One of the most insipid pieces of advice ever thought up by the diet dictocrats: ''Everything in moderation.''

I know, I know, you're thinking: ''But 'everything in moderation' makes sense, doesn't it? How could it be wrong? It's the culinary equivalent of 'sensible shoes.' '' Well, maybe. But maybe it's time to take another look.

Let's take the easy examples first.

If you have a severe allergy to peanuts, eating them in moderation may kill you.

If you have chronic yeast overgrowth, an often undetected condition that affects more people than you can imagine and results in a baker's dozen of vague and unpleasant symptoms, then you cannot eat barley malt, vinegar or any of a number of other foods in moderation. (At least not if you want to get rid of the yeast.)

If you're on medications known as MAO inhibitors, there are certain foods that you better not eat in moderation, or you could be risking a hypertensive episode ... or a stroke.

Now that we've established that ''everything in moderation'' is far from a universally true proposition, let's look at some of the more tricky cases. Like maybe your own.

If you're someone for whom weight has been a continual battle, there's a good chance that you have some degree of insulin insensitivity. There might also be a number of other things going on -- hormonally, metabolically, genetically -- but whatever else is going on, it's a good bet that your carbohydrate metabolism isn't running as smoothly as it could be. If this is the case, then high-glycemic meals and snacks -- those that raise your blood sugar quickly and with it your insulin levels -- are not a good idea. Even in moderation. Not if you want to lose fat, and not if you want to stay healthy.