As human beings, it’s truly unfortunate that we have such a tendency toward excesses, and from a holistic nutrition point of view, sugar addiction has become one of our worst vices. If we don’t regularly eat a balanced diet, it’s incredibly easy to throw our bodies off balance by making poor food choices, yet most of us simply don’t realize the consequences of our actions, and therefore we usually just plow on with our lives as if such madness is normal. If we paid more attention to our daily eating habits, a vast number of illnesses and diseases could be avoided by most people, and psychologically speaking, we could also lead far more fulfilling lives and have a much more positive outlook on the future as well.
When most people get stressed (it happen all the time these days) even the idea of a balanced diet is quickly forgotten, and they immediately begin looking to convenience foods and “comfort” foods to find a temporary feeling of satisfaction. When we go for a “quick fix,” processed, simple sugars take the place of actual nutrition, and for a short time we genuinely believe that we feel better, although in reality, there isn’t anything which could be further from the truth.
To function ideally and to really understand the incredible importance of holistic health solutions, it’s essential that all of us adopt an 80/20 approach to our diets and to our bodies. The 80/20 rule will allow you to restore balance to your life, if you apply it prior to each meal.
To understand what the 80/20 rule is all about we need to understand that our body is made up of both acid and alkaline and when these two become out of balance, chaos reigns! All foods need to be alkaline, acidic or neutral, with by far the largest amounts being made up of alkaline forming foods. In this case 80% should be alkaline and the acid forming foods should represent 20%. This is a long way from the average American diet, unfortunately.
Alkaline-based foods are largely vegetables and fruits and some nuts & seeds, while acid-based foods include animal protein, starch, sugar, alcohol, dairy and some grains. For some reason it has become traditional to serve vegetables as “a side” and in very much smaller portions, whereas according to the 80/20 rule it should be the other way around. Give it a try: 80% alkaline forming food and 20 % acid food on your plate at each serving.
The 80/20 rule also tells us that we should train our bodies to become satisfied before we feel “full.” In other words, when you get to 80%, stop eating. Over a period of time you’ll be amazed how this approach will really make you feel better.
Almost everything that we do, our careers, our personal lives, our aspirations, depend on how we maintain our health. This in turn has a great deal to do with how we eat, and if we apply the 80/20 approach to our diets we can expect to be far more productive, and have longer, happier lives as a result of our holistic nutrition approach.
