As mentioned before in a post and will probably repeat in the future, I am a fan of “with measure”.
I know it is one of those words, which are highly subjective, and which also depend on the culture one person grew up with or lives in. What is considered normal in one country, could already be seen as excessive in another.
Drinking a small glass of wine at lunch or dinner was normal in my family of origin and I used to think it was ok, but I was shocked to hear that in Spain there are people who have their wine or beer with their breakfast!
Actually, my farmer grandfather also had sometimes old bread soaked in a glass of red wine. That was a deep-rooted habit from the times when food at home was scarce and leftover bread was too precious to be thrown away. The soaking helped to make the hard bread edible again. Now, whether he could have used milk instead of wine, I don’t know…they had cows, but maybe they sold all the milk? I am just speculating, and it could well be that he just enjoyed his glass of wine.
I define “with measure” as being a quantity which allows me to enjoy something without having consequences and which leaves some space to wish for more.
The consequences do not have to be too dramatic either. Drinking wine until I get drunk is definitively way more quantity than my body needs, but also drinking wine and get acid reflux or bad breath is already a sign for me that I exceeded the measure.
You can also have too much of something good for your health. Having a freshly pressed orange juice can provide you with vitamin C. But drinking a large glass, or even worse, consume large quantities of industrial juice (which also has plenty of sugar and preservatives) would be too much acid (and sugar) for your body.
Anybody with an interest in nutrition or health in general has at least once heard that one should get up from the table 80% full. This is true also for TCM. Large meals require more Qi to digest, while maybe your body needs the Qi for other tasks.
Unless there is a physical condition, which really requires to avoid completely certain types of food, I believe that consuming some of everything is the main path to a healthy balance. This includes sugar, alcohol, flour, meat…the key is not to overindulge in any specific flavours (I will do a post about this) or type of food.
I also believe that we cannot always be strict and have the purest and balanced diet. We need to leave space for the unforeseen as well as for some small joys, that is to life itself! It is not always possible to eat at home the best balanced meal, or avoid the slice of cake offered at a party. Accept the unforeseen or “extra” with moderation allows your body to train and get back to balance more quickly, cutting off the mental stress for having that piece of cake!
When my husband and I are at home together, we usually have a coffee break in the afternoon with a small cookie. My body does not need that cookie, or even the coffee (which I drink with lots of sugar as I hate the bitter taste!). But my mind does. Those 15’ I share with my husband are valuable and the endorphins created by the experience create are actually beneficial to my body as well. I though drink all my tea without sugar ;p.
Overindulging in endorphins creation (eating too many cookies) would have possible physical consequences due to the sugar excess.
It is though interesting: why would you want to create at costs of your own health more pleasure (you know, the cookies and the endorphins)? Are you trying to escape a negative emotion?
Overindulging in something is a sign that there is something bothering us at a deepest level and we are not willing to deal with it.
To resume, our brain – and stomach! – have the key to the word “with measure”.
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Beer or wine for breakfast! 😆 I remember how surprised I was that folks used to drink beer or wine in lieu of water because water was considered unsafe. Your grandfather probably saved the milk for the kids or cooking?
I do agree with both you and Yi, moderation and measure. It's one of the reasons why I enjoy veganism--even if I eat too much, the feeling doesn't last long because I haven't eaten anything as difficult to digest as meat or dairy. But even if I was a meat eater, what if everyone ate within their means! Shocking!
But lately my husband has been very good about not eating too much. It's a very different notion from 'cleaning your plate' and 'don't let food go to waste'.
I am a believer in "everything in moderation" and that every food/drink is there for our enjoyment. What's life without joy? ;)
新年快乐！