“Nicole! You’re eating French fries?!”
“Ice cream?? Wow, there’s ice cream in your freezer!!”
These are the kind of things I hear from people who are aware of my passion for healthy living and see me eating ______ (insert anything sugary, fried, fattening, etc.).
People seem to find it surprising, but yes, I’ll eat fries once in awhile. I indulge in dessert sometimes. I drink one too many glasses of wine here and there… and not because I’m diving off the deep end from my healthy diet, but because I embrace balanced eating and the 80/20 principle.
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What is the 80/20 approach to diet? It’s a pretty simple idea: 80% of the time, you fuel your body with healthy, nutrient-dense foods, and then the remaining 20% of the time, you can indulge in treats and less nutritious foods. A lot of the time, that 20% for me includes things that aren’t junk food. For instance, I’d consider some dark chocolate or a glass of red wine as part of that 20%. Both are heart-healthy, but I look at them as extras that I don’t really need, but that I just enjoy and feel like having.
The percentages aren’t an exact science. Some days and weeks I’m more like 90/10, and then other days and weeks I might splurge more and eat more of a 75/25 ratio, but the idea is to achieve a healthy eating balance where treats are part of your diet guilt and stress free.
Here’s a day of my eats to exemplify what the 80/20 principle looks like for me:
I eat avocado toast for breakfast.
For lunch, I make a berry protein smoothie bowl with dried cherries, a handful of cashews and Kashi protein cereal.
As a pre-workout snack, I slice an apple and smear it with peanut butter, sprinkle it with cinnamon, and throw some mini chocolate chips on top.
For dinner, I whip up some lentil, spinach & tomato soup.
And then, I get struck with the desire to bake and make dark chocolate peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies. I eat two of them.
So my indulgences for the day were the mini chocolate chips on my apple, possibly the cashews in my smoothie bowl (which provide healthy fat, but I sort of see them as an “extra” thing here) and the cookies. None of these things are deep fried, cholesterol-rich foods or anything like that; they’re just enjoyable add-ins to my eats.
Dark chocolate peanut butter brown rice crispy bars = a great sweet tooth indulgence!
My point in sharing this is to show that I’m not “perfect” with my diet, nor do I want to be. On the contrary, I think that striving for super clean eating 100% of the time is actually unhealthy. I’ve come across lots of fellow health professionals, healthy living bloggers, and just people into health in general who seem over-the-top about clean eating, and you know what? To me, obsessively eating healthy isn’t healthy at all.
I love eating healthy because it makes me feel and look good, but I’m also a foodie that likes to eat whatever the hell I want here and there. The 80/20 diet principle is all about moderation, and that’s really a key in healthy eating and having an overall healthy mentality to food. So if you see me eating a donut around town, know that I’ve probably had a green juice and a nice long workout earlier that day… and yes, once in a blue moon I actually do eat a donut! 🙂
With that, I also wanted to share with you, my lovely readers, that I’m currently offering a Spring Into Shape health coaching program. While my normal program is 6 months long, this 6-week program is for those that want to kick-start healthy habits and head into summer feeling & looking great.
I’m offering the program until the last day of spring, June 19th. Schedule your free consultation with me today by shooting me an email! —> nicole[at]foodielovesfitness.com
Tell me… Is the 80/20 principle a guideline that you follow? What are your favorite indulgences?
Without this kind of balance I would SURELY fall off the deep end. I admit I can let the 20 turn more into 40/50 if I’m not careful, but most of the time this is my approach too.
Yes! Love the idea of the 80/20 diet. Your sample menu seems perfectly balanced!!
I completely agree with everything you said here. Being in the healthy living/food blogging community exposes you to some people who clearly have obsessive habits when it comes to eating. I’ve had to unfollow some people on my social media because they are just way too over-the-top.
Working in healthcare I also a ton of young women who stop menstruating and they can’t figure out why. When you limit yourself from carbs, fats , grains, or whatever trend is currently in your face, and then work out 7 days a week, sometimes 2x a day, it’s NOT HEALTHY! We have to listen to our bodies and allow them to rest and enjoy life, even if it means drinking wine and eating french fries. It should be more about focusing on how we feel than how flat our stomach looks. Finding that balance is so important!