Hi everybody this is Monica Reinagal and you're listening to the

nutrition diva quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous and

today I have the first in a two-part series

on the idea of everything in moderation.

A few weeks back I did a podcast on whether the benefits of eating fish are

canceled out if the fish is deep fried. I concluded that it really didn't make

sense to eat fried fish from fast food restaurants solely for the health benefits, but that it would

be okay to enjoy a fish fry occasionally just because you like them.

Now at least one listener was horrified by this.

I'm shocked that a nutritionist would tell people that it's okay to indulge in trans fats

every once in a while, Brittany wrote.

I often hear health professionals advocate everything in moderation, but I disagree.

You wouldn't smoke crack in moderation, would you?

You've lost me as a listener.

As you might imagine, this comment launched a rather spirited discussion on the nutrition diva webpage.

Most of the commenters seemed to feel that my disgruntled listener was being unnecessarily rigid.

Many said that striving for dietary perfection might even do more harm than good.

Lisa commented, trying to live by absolutes and black and white rules I believe sets most of

us up for failure and disappointment.

I think it's very important to have up-to-date information about the food we eat,

but I also think it's important to have a reasonable and forgiving attitude

with how we apply that information. And Beth added,

...