The Relatable Diet: Building a Healthy Relationship with Food Through the 80/20 Rule

I’m always saying how unrelatable some of the information we see online can be — especially around nutrition.

Many professionals I follow give out fantastic advice about how to live “optimally.” But I often find myself wondering how the average person (someone like me — with kids, work, and a household to manage) is supposed to fit it all in.

Living a holier-than-thou existence — only eating picture-perfect meals and managing a strict list of “allowed” foods — can actually be unhealthy.

When food rules become so rigid that you can’t go out for lunch or dinner with your family and genuinely enjoy the experience, that’s not healthy — that’s stressful.

So this is what I do — I live by the 80/20 rule.

80% of the time:

• Eat whole foods, organic where possible

• Eat your vegetables - a variety of colours

• Hit your protein and fibre and healthy fat goals

• Drink filtered water

20% of the time:
Enjoy the things that bring you joy — a glass of wine, a slice of cake, a takeaway with friends, or popcorn at the movies.

How Does This Look in Real Life?

It’s not about perfection — it’s about balance.
If you’ve had a nourishing breakfast and lunch full of protein and fibre, enjoy dessert guilt-free.
If you’ve had a weekend away and indulged a bit more, just get back to your regular rhythm on Monday.

The magic of the 80/20 rule is that it helps you stay consistent without feeling deprived — which means you’re far more likely to stick with it long-term (Westenhoefer, 1991; Smith et al., 2019).

When the 80/20 Rule Isn’t Helpful

There are times when a more targeted approach is needed — for example:

• If you’re managing a chronic condition (like IBS, reflux, or autoimmune issues)

• If you’re working through hormonal imbalance or significant digestive symptoms

• Or if you’re following a therapeutic protocol that requires stricter consistency for healing

In these cases, the 80/20 rule can be something you work back towards once your body has rebalanced (Michalak et al., 2020).

What the Research Says

Research supports that flexible eating approaches are linked with:

• Improved long-term adherence to healthy eating patterns

• Better body satisfaction and reduced disordered eating behaviours

• Greater overall wellbeing and sustainability compared to strict diets

Studies have shown that individuals who adopt a flexible restraint approach — like the 80/20 rule — experience better psychological outcomes and less rebound dieting than those who follow rigid rules (Smith et al., 2019; Westenhoefer, 1991; Linardon et al., 2021).

In other words, being a little flexible helps you stay a lot healthier.

Final Thoughts

Nutrition isn’t about perfection — it’s about progress, balance, and building a positive relationship with food.

If you’re ready to find what balance looks like for you, and learn how to nourish your body without restriction or overwhelm, I’d love to help.

Book Your Dietary Review

If you’re not sure where to start, my Dietary Review is the perfect first step.
It’s a one-off session where I analyse your current diet, identify nutrient gaps, and give you simple, practical tweaks that align with your lifestyle and health goals — no extremes, no guilt, just real food and balance.

Book your Dietary Review today and start building a healthy relationship with food that works for real life.

References

• Linardon, J., Tylka, T. L., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M. (2021). The relationship between flexible and rigid dieting and disordered eating behaviours: A systematic review. Appetite, 161, 105–116.

• Michalak, J., Zhang, X. C., Jacobi, C. (2020). Flexible vs. rigid control of eating behavior and its relationship with dieting success and well-being. Eating Behaviors, 36, 101–107.

• Smith, K. E., Mason, T. B., Anderson, L. M., Lavender, J. M. (2019). Flexible control of eating and its relation to dieting, body image, and emotional well-being. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 42(4), 626–636.

• Westenhoefer, J. (1991). Dietary restraint and disinhibition: Is restraint a homogeneous construct? Appetite, 16(1), 45–55.