How to Balance Healthy Living and a Social Life

Our culture revolves around food.

I'll be the first one to admit that I'm obsessed with food. Not even just healthy food (though a good insalata de mare can rock my world), but "bad for you" food, too. Ice cream, peanut butter sandwiches, french fries dipped in a milkshake, Cheez-its. Processed food is pretty damn delicious, even if it will eventually kill you. 

And it seems like the rest of society, not only in the Western world but, as Bizarre Foods and No Reservations will show you, every community on earth, uses food as a way to bring people together in celebrations, even if it's just a Tuesday night family dinner. Holidays like Easter or Christmas just wouldn't be the same without a big family feast, and could you imagine Halloween without candy, or birthdays without birthday cake? Celebration food has become a ritual, and it seems there's always something to celebrate.

You can eat birthday cake. Just don't eat the whole thing.

The Dilemma 

So what do you do when you're avoiding sugar, dairy, grains, or even alcohol? Are you immediately ostracized from your circle of friends because you can't go to Happy Hour, or called a Debbie Downer because you assure them, actually, yes, one slice of cake will kill you? Are a healthy lifestyle and a social life mutually exclusive?

Thankfully, no! 

In my personal experience, I have been able to follow a super duper healthy lifestyle for three solid years now, and still: celebrated birthdays and anniversaries, got married, went on an Italian honeymoon, kept a circle of friends, and even brought members of my family onboard. All without compromising my health or my relationships. 

Finding Balance

If your number one priority right now is advancing your health, then let your friends and family know this. You'll be surprised how supportive they can be once they realize this isn't just a phase, but a true lifestyle change. They might even join you! Hey, you never know.

A healthy lifestyle does not mean total elimination of "bad for you" foods. We're all human, and like I said, our society is built around food. When it comes to a healthy lifestyle, follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of everything you eat should be clean, healthy, fresh and unprocessed. That leaves you 20% for wiggle room, which is where you fit in birthday cake, and Sunday evening glasses of wine, even a once-a-week "cheat" meal of Chinese takeout. 

As long as 80% of your life is clean, the other 20% won't do much but keep you sane.

When you live an unhealthy lifestyle, constantly eating things that are harming your body, you feel terrible, and honestly, food doesn't taste as good as it can. But when you allow only 20% of your diet to be "bad", then they really do become tasty treats, something to look forward to and cherish. Plus, you'll feel so much better. 

A healthy diet leaves room for burgers with friends.

The key to finding your own personal balance is understanding your priorities and then sticking to them. For example, if going out with your friends every Saturday night has become a true tradition, then by all means, continue doing it. It might mean, however, that you'll have to cut out other things, like your weeknight glasses of wine. Don't let that 20% creep up to 30, 40, 50, 60%! 

My own personal balance has to include fancy dinners out with my husband. Food is something that both of us truly enjoy, and I'm not about to give up tasting menus because they might have used heavy cream or flour in a beautiful dish. However, our fancy dinners are not nightly occurrences, but real treats. And that's the way I like it. 

What's your balance? What celebratory food do you put in your 20%?

Coming up: Katy's Before/After for her second Whole30!

Lift. Eat. Love. Sleep.