We all pretty much know what healthy eating should look like, but actually doing it day in and day out is the real challenge. Many of us really want to improve our eating habits, no matter how strict or relaxed our current diet is. With so many tempting foods around, it’s easy to think we need more self-discipline, more strict rules, and a completely perfect plan to succeed.
We often imagine ourselves following some super intense eating plan, like we’re preparing for a big event. We tell ourselves, "Okay, this time I’m really going to commit!" We think we need to completely separate our eating from our normal lives to see any real changes. The idea is that once we achieve our goal, we can go back to eating normally.
What Does "Healthy Eating" Actually Mean?
Looking back, I was at a bit of a disadvantage in my twenties and thirties. I was a competitive bodybuilder, so I went through many extreme diets to get my body fat really low while trying to keep all my muscle.
Why was that a disadvantage? Because all I knew was how to get extremely lean by carefully counting my proteins, carbs, and fats to burn fat and feed my muscles. But I wasn’t really practicing truly healthy eating habits. I completely lacked balance and practicality, and I couldn’t live a normal life when I wasn’t in "diet mode."
After I stopped competing, I had to completely rethink what balance meant. I needed to change my perspective on healthy eating to fit into the real world, all while still staying strong, lean, and fit.
So, what is healthy eating? Simply put, it’s about developing eating habits that are both good for you and easy to maintain. These habits should support your overall health and fitness goals, whether that’s building muscle, losing fat, performing better, or just living a long, healthy life.
But what does "practical" healthy eating look like?
Practical Eating vs. Perfect Eating
When we think about healthy eating, we often jump straight to the idea of "going on a diet." We automatically focus on losing fat and getting leaner. It often becomes about how we look rather than our overall well-being. We forget that our health should always come first, and looking good is a nice bonus.
With this skewed mindset, our next mistake is chasing perfection. We gather all our resources, make detailed plans, and try to execute everything flawlessly. We believe anything less is a failure. If we slip up, we feel like we have to start all over again, beating ourselves up for giving in to temptation.
We have to ask ourselves if that’s a realistic way to live. We need to revisit our goals, understand what we truly want to achieve, and create a better, more sustainable plan.
While some things in life might temporarily be perfect, we need an approach to eating that we can live with every day, something that consistently moves us closer to a healthier life.
Here are five practical tips to help you eat healthier. Try putting a few, or all, of them into practice to finally find a balance that works for you.
1. Don’t "Diet"
Traditional diets usually have a clear beginning and an end. They often focus on a goal without a long-term strategy for what comes next. Instead of "being on a diet," try to shift your focus to building better, healthier eating habits. A diet is a short-term goal. Habits are daily actions that build discipline and lead to a lasting lifestyle change. Concentrate on your daily habits rather than just long-term results.
2. Use the 80/20 Rule
It’s just not possible to eat perfectly healthy 100% of the time. If we tried, we’d quickly feel deprived, bored, and probably question why we’re doing this in the first place, especially if it means giving up all our favorite treats. I find it more realistic to aim for healthy eating about 80% of the time, giving myself permission to be a bit more relaxed with the other 20%. This approach leaves enough room to stick to a generally healthy plan while also enjoying some of my favorite foods. The best part is you’ll never feel truly deprived because you know you can always indulge a little at some point during the week.
3. Practice Using Your Eyes
You know the saying, "Our eyes are bigger than our stomachs." We’ve all probably overeaten a time or two. Why do we do it? Our hunger response is a powerful survival tool. Since food is so readily available, we often take advantage of this and eat too much. Even when you’re super hungry, take a moment to pause and learn to eyeball what proper portion sizes actually look like. Become good at telling the difference between what your body needs and what your cravings want. Also, chew your food slowly, drink water with your meal to feel fuller, and really savor each bite.
4. Never Start Over
Many of us love Mondays, don’t we? Are you guilty of falling off your healthy eating wagon and telling yourself you’ll just start fresh on Monday? Don’t ever "start over." Instead, if you stumble, just pick up right where you left off. Little stumbles are a normal part of building new habits. If you treat every slip-up as a full restart, you’ll constantly be back at square one. Too many restarts will quickly lead to frustration and make it harder to build positive momentum with your healthy eating. Over time, you’ll naturally find you have fewer hiccups and more effortless progress.
5. Cake and the Scarcity Mentality
I once trained an older gentleman who was about to go on an Alaskan cruise. He was worried about the all-you-can-eat environment. I introduced him to the 80/20 rule and also explained how we have this "scarcity mentality" built into our DNA. When we see a favorite food, we often feel like we need to eat it right away, fearing it will be gone forever. This is our ancient survival instinct kicking in, telling us we might not eat for days.
The truth is, there will always be more cake. Keep this in mind when you’re faced with temptations. It’s just our ancestral urges trying to look out for us, but those urges are hundreds of thousands of years old and don’t quite fit our modern world.
Bonus Tip: Balance the Binge
We all lose control sometimes and overeat, which often leads to guilt. Soon after, we beat ourselves up, chipping away at our self-control and self-worth. But don’t worry, there’s something you can do to reduce the damage. After you’ve had a big indulgence, plan for the rest of your day and maybe the next day to eat more simply. Stick to small portions of wholesome foods and drink plenty of water. This will help balance your overall daily and weekly calorie intake and prevent you from spiraling into a cycle of guilt and unhealthy choices.
In Closing
Eating healthier should be a practical and enjoyable experience, not something that makes you feel deprived. Loosening up on the old-fashioned idea of a "diet" won’t send you spiraling out of control. Instead, it will give you more freedom and control over eating a balanced, realistic way, helping you develop healthy habits you can truly live with for the long term.