The 80 20 Rule Eat Healthy And Have Your Cake Too (2024)

The 80/20 rule is a healthy, less-restrictive plan for eating that doesn't feel like a diet. See how it's more "real-life"—including healthy foods and indulgences in moderation.

The 80 20 Rule Eat Healthy And Have Your Cake Too (1)

By April Schetler, MS, RD, FAND, Registered Dietitian
AVP, Community Health Engagement

Going "on" a diet usually means going "off" the diet when a craving hits for Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey. That’s because most people can’t follow a strict diet 100 percent of the time—and then they feel guilty when they indulge in dessert, chips or a co*cktail.

But following the 80/20 rule is a healthy, less-restrictive eating option that doesn't feel like a diet. Eating 80/20 is more "real-life" and easier to follow than other diet plans because it allows you to enjoy your favorite foods in moderation while eating healthy at the same time.

What is the 80/20 rule for eating?

The 80/20 rule is a guide for your everyday diet—eat nutritious foods 80 percent of the time and have a serving of your favorite treat with the other 20 percent.

For the “80 percent” part of the plan, focus on drinking lots of water and eating nutritious foods that include:

  • Whole grains
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Lean protein, including plant-based proteins such as beans, soy, and edamame
  • Limited amounts of healthy fats from avocados or olive oil

For your treats, or the “20 percent” part, eat your favorite foods in moderation. For example, you might have a small piece of chocolate cake today and a drink a glass of red wine tomorrow—just not both at the same time. This way of eating is easier to maintain than stricter diets like ketogenicor paleodiets, which limit carbs and processed foods.

The best thing about the 80/20 rule is that you're never saying, "I can't eat that." Instead, you're saying, "I can eat this today and have that tomorrow."

What’s the best way to use 80/20 rule?

To succeed with the 80/20 rule, trying staying within these guidelines as many days as you can. If you’re aiming for 80 percent of your diet to come from fresh and unprocessed whole foods, why not treat yourself with up to 20 percent of your favorite treats?For someone targeting 1500 calories a day that means you’d use about 1200 calories for healthy, nutritious meals and 300 calories for your treat.

Some people try to apply the 80 percent rule to weekdays and the 20 percent rule to weekends, but this can lead to overeating since you've denied yourself treats all week.

Following the 80/20 rule daily means you have wiggle room to splurge every day. As a result, you never deny yourself the pleasure of eating a small portion of something you love.

Can you lose weight following the 80/20 rule?

Following the 80/20 rule could help you lose weight. But, how much weight you lose depends on how healthy or unhealthy your eating habits were before you started 80/20.

Portion control and moderation are the keys to success when eating 80/20. Therefore, it’s still possible to exceed your body's energy needs and gain weight even though you’re eating healthy foods. Calories always count, even if they're healthy ones.

In addition to weight loss, following the 80/20 rule can help you keep a balanced mindset about eating. It removes the guilt, emotion and stress associated with dieting and allows you to enjoy your favorite foods in moderation. In addition, it can be adjusted to work for people with diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions.

How do I get started with the 80/20 rule?

If you need help getting started with the 80/20 rule, make an appointment with a Virtua registered dietitian. Your dietitian will review your normal diet with you and help you identify areas where you can make more nutritious food choices so you can achieve your fitness and nutrition goals. Most importantly, he or she will help you develop simple, healthy eating habits through small changes you can make over time.

Call 888-847-8823 to make an appointment with a Virtua registered dietitian.

The 80 20 Rule Eat Healthy And Have Your Cake Too (2024)

FAQs

The 80 20 Rule Eat Healthy And Have Your Cake Too? ›

If you're aiming for 80 percent of your diet to come from fresh and unprocessed whole foods, why not treat yourself with up to 20 percent of your favorite treats? For someone targeting 1500 calories a day that means you'd use about 1200 calories for healthy, nutritious meals and 300 calories for your treat.

What is the 80 20 rule in healthy eating? ›

With this in mind, the 80/20 rule diet encourages followers to eat a healthy, balanced diet designed to meet their goals and nutritional needs for 80 per cent of the time while allowing themselves to enjoy some of their favourite foods, in moderation, for the remaining 20 per cent.

What is the 80 20 rule fast food? ›

In “The 80/20 Diet,” Australian nutritionist, chef, and personal trainer Teresa Cutter writes that you can lose weight if you eat nutritiously 80 percent of the time and allow yourself to indulge in less healthy food for the remaining 20 percent of your meals.

