I want to ask you a slightly different question.

When you think about managing PMOS, how often do you think about what you need to add?

And how often do you think about what you need to remove?

If we're being honest, I suspect the second one wins.

No carbs.

No dairy.

No gluten.

Less sugar.

Fewer processed foods.

And while there can absolutely be situations where changing certain foods is helpful, I think we sometimes get so focused on restriction that we forget to ask a really basic question:

Are you getting enough?

The PMOS food conversation can become very restrictive

When you're desperate to feel better, it makes sense that you'll try things.

I don't blame anyone for that.

If someone tells you that cutting gluten changed everything for them, you're probably going to wonder if it could do the same for you.

But one person's experience isn't automatically a prescription for someone else.

And the more foods you remove, the more important it becomes to think about what you're still getting.

Before we remove... what's missing?

This is one of my favourite places to start.

Protein

Are you getting enough across the day?

Fibre

Are you getting a good variety of plant foods?

Enough food

Are you actually eating enough for your body and lifestyle?

Iron

Could this be something worth discussing or checking if you're experiencing relevant symptoms or risk factors?

Vitamin D

B12 and folate

Variety

Are you eating a reasonably varied diet, or have your food rules slowly reduced the list of things you feel comfortable eating?

None of these questions are about being perfect.

They're about making sure we're not so focused on removing things that we forget about nourishment.

“Healthy” doesn't have to mean restrictive

I think this is one of the hardest things about nutrition online.

A meal can be healthy without being tiny.

A meal can contain carbohydrates.

A meal can contain foods you genuinely enjoy.

And eating something that isn't considered “perfect” doesn't undo everything else you've done.

I want food to support your health, but I also want it to fit into your actual life.

What if the answer is adding something?

Maybe breakfast needs more substance.

Maybe lunch is consistently too small.

Maybe you're barely getting any fibre.

Maybe you're eating the same five foods because you're scared to try anything else.

Maybe you've been so focused on supplements that you've forgotten about actual meals.

These are all very different problems.

And they need very different solutions.

A little check-in before your next elimination

Before you remove another food, ask yourself:

Why am I removing this?

Is there a specific reason, or did I see it online?

What am I going to replace it with?

Am I still getting enough overall?

Is my diet becoming increasingly restrictive?

Would this be worth discussing with a qualified professional?

Sometimes removing something is appropriate.

But it shouldn't be the automatic first move.

More isn't always better, but less isn't either

This isn't an argument for eating everything all the time.

It's an argument for balance.

PMOS nutrition doesn't need to become a competition to see who can eat the fewest foods.

The goal is to build a way of eating that supports you and is realistic enough that you can actually live with it.

This is one of the clues I want you to remember

The next time you see a post telling you what you need to remove for PMOS, pause for a second.

And ask:

What’s missing?

That one question can completely change the conversation.

And it's one of the things I'll be unpacking in my upcoming webinar:

Why Your PMOS Plan Might Be Missing the Real Problem

We'll look beyond the usual checklist and talk about the clues that can help us understand what your body might actually need.

[JOIN THE FREE WEBINAR]