Yes, these are pictures of me in my early college years. I’m feasting on some type of noodle cheese creation, a Big Mac and a pretty terrible pie.

To really give you a visual, my diet used to consist of:

takeout

fast-food

frozen and boxed meals

fat-free everything (because that totally counteracted the endless pizza and Ron Diaz)

coffee… so much coffee

Kraft singles

half-off apps

candy

Oh, and there was this cake batter phase my roommates and I went through but I will leave that story for another time.

It wasn’t until my early 20s that I started paying attention to the foods I was eating and the toll it was taking on my body.

My diet did not change overnight. In fact, it took me years before I really figured out which foods are actually “healthy”, how to easily prepare meals and consistently eat well with a busy lifestyle. Now, I want to help others learn to do the same but in a fraction of the time. As a Zested Lemon reader, you already have a huge advantage because I’ve fine-tuned the ideas, strategies and tips that I’ve developed over the years. Below I’ve shared some of those essential tips to help you create healthy habits.

This article has something for everyone whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced healthy foodie looking for new ideas or a little inspiration.

Before we begin I want to point out that I’m not going to insist you only eat specific foods that are fresh, local, organic, grass-fed and picked by Mayan virgins. For starters that is unrealistic. Secondly, I’m not here to force specific choices or lifestyles on anyone. My goal is to give you the basic knowledge, guidance, tools and resources to make food choices that are right for you.

Just remember, if that easy mac obsessed, pizza loving girl above can learn how to eat and cook well, so can you!

1. PUT AN END TO “DIETING” AND LIVE THE 80:20 LIFESTYLE.

How many times have you told yourself that you’ll do better next week?

I often find that people tend to have the all or nothing mindset when it comes to what they eat. They expect themselves to stick to a very rigid diet and allow themselves little to no leeway. Then when life happens, as it always does, they feel guilting for eating a slice of pizza and “breaking” their diet. That one slice of pizza somehow convinces people that their entire week is ruined. So, they throw in the towel and tell themselves they’ll do better next week.

This vicious cycle means your expectations for yourself are likely unreasonable and unsustainable. That is why diets don’t work and aren’t viable long-term solutions.

Here at Zested Lemon we believe in living a healthy life that is sustainable and full experiences shared with the ones you care about. This is why we live the 80/20 lifestyle and encourage others do so as well.

Eat real healthy food 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time, live life. Go to happy hour. Host a cookie baking party. Try out a new restaurant.