What is the 80/20 rule diet?

How does the 80/20 rule diet work?

Followers adopt a healthy eating plan for 80 per cent of the time which addresses personal nutritional needs and meet nutritional guidelines. These include eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, eating more wholegrains, enjoying fish, poultry, beans and less red meat, and opting for lower-fat dairy. No food groups are omitted.

Eating this way promotes balance and moderation, while the flexible 20 per cent allows followers to enjoy food without feeling deprived or driven to bingeing. The flexibility also provides reassurance because it acknowledges that slip-ups can and will happen but are accounted for in the plan. It means fewer participants of the 80/20 diet drop out when compared with more restrictive diet plans.

How to calculate the 80/20 rule

One of the advantages of the 80/20 rule diet is that it’s not a rigid plan, this means you can adopt it in a way that works best for you. One option is to include treat meals throughout the week, so if you eat three meals a day, 17 during the week would be healthy and the other four may include treats. Alternatively, you may wish to look at the plan on a daily basis – with 80 per cent of your food for the day being healthy, but allowing 20 per cent for a biscuit with your cuppa, dessert after dinner or a few rashers of bacon for breakfast.

Whichever way you adopt the plan, you do need to keep in mind that the 80 per cent healthy time is needed to deliver results and portion control remains important, especially in the 20 per cent.

How to follow the 80/20 rule diet

We’ve designed some sample menus for you to try:

Meat eater 80/20

Breakfast

Full English potato cakes

Mid-morning

Two peanut butter cookies

Lunch

Spicy chicken and avocado wrap

Dinner

Lamb and squash biryani with cucumber raita

Vegetarian 80/20

Breakfast

Breakfast egg wraps

Lunch

Feta & clementine lunch bowl

One easy blueberry muffin

Dinner

Double bean and roasted pepper chilli

Vegan 80/20 meal plan

Breakfast

Strawberry pancakes

Lunch

Vegan chickpea curry jacket potatoes

Afternoon treat

One vegan brownie

Dinner

Vegan shepherd’s pie

Who should follow the 80/20 rule diet?

Moderation is essential, making it a feasible approach for most people because it allows for a balanced diet with the occasional indulgence. The plan is less restrictive and easier to follow than many weight-loss diets so fits into most lifestyles.

If you dislike strict dieting, counting calories or carbs then this approach may be for you. Similarly, if you are not watching your weight but want a balanced approach to eating, then the 80/20 plan may be the answer.

Does the 80/20 rule diet work?

It’s important to emphasise this is not technically a weight-loss plan, but some weight loss may be experienced. Whether you lose weight on the 80/20 diet will depend on your starting point and how you adapt your original eating patterns.

The 80/20 rule diet is a useful long-term strategy for dieters who have already reached their weight-loss goal and need help with maintenance.

Is the 80/20 rule diet healthy? A nutritionist’s view…

The 80/20 rule diet offers a flexible, realistic and sustainable way of eating. Unlike a strict diet, it allows for life’s inevitable setbacks, as well as your social commitments and lifestyle. Because there is no list of specified foods, it can be adapted to fit within your own preferences.

Maintaining a healthy weight is a life-long process, there is no quick fix so it’s important to find something that works for you. The 80/20 rule diet may help you develop new healthy habits – the key to success is to establish the foundation (80 per cent) using whole foods, preferably unprocessed, such as wholegrains, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and lean sources of protein such as beans, fish, meat and dairy. Remember to include plenty of hydrating fluids. Once you have established this base you can enjoy the flexibility that the plan offers.

If you are considering any form of diet, please consult your GP first to ensure you can do so without risk to health.

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Have you tried the 80/20 rule diet? What did you think? Share your experience in the comments below.

This page was reviewed on 11^th November 2024 by Kerry Torrens

Kerry Torrens BSc. (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a BANT Registered Nutritionist® with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including Good Food.