what is it and should you try it?

If you’ve ever been on a diet (and let’s face it, who hasn’t ?!) you will know how hard it is to convince yourself that you can’t enjoy your favorite foods – and stick with it for more than a few weeks in one piece.

The story usually goes like this: You are “good” for a while, but then at some point you give in, give in and feel bad, only to start the process again the next Monday … and that’s exactly why “diet” doesn’t work. But not all diets prohibit all of your popular goodies. Enter: the 80/20 rule.

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What is the 80/20 meal rule?

The basic premise of the 80/20 rule is that you can eat super healthy 80 percent of the time and “self-medicate” 20 percent of the time. If math is your interest, it means that 17 of the 21 main meals you eat each week should tick all of the nutritional boxes, while the remaining four can be “unhealthy”.

This basically means that you are “good” during the week and can relax on the weekend.

So what’s on the menu? Although there are no specific food rules, your diet should consist of 80 percent core foods from the five food groups. These are fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy products and grains, most of which should be classified as “whole grains”.

The remaining 20 percent is exactly what you think – pizza, pancakes, fried chicken, chocolate, wine … you get the picture.

What are the pros and cons?

The 80/20 rule promotes balance, which is a really good place to start. No food is completely taboo and at the same time no food is placed on a pedestal. So it’s relatively sustainable compared to many diets on the market.

That being said, the 80/20 rule still describes food as “good” or “bad”, which is not conducive to a healthy relationship with food. You see, food has no moral value. I repeat: there is no such thing as a single “healthy” or “unhealthy” food.

What really determines the health of your diet is your consumption patterns over time. Obviously, some foods provide more nutrients than others – but less nutritious options still have a place in a balanced eating plan. Delicacies fill your mug of happiness and are good for the soul.

Another downside to the 80/20 rule is the ability to develop a cheat meal mindset even when it’s not the intention. If you are “perfect” with 80 percent of your diet, you might think you could eat whatever you want for the remaining 20 percent.

Spoiler alert: if you dig into piles of hot french fries, buckets of fried chicken, and whole cups of ice cream, you won’t lose weight. Rather, the idea is that you don’t feel bad about enjoying something like a slice or two of pizza (read: not the whole cake).

The verdict on the 80/20 diet

The restrictive nature of fashion diets is why they don’t work – and while the 80/20 rule doesn’t seem overly restrictive, there is inevitably still an element of “I can eat this” and “I can” ‘eat You don’t ‘.

As a dietitian, I am obviously in favor of diets based on healthy whole foods, so the 80/20 rule has some nutritional value. At the same time, however, I absolutely believe that all foods fit and that there is no place for eating rules or feelings of guilt – so I don’t think the 80/20 diet is good in the long run.

Rather than having strict rules about what to eat, I think that focusing on healthy habits and tensing your mindful muscles over treats will be much more productive for long-term weight maintenance.

Melissa Meier is a Sydney based accredited practicing nutritionist. You can connect with her on Instagram @honest_nutrition.

source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/what-is-it-and-should-you-try-it/