What is the golden rule of eating? ›

An excess of any one of the six tastes (sweet, sour, salt, astringent, bitter and pungent) should be avoided. Food articles that contradict each other such as milk and fish should be avoided. Excessive consumption of fast food such as pizzas and burgers should be avoided. Soft drinks should not be consumed with meals.

What is the 90 10 rule of eating? ›

So how exactly can you use the 90/10 principle to find success in healthy eating? The 90/10 principle is when 90% of the time you follow your healthy meal plan guidelines closely, while 10% of the time you are free to loosen up and eat what you truly enjoy. Think of the 10% meals as your cheat or free meals.

What are 80/20 rule examples? ›

Practical examples of the Pareto principle would be: 80 % of your sales come from 20 % of your clients. 80% of your profits comes from 20 % of your products or services. 80 % of decisions in a meeting are made in 20 % of the time.

What are the 20 foods you should eat everyday? ›

3. What are Top 20 best food for good health? The top 20 best foods for good health include spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, blueberries, oranges, almonds, walnuts, avocado, salmon, tuna, eggs, Greek yogurt, quinoa, brown rice, lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, carrots, and bell peppers.

What is the 80 20 rule in the kitchen? ›

The 80/20 rule means eating nutrient-dense food 80% of the time, and "soul foods" the remaining 20%. Dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine follows the rule and eats chocolate every day. She also aims to eat 30 different plant-based foods throughout the week.

What is the 80 20 rule McDonald's? ›

What the McDonald brothers did was based on The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 Rule. You can summarize it as saying 80% of the return on an action comes from 20% of effort. In terms of business it's that 80% of your sales are from 20% of your customers.

What is the 80/20 rule in relationships? ›

But can the law of attraction be boiled down to a formula? The 80/20 relationship theory states that you can only get about 80% of your wants and needs from a healthy relationship, while the remaining 20% you need to provide for yourself.

What is the 3 food rule? ›

Buying and cooking the same things but growing really tired of them? Try the rule of three! You'll choose three vegetables, three fruits, three grains, three proteins and two to three snack foods, which can include a fun food.

What is the number 1 golden rule? ›

1. Common Observations and Tradition. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This seems the most familiar version of the golden rule, highlighting its helpful and proactive gold standard.

What is the most important rule of healthy eating? ›

Eat lots of fruit and veg

It's recommended that you eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg every day. They can be fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced. Getting your 5 A Day is easier than it sounds.

What is the 321 eating rule? ›

In the meal plan, there are three balanced meals, two healthy snacks and one treat every day.

What is the 1 3 food rule? ›

One interesting fact that I found is the Islamic advice of “1/3 for your food, 1/3 for your liquids and 1/3 for your breath”. This matches closely to the Japanese 'hara hachi bu' concept which means eat until you are only 80% full.

What is the 80 20 rule for eating everyday? ›

The 80/20 rule is simple. Eat nutritious, healthy foods 80% of the time and enjoy foods considered less healthy 20% of the time. It's a more flexible approach to eating, which encourages a balanced diet and indulging in moderation rather than restrictive dieting.

What is the 80 20 rule health plan? ›

The 80/20 Rule generally requires insurance companies to spend at least 80% of the money they take in from premiums on health care costs and quality improvement activities. The other 20% can go to administrative, overhead, and marketing costs.

What is the 80 20 food theory for healthy living? ›

"The 80/20 diet approaches healthy eating with a message of moderation—80% healthy choices and 20% flexibility for less healthy options.

What is the 80 20 rule in fitness? ›

In order to see results at the gym, lose weight or even maintain overall health, we're told that it's an 80/20 balance. Meaning 80% of your results comes from the food you eat, and only 20% of your results come from your workouts.

What is 80 healthy eating 20 exercise? ›

Theoretically, if you want to lose weight, it is about 80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise. Generally, it is said that diet plays a major role in weight loss. Some people can lose weight just by reducing their calorie consumption, but the results are unlikely to remain without some physical exercise.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Otha Schamberger

Last Updated:

Views: 6073

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (55 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Otha Schamberger

Birthday: 1999-08-15

Address: Suite 490 606 Hammes Ferry, Carterhaven, IL 62290

Phone: +8557035444877

Job: Forward IT Agent

Hobby: Fishing, Flying, Jewelry making, Digital arts, Sand art, Parkour, tabletop games

Introduction: My name is Otha Schamberger, I am a vast, good, healthy, cheerful, energetic, gorgeous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.