• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • DIY
    • Homemade Sugar Scrubs
    • DIY Beauty
  • Healthy Living
    • Natural Remedies

Cultured Palate

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • DIY
  • Lifestyle
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • DIY
    • Lifestyle
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Uncategorized

    Published: Feb 11, 2013 by Dina-Marie · Modified: Dec 11, 2018 17 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

    The 80/20 Rule - Stop Feeling Guilty for Those Treats!

    FacebookTweetPinShares44

    Do you struggle with guilt over the "treats" you have eaten or that you feed your family? Do you feel like you are drowning in guilt because of the sweets you ate on special occasions? The 80/20 rule is your life preserver and I'm throwing it right out to ya!

    The 80/20 Rule

    You may not realize it, but you are not alone! Many people feel guilty because they indulged in dessert, birthday cake at the party, pecan pie at a holiday meal... The list is endless!

    Since I have transitioned my family to a traditional diet (although I continue on the GAPS diet), it can be very challenging to keep all foods kosher, so to speak. Maybe I should clarify what I mean by kosher - I mean healthy, real foods which are nutrient dense and that are prepared in traditional ways.

    When I say "prepared in traditional ways" I mean soaking grains, seeds, and legumes with kefir or lemon juice so as to minimize phytic acid. Another traditional method is fermenting foods  with the lacti-acid fermentation which improves gut health*.

    Basically, it means that I prepare our meals from scratch using wholesome ingredients the way our great-grandmothers would have done.

    A lot of work? Yes, it can be!

    Worth it? Definitely!

    The 80/20 Rule

    I was greatly relieved when I read the work of Dr. Weston A. Price and his 80/20 rule. Basically, Dr. Price said that as long as 80% of your meals were healthy and nutritious, 20% could be left more or less to chance.

    While I could easily use the 80/20 as a cop out, it has actually alleviated unnecessary guilt on those occasions when I choose to allow my family to have "treats".

    Some of my special occasions include birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, weddings, family reunions, holiday parties,  and special time markers.

    For example, when we finish pruning the vineyard (it takes a month to completely hand prune it) we have a doughnut party. While our doughnut recipe is about as healthy as you can get, the icing does contain sugar. I can substitute raw sugar but honey is just not the same.

    For those of you who began your journey with traditional foods earlier in life, maybe you don't have this problem. But, for me, we already had older children who were used to sugary treats especially during the holidays. You know, the recipe that your mother made and is now part of your family's tradition? It's hard to stop serving those recipes when your children request them for their birthday meals!

    There are some foods you eat because they just plain taste good, they are comforting, and they bring back good memories!

    So, I have given myself the freedom to follow a healthy traditional diet for the family very closely 80% of the time, and 20% of the time, I can loosen up and have more flexibility.

    In case you are wondering, if you eat 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, that would work out to be about 4 meals a week that can be more flexible when it comes to the nutrition scale.

    We are a healthy family and eating birthday cake once in awhile or a dessert made from a family recipe is not going to have a significant impact on our health - as long as I  provide nutritionally dense foods the majority of the time.

    The 80/20 Rule gives us the freedom to eat with those around us and enjoy special occasions WITHOUT the guilt.

    A word of caution though - don't let the 20% part of the 80/20 rule slowly grow and get out of hand! Remember, about 4 meals a week can be flexible in the nutrition department!

    Interestingly, Dr. Price did see amazing results in school children who ate a nutritious lunch according to his recommendations but still ate their nutritionally poor diet at home. The children stopped getting cavities and began healing!

    This happened even with having less than 80% of their diet made up of food that was nutritionally dense. I don't know about you, but that is amazing to me!

    Is the 80/20 Rule for Everyone?

    Does the 80/20 rule apply to everyone? No, I don't think so.

    Stay with me here because at first glance, this might seem like a silly question. But, think about it - there are a couple of exceptions for folks that should not in any way use the 80/20 rule.

    These are 2 categories of people I would say, the 80/20 rule should not be used for:

    1. Someone on the GAPS diet who is in the process of healing their gut. It is important to stick strictly to the diet. After all, it is a healing process meant for the short term. That healing process can be prolonged if the diet is not followed.
    2. Someone with food allergies, such as peanuts, that can cause life threatening reactions should not just throw all caution to the wind and eat the offending food.

    What do YOU do with the 80/20 Rule?

    The underlying key is commitment. Commitment - to health, a healthy lifestyle and to caring for your body in such a way so as to maximize your potential.

    If you are a Christian and believe that your body is the temple of God, that fact alone should make us want to do the best for our bodies and take care of it!

    But, I know it is difficult to eat real, traditional food 100% of the time. I want to encourage you that sometimes, allowing ourselves and our families special treats give that little oomph we need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

    Sometimes feeling deprived of a certain food makes us crave it even more. We often eat more of it than we would have if we had just indulged once in the 20% and then stopped stressing about it.

    Health goes beyond what we eat. There is more to life than just eating healthy.

    Don't get me wrong, our bodies need REAL food for fuel. But, living life (not just existing) is about more.

    I am going to use the 80/20 rule to allow my family special dishes and desserts once in awhile - without feeling guilty about it!

