Healthy eating with goodies: 80:20 plan announced

As an alternative to exhausting diets that can lead to nervous breakdowns due to severe food restrictions, you can use an 80:20 diet plan, when there is room in the diet for not entirely healthy but tasty food.

Nutritionist Natalia Dubovyk told OBOZREVATEL about this in an exclusive commentary. "80% of foods and dishes in your diet should be balanced, and leave 20% for something tasty," she explained.

According to the nutritionist, when a person completely gives up foods that bring joy for the sake of a diet, it can negatively affect their mental state. Therefore, it is allowed to eat "goodies", but in limited quantities.

Most of the diet should be made up of healthy foods – "vegetables, meat, fish, legumes, fermented foods, and fruits." And the fifth part can be filled with tasty but not very healthy foods to "add a little happiness to your life."

In this context, Dubovyk noted: "Our psyche is not made of iron, it cannot withstand it. We already have a lot of stress at work and in our personal lives. In addition, we assume that we will face a lockdown and certain bans."

"If we start staying at home again, if we can't enjoy our favorite café anymore, and if we further restrict ourselves in food, we can get to a mental breakdown," she warned.

At the same time, the nutritionist advised eating fruit only in the morning. "I would refuse to eat fruit throughout the day. I would leave them for the first half of the day. For example, make it a rule to eat them before 12 or 13 o'clock," she said.

The information in this publication was verified by Dr. Viktor Lytvynenko.