Americans who 'screw up' their eating should use a simple fix, says Stanford scientist

Living a healthy lifestyle is not as complicated as many Americans make it out to be, according to a nutrition scientist, who says people shouldn't try to be perfect but should focus on gradually improving their diet day by day.

"It is simpler than people think," Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., a nutrition scientist at Stanford University and author of the book "Food Sense: What to Eat and Why," told Fox News Digital.

He believes that the 80/20 rule is a solid framework for a healthy diet. The approach encourages people to make nutritious food choices about 80% of the time while allowing flexibility for indulgences the remaining 20%.

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Gardner also works with the Stanford Prevention Research Center, where a big part of his role is trying to figure out how to get people to follow guidelines that "everybody knows" but doesn't necessarily follow, such as eating a healthier diet, exercising more and smoking less, he said.

Christopher Gardner, a Ph.D. and nutrition scientist at Stanford University, says that many people know the rules they should be following but still make unhealthy choices. (iStock)

He advises against trying to follow all the latest wellness trends because, sometimes, they're not based on factual information.

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He doesn't recommend cutting out an entire food group or following a strict diet. Rather, he encourages a gradual approach.

People generally eat too much junk food, a nutrition scientist says, suggesting eating more fruits, vegetables and minimally processed foods. (iStock)

An easy way to start improving an unhealthy diet is to incorporate more vegetables, fruits and minimally processed foods.

He emphasized the importance of eating legumes, adding that he feels they're an underutilized component of a healthy diet.

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"Asian cultures eat a lot of tempe, tofu, edamame and soy, and Latin American cultures eat a whole bunch of bean and grain dishes, and Indian culture eats a lot of lentil dals," he said, noting that legumes are usually inexpensive and versatile.

They're also a great source of protein, Gardner added, as well as fiber, which many people don't consume enough of, he pointed out.

Context matters when determining the healthier choice, a nutrition scientist says, noting that additives like sugar and dairy play a big role. (iStock)

Americans also eat too much junk food, he said, adding that people often know what the healthier option is, but they still choose the "chips and candy and cake and snacks and mocha frappé frappuccino instead of black coffee."

"I don't think the ultra-processed thing is like, oh, we never understood it before, and now we do. I don't really think people know that it's 200 cosmetic additives," he said.

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Context matters when determining the "healthier" choice, Gardner noted, using the example of coffee versus tea.

Coffee and tea by themselves are unproblematic, he noted. The issue lies in the sugar, dairy and other ingredients that might be added.

A gradual approach to healthy eating is recommended rather than cutting out an entire food group or following an extreme diet. (iStock)

"I can show you volumes of studies that both are good for you," Gardner said, noting that both contain antioxidants, but the additives are what determine which is "healthier."

Ultimately, different things work for different people, Gardner said, and he stays open-minded.

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What people eat is much more than just science, he acknowledged, adding that "food is comfort and food is culture and food is other things."

"Whatever you screw up today, you get a do-over tomorrow and the day after," he said, so "give yourself a little grace, a little patience, a little love."

Sadie Chafe is a writer on the Lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.