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Although you want to follow a healthier diet, it's still appropriate to indulge in your favorite foods. Following the 80/20 rule can help you stick to a healthy diet while eating more indulgent foods in moderation.  Although eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet is important, it's not realistic to eat perfectly healthy every day for the rest of your life. People derive a lot of enjoyment out of eating and occasionally eating more indulgent foods. Treat yourself to an indulgent dish, glass of alcohol or larger portions occasionally. This is still considered normal and healthy eating; however, only indulge 20% of the time. Most of the time, or 80% of the time, you should be choosing healthy foods. There are certain groups of foods that you should limit and only eat in moderation. Added sugars are something that should definitely be eaten in moderation as they often no nutritional value.  Added sugars are added to certain foods during their processing. They offer no nutrition, only extra calories. In addition, many studies have shown that a diet high in added sugars can lead to obesity.  Added sugars are found in a wide variety of foods. Try to limit items like breakfast pastries, cookies, cakes, ice cream, candy, and cereals. Also limit sweetened beverages. Not only are they high in added sugars and calories, but many people also don't think to count these types of drinks as a source of calories since they don't fill you up as much as food does. You may end up drinking more calories through these beverages. The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 6 teaspoons and men consume no more than 9 teaspoons of added sugar daily. In addition to added sugars, you should also limit certain groups of foods that contain high quantities of fat. In particular, you want to avoid higher levels of saturated and trans fat.  There has been some controversy over whether or not saturated fat is as dangerous or unhealthy as previously thought. However, saturated fat is still a fat which means it's very calorie dense and if eaten in large quantities can still lead to weight gain and adverse health effects.  You don't need to avoid all saturated fats, but do eat them in moderation. Especially foods like: full fat dairy, fatty cuts of beef or pork, deli meats and other processed meats. Trans fats have been directly linked to several adverse health effects like raising bad cholesterol levels and lowering the good kind, increases your risk for developing heart disease and stroke and increases your risk for developing diabetes. Try to avoid these foods as much as possible. Trans fats are found in a variety of foods including pastries, cookies, cakes, margarines, pies, fast foods, fried foods, baked goods, and soy sauce. There is no safe upper limit for trans fats. These should be avoided if possible. If you choose to drink, do so in moderation. Moderate amounts of alcohol generally do not pose health risks for most people.  If you drink larger amounts of alcohol (more than three servings daily), you may increase your risk of high blood pressure, liver disease, heart disease stroke, and depression.  Unlike some foods, there is a specific definition of moderate alcohol consumption. Women shouldn't drink more than one serving daily and men should consume no more than two daily.  If you do drink, consider skipping mixed beverages that are mixed with sweetened beverages or fruit juices as these contain extra calories and added sugars. One serving is equivalent to a 12-oz beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of liquor.
Follow the 80/20 rule. Limit sources of added and highly processed sugars. Limit sources of unhealthy fats. Consume limited amounts of alcohol.