“Perhaps too much of everything is as bad as too little.” – Edna Ferber

Do you agree with this statement on excess?

Life is a juggling act. You can definitely have too much of everything as well as have too little. It’s a continuum and like with most things the answer lies in the middle—the grey area. To help explain my point, I will use fats as an example. Everyone agrees that you can eat too many fats—most people do. Did you also know that you can also not have enough.

Fats are an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet and are essential for the healthy regulation and management of every function in your body and brain. Dietitians state that the exact amount required will vary with the individual, but 30% of your daily dietary requirements should come from fats. This is healthy.

The problem is that most people eat an excess of fats, some up to twice the recommended amount. Most diets also include trans fats which can lead to medical conditions such as:

• heart disease
• obesity
• cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• type 2 diabetes

Fats helps us to absorb vitamins A, D, E  and K and provide the essential fatty acids our body cannot make itself. These essential fatty acids are required to make our brain work and function effectively. Our brain is 60% fat and requires a regular supply of fats to work. Without fats in our body, our brain is unable to think and work properly and can shrink in size—a physical symptom of Anorexia Nervosa. The brain will only return to its regular size and function with weight gain and a regular supply of fats.

Using this example, draw your own continuum for other things can you think of that are as bad in excess as they are if we have too little of them. Remember everything is juggling act and you can find the workable grey area for all things.

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