The 80/20 Rule: Your Guide to Healthy Eating!
If I created a poll asking which area of health you struggled with the most, I’m willing to bet the majority of you would choose nutrition. The reason that so many people struggle with this specific area is because they lack structure when it comes to their eating habits. In my opinion, nutrition is the most important factor when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, however it is often the most neglected. You know the old saying “diet starts Monday”; when in reality by Wednesday you’ve already thrown your “diet” out of the window and you’re back at the drive-thru window of your favorite fast food restaurant. It’s time to stop “dieting” and time to start developing sound nutritional practices that are going to last longer than a couple of days or weeks. Claiming back your health starts with gaining control of your eating habits and I want to teach you how to start by utilizing the 80/20 Rule.
Now before we get started, this theory is not “Michael Jordan’s Secret Stuff” to getting 6-pack abs (where my Space Jam fans at?). However it is a start to gaining control of what you are putting on your plate, but more importantly what you are putting into your body. So what is the 80/20 Rule? It is simply a theory that states 80 percent of the foods that you consume should be whole foodsthat are nutrient dense and full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals; while the other 20 percent can come from foods that are less nutrient dense (i.e. not as healthy for you). Whole foods are defined as foods that exist in their most natural state, therefore they are unprocessed, unrefined, and do not have extra ingredients, preservatives or chemicals added to them. Examples of this would be fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, etc. (I will list out some of the healthiest options in each category at the end of the blog)
When trying to incorporate this theory into your daily routine, do not drive yourself crazy trying to get exactly 80 percent of your food consumption from whole foods. It is more of an estimated reference, than an exact number. Some of you might be thinking 80 percent sounds like a lot and if you are, then you’re in the same boat as me when I was introduced to this concept. Therefore, I broke it down by days in the week. I thought if I could eat clean Monday through Friday, then I could indulge a little on the weekends and that would be a good start. After doing the math I noticed that with this approach I was a little over 70 percent (5 days/7 days = 71%), so you can say I started off with the 70/30 Rule. It was challenging at first; I had good days and I had bad days, but the key was I never gave up. Overtime it became easier because I became more disciplined. Eventually I was able to include Saturday as well, which is technically 85 percent (6 days/7 days = 85%)! Have I had slip ups? Of course I did and you will too, but that’s ok because we’re not perfect! You’re going to make mistakes, therefore aim for progression and not perfection. What matters most is that you learn from your mistakes and continue to make progress one day at a time!
Below I outlinined the different foods that you should be incorporating to ensure 80 percent of your nutritional intake is coming from whole foods. If you are ready to start working towards your health and fitness goals but don’t know where to start, use this link to schedule a free consultation to get the process started!
(https://calendly.com/eternalhealthandfitnessllc/experiment1et)
Healthiest Whole Foods to Choose From:
Fruits/Vegetables: ALL OF THEM! Choose from a wide variety.
Whole Grains: Quinoa, Wild Rice, Brown Rice, Oats, Rye etc.
Legumes: Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans), Lentils, Peas, Kidney Beans, Black Beans, etc.
Nuts/Seeds: Walnuts, Almonds, Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds etc.
Meat/Fish: Lean Chicken, Lean Turkey, Salmon, Tuna, Sardines etc.