
you’d look at me like I’d lost my mind.
Why?
Because you already understand the outcome. You know what poison does.

But this is the part most people miss:

Some modern foods operate the exact same way — just slower.

Not in one bite.
Not in one day.
But drip by drip by drip.

And here’s the kicker:
Because the negative effects happen gradually, people don’t connect the dots.

Instead, they blame:

• “getting older”

• “slowing metabolism”

• stress

• hormones

• kids

• work

• bad genetics

When in reality?
Their body has been waving red flags for years.

So what does “slow rat poison” actually look like in a diet?

Foods that drive inflammation so high your joints feel 20 years older.
Foods that spike your blood sugar like a rocket and send you crashing.
Foods that tank your energy, kill your sleep, wreck your gut, and dysregulate your hormones.
Foods that chip away at your internal systems until you’re “mysteriously” exhausted, moody, inflamed, and craving everything in sight.

And because it’s not dramatic or immediate, people convince themselves it’s fine.

Moderation.
Balance.
“Listening to your body.”
— all great in theory, but only if your body is functioning correctly to begin with.

You cannot “moderate” a food your biology sees as a threat.
You can’t “intuitively eat” when your hormones are dysregulated and your hunger signals are lying to you.
You can’t “listen to your body” when the foods creating the problem are the same foods you’re trying to moderate.

This is why so many people stay stuck.

Your body doesn’t prefer certain foods. It reacts to them.

You’re not “bad with willpower.”
You’re not “weak.”
You’re not “just built this way.”
You’re eating things that send your chemistry into chaos.

If a food is driving:

• chronic inflammation

• insulin spikes

• cortisol dysregulation

• gut permeability

• hormonal disruption

• immune overactivation

…then moderation isn’t “balanced.”
It’s just repeated exposure to a substance that’s hurting you.

That’s why in my programs we don’t start with “everything in moderation.”
We start with removing the slow poison long enough to let your body repair, recalibrate, and tell the truth again.

Because here’s the part most people never realize:

**Once your biology is stable, “what’s right for your body” becomes clear.

Crystal clear.
Honest.
Uncomplicated.**

Real intuition shows up.
Real balance shows up.
Actual moderation becomes possible — because your body isn’t fighting through static.

But not before.

So the next time someone tosses out the phrase “everything in moderation,” just remember:

You wouldn’t knowingly eat rat poison.
Even if it was “just on the weekends.”
Even if your neighbor can handle it.
Even if it’s “only a little.”

Your biology deserves the same level of respect.

• Ultra-processed foods and inflammation:

  • Hall et al., Cell Metabolism, 2019 — Ultra-processed diets increase calorie intake, inflammation markers, and metabolic disruption.

  • Fardet, Nutrients, 2016 — UPFs linked to chronic low-grade inflammation and disease risk.

• Blood sugar spikes → hormonal + metabolic dysregulation:

  • Ludwig & Ebbeling, JAMA, 2018 — High-glycemic foods cause large insulin spikes, hunger rebound, and metabolic stress.

  • Shearrer et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2015 — Fast glucose swings increase cravings and appetite hormones.

• Gut permeability (“leaky gut”) affected by certain foods:

  • Fasano, Physiological Reviews, 2011 — Trigger foods and additives can increase intestinal permeability.

  • De Punder & Pruimboom, Nutrients, 2013 — Chronic Western diet exposure leads to gut-driven inflammation.

• Chronic exposure to inflammatory foods → long-term health decline:

  • Monteiro et al., Public Health Nutrition, 2018 — Higher intake of modern ultra-processed foods predicts obesity, metabolic disease, and systemic inflammation.

  • Schwingshackl, BMJ, 2021 — Diet quality strongly correlates with long-term disease progression.

• Hormone disruption from dietary patterns:

  • Gore et al., Endocrinology, 2015 — Environmental dietary factors disrupt hormone signaling.

  • Hu, N Engl J Med, 2002 — Poor dietary patterns drive insulin resistance and hormonal imbalance.

• The “slow poison” effect — cumulative biological injury:

  • Vanga & Raghavan, Nutrients, 2019 — Continued exposure to inflammatory foods creates progressive metabolic dysfunction.

  • Mozaffarian et al., Circulation, 2016 — Diet is the leading modifiable cause of chronic disease over time.