One Eating Habit to Change Your Health

I’ve tried every diet and (nearly) every health fad in my time — except in the last 10-15 years or so, as I’ve settled into the eating habits that work for me. I’ve read tons of research, and am familiar with the bulk of evidence around healthy eating.

And in all the things I’ve tried, and in all the research I’ve read … there is one single eating habit that makes almost all of the difference with your health. The “80/20” of eating habits.

And no, it’s not “keto” or even my beloved veganism … it’s not intermittent fasting, nor is it going gluten-free or doing juice cleanses. (In fact, if it has “cleanse” in the title, avoid it!)

The single eating habit is shifting from processed food to whole foods.

This works for almost anyone, unless you have a special health issue (i.e. if you have celiac’s disease, then gluten-free is for you) … or unless you’re eating 95% whole foods already.

Let’s define “whole foods” as foods that are mostly in their natural state — things like vegetables, beans, whole grains, fresh fruits, nuts, fish, eggs. Then there are minimally processed foods, like yogurt, tofu, dried fruits, nut butters, hummus, etc. — which I think we can include in the whole foods category if they don’t have much added sugars, oils, chemicals, etc.

Here are some examples, depending on where you are:

If you have a Standard American Diet (SAD), then you’re eating mostly processed foods and very little whole foods. Simply substituting one processed food in each meal for one whole food is a huge change. For example, go from a bagel to hummus and carrots, or French fries to a baked potato (not loaded up).
If you eat out a lot, or grab prepared foods (deli sandwich, Pop Tarts) cook some food from scratch at home that include mostly whole foods.
If you eat fairly healthy, but are eating lots of sweets (processed flour and sugar), switch to whole fruits and nuts for a snack.

Slowly, gradually, move your eating from processed foods to whole foods, and you’ll be making yourself healthier fairly painlessly.

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This post was previously published on Zen Habits. Uncopyright courtesy Leo Babauta.

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