Traditional food meets the 80/20 rule

Let’s face it. If you are going to clean up your family’s diet, you’re going to have to put down that soda and bag of chips and just walk away, never to return. Right?

Hm, not necessarily. Kelly the Kitchen Kop espouses the 80/20 rule, and I think that’s very wise. Think for a moment about your most tempting, delicious food vice. Now imagine the authority in your life saying, “No more of THAT. Ever.” Are you smiling and submitting? I guess it’s the rebel in me that says, “Huh. Make me.” Can I go a lenten fast without chocolate? Sure. At the end of those days is a big chocolate bunny. Can I go a month with no soda? Sure, as long as an icy Cherry Coke is waiting at the turn of the calendar page.

The 80/20 rule, is among those of which Captain Barbossa would say, “is more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.” Simply put, if you are feeding your family three healthy meals a day, every day, you are way ahead of the game. If your child has a big slice of pizza or two at a friend’s house, or if you sneak an occasional soda, or if your hubby goes out for a business lunch and has a Bloomin’ Onion*, it’s not worth scrapping the entire week’s menu plans over. The danger is in letting these rare moments of indulgence become the norm.

Having a bowl of nutritionless boxed cold cereal for breakfast with three cups of coffee for breakfast; a fast food burger, fries and shake for lunch; a soda mid-afternoon; and a nuked low-fat frozen entree for dinner is a sure set-up for a quart of Chunky Monkey with TV. Your body is screaming for nutrition. Not necessarily even ice cream, but something to fill the void left by a day’s neglect. Better to feed your body well all day long. If you still crave the ice cream, make some with raw milk, raw cream and maple syrup and enjoy every spoonful. But, don’t be surprised if a cup fills the need.

*Note: Sporting a whopping 2210 calories and 134 grams of hydrogenated, soy/canola vegetable fat, the Bloomin’ Onion could very well be the most deadly food on the planet sold for a profit and enjoyed willingly.