Do you want to know a secret? Yes? Okay, well, healthy food and exercise are great for you, but it’s okay to eat unhealthy food too!

In fact, foods such as donuts, ice cream, and cake can go perfectly with a healthy lifestyle. No, I’m not crazy. It’s called portion control and cheat days. These two things need recognition, so here I am giving them just that.

I have a developed workout routine that I do often. Honestly, I do prefer fruits and vegetables to sweets and junk food. However, that does not stop the fact that I do crave chocolate, and let’s face it, who does not adore chocolate covered strawberries? I understand the struggle of having a consistent healthy diet, so when you eat out or go to cookouts you feel a bit guilty for having that extra juicy cheeseburger. Days like these can be considered your cheat days! Indulging in these foods once in a while won’t do any harm to your progress and your body! You are aloud to treat your body with carbs and sweets every now and then.

It’s not a bad thing. Do not feel bad about it.

Working out and eating clean is fantastic, not only for your body, but for your mind. But, don’t over do it. Do you want that strawberry milkshake? Yes? Then drink it! Allow yourself to take a break.

It’s also important to give your body a break from working out. Pick a day or two out of the week to just relax. You work hard and are probably in need of some down time. Whilst doing this, have the strawberry milkshake. I promise it won’t do anything to you.

This leads me to talk about portion control.

I use portion control even on cheat days and I would encourage you to do so too! Portion control is essential for your regular diet and your cheat days. It’s Saturday and you're craving pizza, so you order a pie of pizza. You may consider this as “breaking your diet” because pizza is not a healthy food.

Therefore, you are lead to believe that this can be a bit of a setback. I am even guilty of this! So, because this particular situation is indented into our heads we start to believe that we are ruining our progress. Out of impulse, we eat more than what is needed. Eating more than what is needed out of impulse is a terrible route to go down! Take this an example. An average slice of pizza is only 285 calories. On the other hand, the average a whole pie is 2975 calories. This is where portion control comes into play. Obviously, a whole pie is much more calories than just a slice, even two slices!

So, realistically having a slice or two is not a setback. Yes, eat those couple of sliced because it won’t do your body any harm. Those are just small portions of a pizza.

The same thing goes for all of the other food groups!

Our bodies work on nutrients. We need nutrients to stay healthy.

When we eat healthy, we should eat the recommended portion sizes in order to get a number of nutrients we need. Foods like pizza are not considered very nutritious, but we are human and we shouldn't feel bad for eating them. Just like you shouldn’t eat a whole pie of pizza in a sitting, you shouldn’t crash diet and live off salad with no dressing.

I love food and I do not think I have met one person that says otherwise. Life is short and we should enjoy fine dining and the birthday cake. Just know what nutrients your body needs, know your portions, and stay active. The world is filled with food and we should enjoy all of it!