Simple guidelines for healthy eating without restrictions

Everyone has heard the word healthy, but the question is: what does it mean to you?

Does being healthy mean eating minimal amounts of food, avoiding fat, following a low-calorie diet, or completely cutting out carbs? There are many diets to choose from today – several of them promote eating habits that contradict one another.

So the question is: which one is truly healthy?

In this part of the app, I’ll share my thoughts on nutrition and what the term healthy really means.

I combine facts with my own knowledge and experiences so that you get as clear an understanding as possible of how I view food and health. In the app, you’ll also find a simple meal plan and recipes – all fully aligned with my perspective on food!

I want to start by saying: to me, being healthy means giving your body the food it needs and feels good with. It’s also about having a healthy mindset towards food – like being able to share a bag of candy with your partner on a Saturday night without feeling guilty.

In my opinion, being healthy does not mean a bunch of restrictions. I believe there should be a balance between a nutritious diet and being able to enjoy treats now and then. In my approach to nutrition, there’s no guilt over food that’s been eaten, or bans on specific foods – but there are thoughts on how often certain foods should be eaten.

I’m pretty simple when it comes to nutrition. I live by the motto:

Good ingredients as a foundation, with room to enjoy the good things in life now and then.

I always advocate for balance, and I believe it’s best achieved by avoiding too many rules and “can’ts.” As long as your body gets what it needs and you understand why food is important, it becomes easier to find a sustainable way of eating. For example, we need energy to be able to train, and after a workout, the body needs nutrients to recover.

Whether you want to lower your body fat, build muscle, or simply feel strong – nutrition is a crucial factor. What we eat affects both how hard we can train and how well we recover.

For me, nutrition is equally important whether the goal is to build muscle or lose weight. The body still needs all the essential nutrients – regardless of the training goal. So I eat the same kinds of food but adjust the quantities depending on whether I want to gain or lose weight.

Right now, as I’m focused on building muscle, I follow a method called lean gains. This means I still eat mostly nutritious food – I don’t do a bulk.

Bulking means eating a large calorie surplus. A dirty bulk often involves eating a lot of calorie-dense and nutrient-poor food to quickly get enough calories.

Some believe it’s easier to build muscle that way, but I choose not to. I want my body to feel good – and that happens when I eat food it actually needs. No body needs an extra bag of chips, a chocolate bar, or a pizza.

The body needs nutrients, and muscles are no exception. I make sure to get enough energy for recovery and fueling my sessions, but also enough protein to build muscle. I don’t cut out fat – it’s important for overall health.

If I were to go on a fat-loss phase, I would still eat the same kinds of food – just in smaller portions. By “smaller portions,” I don’t mean starvation or an extreme calorie deficit – the body still needs nourishment.

To burn fat, you should maintain a slight deficit from the amount of calories your body needs. I believe that a weight loss of around 0.5 kg per week is best – it increases the likelihood that the weight you lose is fat, not muscle or water.

If the deficit is too big and your calorie intake is too low, the risk of losing muscle and water weight is high.

Sure, the number on the scale might go down quickly, but if you’re losing muscle, it’s not worth it.

Another important point:

Muscle weighs more than fat, which means you can weigh more but look stronger and more defined. Don’t get hung up on the number – the mirror tells you more.

Do I ever eat something “unhealthy”? Yes, I do – but I choose my moments.

As I mentioned earlier, I have no restrictions in my diet. But I know what makes my body feel good, and that’s what I focus on first and foremost.

I often have one day a week where I allow myself something extra – maybe a burger and some candy on a Saturday night. Sometimes it’s two days, sometimes none. What’s important is the bigger picture.

A single meal with dessert won’t ruin an entire week – in fact, it can even do some good for your mental health. A “cheat meal” is often tied to social situations, which is also an important part of overall health.

I want everyone to understand: supplements are exactly that – a supplement.

If you eat enough food, you don’t need to take supplements.

But if you know you’re not getting enough protein, or if you feel low on energy after eating too little – then, for example, a protein shake or a gainer (a shake with both carbs and protein) can be a good complement.