Topic: The 80/20 rule

When it comes to diets, ever hear of the 80/20 rule?

The idea is that 80 percent of what you eat comes from minimally-processed foods—such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fresh meats.

And the other 20 percent? It can be whatever you want. (Pizza! Ice cream! Gummi bears!)

As “food rules” go, it’s a solid—and even sensible!—general guideline.

But how does it compare to the way most folks REALLY eat?

According to one study, Americans consume 57.1 percent of our calories from ultra-processed foods (a.k.a. “junk” foods).

Call it the 43/57 diet!

If that resembles how you eat, don’t stress. And forget about that 80/20 goal for now.

Instead, just shoot for 50/50 to start. This might require only tiny changes such as:

● Pairing a hot dog with a 100 percent whole grain bun

● Ordering a veggie or two on top of your pizza

● Eating a piece of fruit before diving into the chips

● Trying a rotisserie chicken instead of a bucket of fried

Sure, in isolation, these changes don’t look like much.

But if you consistently master one small dietary shift after another, all the tiny actions add up. And pretty soon, you’re at 60/40, then 70/30, and then even 80/20.

Yet because you did just one tiny action a time—and not an overnight overhaul—it didn’t even seem that hard.

And you know what? That’s how lasting change happens.

PMID: 26962035

Martínez Steele E, Baraldi LG, Louzada ML da C, Moubarac JC, Mozaffarian D, Monteiro CA. Ultra-processed foods and added sugars in the US diet: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2016 Mar 9;6(3):e009892.