I must confess, I like food. I like to eat all kinds of foods. The problem is, I’m also very health conscious and the fact is that some of the foods I like to eat aren’t very healthy.

But something tells me that most of you reading this feel the same way 🙂

So how do we justify our desire to eat food that may not be “good for us” and at the same time eat healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle?

Adopt the 80/20 rule of eating. It goes like this…

80% of the time, eat healthy. 20% of the time, eat what you crave. Eat those sinful pleasures.

The key with this type of eating is moderation. You shouldn’t deny yourself from eating the things you enjoy, because sooner or later you are going to eat them anyway.
So eat them. But eat them in moderation. Only 20% of the time. And when you do eat unhealthy foods, don’t have huge portions.

The thing is, if as individuals and as a society we ate healthy 80% of the time we would solve our obesity problem. I believe this is the most realistic approach to being healthy and still being able to eat the “junk foods.”

Here are some quick tips to what you should eat 80% of the time:

Fruits and vegetables. Eat at least 4 helpings every day. Try to vary the color of these items. Each color represents different nutrients. So try to have something green, yellow, red, orange and purple to get a wide variety of nutrients. If eating 4 helpings of vegetables a day is difficult, then getting a juicer will help.

Protein. I am also a big proponent of eating more protein and less simple carbohydrates (sugars). We need at least 1 gram of protein for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight. Do this and keep your total number of calories the same and see if you don’t start losing weight, increasing lean muscle mass and losing fat.

Water. Make sure you drink enough water. I don’t believe, as some others do, that you need to be constantly carrying a water bottle with you and flooding your kidneys. Our bodies have evolutionarily adapted an amazing mechanism to keep us from becoming dehydrated. It’s called thirst and you should listen to it. But when you are thirsty, instead of reaching for a soft drink — or some food — drink some water first.

Vitamins. I also think you need to supplement with some type of multivitamin. They are inexpensive and easy to take. And there is ample evidence to show they can help in preventing disease.
So go ahead and splurge occasionally. You don’t have to feel guilty as long as you are following a common-sense eating plan 80 percent of the time.
Have a great day! Talk to you soon.