    Give yourself the freedom to use the 80/20 rule with your family! Enjoy some flexibility without beating yourself up afterwards. Just don't forget to renew your commitment to good health and a healthy lifestyle.The 80/20 Rule

    *If you are interested in learning more about traditionally prepared foods, check out Nourishing Traditions available from my affiliate.
     

    More Uncategorized

    • march 2023 calendar
      March 2023 Printable Calendar
    • february 2023 calendar
      February 2023 Printable Calendar
    • january 2023 printable calendar
      January 2023 Printable Calendar
    • paleo meal with tomatoes on a white plate with blue rim from the post "What is the Paleo Diet".
      What is the Paleo Diet?

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. KimH says

      February 11, 2013 at 1:58 pm

      Although Im not on GAPS I do mostly eat real whole God given foods. I try to keep man-made food out of my diet and at least to a minimum. I was raised eating good whole foods from the land, not from a box or can, so its not been difficult for me. M'honey on the other hand used to eat grocery store & industrial foods so its been a bit of a curve for him to learn to love real food. He eats it but I dont think he loves it like I do.
      He went to the doctor a few weeks ago & found out his cholesterol had dropped from 460 to 200 something which was shocking to us all. I firmly believe it has to do with the ways I cook and the ingredients I use.
      Yes, sometimes junk comes in our diet.. (thinking about those brownies I made yesterday with my sorta-grand-daughters) but its not every day and this is a good thing.
      Blessings!

      Reply
      • Dina-Marie says

        February 12, 2013 at 12:27 am

        Kim, that is wonderful about the drop in his cholesterol - I am sure it has to do with your healthy cooking - what an inspiration. Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    2. Suburban Farm Girl says

      February 20, 2013 at 1:48 am

      What a relief! lol!!! I'm really glad you wrote this. I am still pretty new to all of this and still struggling to implement it into my life. Its good to know that occasional slip ups are ok.

      Lynn

      Reply
    3. Steph (The Cheapskate Cook) says

      February 20, 2013 at 12:31 pm

      I've heard this rule applied to the primal diet, but I'd forgotten about it for regular healthy diets. Thanks for the reminder! We probably follow it from a whole foods, unprocessed foods perspective, altho there's always room for improvement!
      Thanks for sharing on Healthy 2Day Wednesday!

      Reply
    4. Dana says

      February 20, 2013 at 4:55 pm

      I really need help figuring out how to eat a "traditional" diet. Is the Weston A. Price books something that will steer me in the right direction? The 80/20 does make me breath a little easier, thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Dina-Marie says

        February 20, 2013 at 9:31 pm

        Dana, the Weston A. Price books will help and also look on their website for more information about foods - raw milk, pastured meats, oils, fats ....
        You can see my post about grain preparation to help with preparing grains, beans and seeds. Be sure to add probiotic foods to your diet for gut health with yogurt, kefir,homemade sauerkraut, fermented carrots - any fermented foods which use the lacto-fermentation method (you can see my post on that also).

        Reply
    5. Lori @ Our Heritage of Health says

      February 21, 2013 at 5:11 pm

      I love the flexibility of the 80/20 rule! It keeps me from being stressed about trying to follow a real food diet 100% of the time. :)

      Thanks for sharing with Old-Fashioned Friday!

      Reply
    6. deb says

      July 27, 2013 at 4:24 pm

      Sorry Dina-Marie to be such a bother...enjoying your site and have lots of questions. I just received my book, NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL DEGENERATION by Weston A Price. Can you tell me where he talks about the 80/20 rule? I really like that concept and want to read about it in his book.

      Reply
      • Dina-Marie says

        July 27, 2013 at 7:48 pm

        Deb, I can't remember where in the book the 80/20 Rule is covered.

        I am sorry not to be more help but it is based on Dr. Price's findings with school children. Even though the school children had their normal meals at home in the evening (20%) and their diet at school was controlled. breakfast, lunch and a snack (80%), their dental health improved dramatically

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Your gut health plays a central role in nutrient absorption, and affects all other systems in your body. The bacterial cultures in your intestines are an often overlooked and neglected part of the average diet.

    Known as the "second brain", your gut has more than 100 million neurons, and needs to be nourished.

    You'll find recipes here that focus on prebiotic ingredients, whole vegetables, and probiotics like kefir, sauerkraut and cheese.

    About myCulturedPalate!

    • Pinterest
    • Instagram

    Trending

    • How to Make Bone Broth
      How to Make Bone Broth - Easy and Delicious
    • Simple Guacamole Recipe
    • Sourdough Bread Bowls on green plate filled with soup.
      Sourdough Bread Bowls
    • Diabetic Brownies shown on white tray with yellow napkin.
      Diabetic Brownies
    • image showing Dough Enhancer Recipe
      Dough Enhancer
    • Carrot Juice Recipe for Weight Loss shown with white background and veggies around jar.
      Carrot Juice Recipe for Weight Loss
    • cream of rice in a white bowl with a spoon
      Homemade Cream of Rice Recipe
    • Oven Roasted Pork Loin with veggies in a polish pottery dish.
      Boneless Pork Loin in Dutch Oven

    Calendars

    As seen in

    Subscribe for new recipes!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    • Pinterest
    • Instagram

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Calendars
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About

    The content on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately.

    Copyright © 2023 MyCulturedPalate