The 80/20 Rule and the Benefits of Whole Foods!

On your fitness journey, we encourage you to follow the 80/20 rule: your diet is to be made up of 80% whole foods and 20% fun foods. Including fun foods is important to make a diet sustainable and enjoyable, however there is a reason that only 20% of our foods should be fun/packaged and 80% should be whole. Whole foods simply have 1 ingredient, so getting accurate nutrition information about them is easy. On the other hand, the FDA allows packaged foods to have a 20% margin of error when it comes to calories. A snack labeled 200 calories can actually be anywhere from 160-240 calories while being within regulations. While eating a packaged snack occasionally won’t derail progress, progress could be affected if most of your daily calories are coming from packaged options.

Another reason we want our diet to be primarily whole foods is the vast micronutrients that they offer!
Whole foods are filled with vitamins and minerals significantly more often than pre-packaged foods. We know that a body that is healthy internally performs better externally. A healthy & nourished body would be more likely to perform optimally in the gym, recover at a better rate, and internally run efficiently. If we only eat packaged foods and become deficient in certain nutrients, that would cause stress on the body. It can also lead to inflammation and chronic illness, all of which can result in a harder time reaching desired goals.

In summary, the benefits of whole foods can't be overstated:

• Higher in vitamins and minerals
• Higher in fiber
• Higher food volume
• Contain antioxidants
• Can lower risk for diseases
• Can help lower triglycerides
• Can help manage blood sugar
• Good for skin health
• More cost effective

Lastly, we want to reiterate that you don't have to worry about every single thing you eat being a whole food.
Simply follow the 80/20 rule and enjoy your life!