CLEVELAND — You can allow yourself to indulge in the foods you crave while still maintaining your diet, according to registered dietitian Melanie Jatsek.
“I believe the path to staying onto a healthy lifestyle is to make every day a cheat day,” she says. “Yes, I’m asking you invite these foods into your diet.”
She advises an 80/20 rule, where 80 percent of the time, you’re eating good, wholesome foods like fruits, vegetables, greens and fresh meats. The other 20 percent of the time can be reserved for what she describes as “perfectly imperfect foods.”
While it’s OK to enjoy those foods, Jatsek suggests dishing out a reasonable portion into a small bowl, and never eat straight from the bag or container.
“We have a tendency to eat until we get to the bottom of the container, so if the container is an entire bag of chips or carton of ice cream, guess what?!”
Jatsek advises to really taste and enjoy those perfectly imperfect foods without any of the guilt.
---
Jatsek is also the author of Missing Peace: Eleven Secrets to Restore Inner Harmony With Your Food, Body, and Health.