Food festivals (with the exception of a few healthy ones) are generally abundant with greasy fried foods and sugar-laden treats.  Now, I know a few ladies (who shall remain nameless) who skip these events all together out of fear that they will overindulge and gain an excessive amount of weight as a result.  To me, this is no way to live, because you also end up missing out on good conversations, meeting fantastic new people, and having a fun time.  It is possible to attend and participate in such food events without jeopardizing your health/fitness goals.

So how is this possible exactly?  Well, you follow the 80:20 rule,where you eat clean 80% of the time and you allow yourself to cheat 20% of the time.  Yesterday at the TO Food Festival, the 80:20 rule was in full effect and it was a success.  I woke up this morning feeling well-rested and not bloated or weighed-down from yesterday.  I’m often asked by clients if I measure food quantities for this rule and the answer is NO.  It is not an exact science and it is not something over which to obsess.  This 80:20 ratio can fluctuate between 70:30 and 90:10 (or even higher).  You go by feeling and not by a food scale.  So if you feel you ate clean at least 70% of the time, then that day was a success.

I stuck by the 80:20 rule at the TO Food Festival yesterday and here is what 80% of my tastings comprised of…

Fresh oysters from Rodney’s Oyster House! High in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals (especially zinc)!

Topped them off with some alkalizing lemon juice and some tabasco sauce for a little kick!

Ontario grown edamame stir fried with garlic, red pepper, and soy sauce and topped off with a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds. Vegetarian and high in protein.

Kettle corn from Jamie’s Crackled Corn. Lightly sweetened with organic sugars and made with mineral-rich sea salt and Canadian produced canola oil.

Delicious! Non-GMO, nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, cholesterol-free, no MSG, no artificial flavours, and no preservatives.

Chicken Seek Kabab Roll from Pavitra Restaurant. Finely ground pieces of chicken combined with herbs and grilled in a tandoor.

Fresh fruit smoothies! I had a customized one made with blueberries (for antioxidants) and pineapple (for protein-digesting enzymes).

As for the other not-so-healthy 20% of my tastings…

Middle Eastern pastries from Patisserie Royale. Their baklava was divine! They use very good quality phyllo dough.

The Butterscotch Bars from Mary Macleod’s Shortbread were incredible! The owner, Mary, was very nice and you could tell she puts a lot of heart into her baking.

Oh la la, les macarons de Francesca Bakery! Ils sont si beaux! Seriously, what girl can resist these pretty little delicate things?

Here are some other things that I did not get a chance to try (just some more food porn for you all)…

BBQ pork skewers from Casa Manila.

Steamed buns from Baoss. From left to right: pork belly, veal cheek, and lobster.

Tacos!

Cupcakes from What’s Your Cupcake Muffin. Owner told me they can make gluten-free versions upon request.

To kind of (but not really) balance out all those unhealthy sweet treats, my dear friend Kaori (@kchanelle on Twitter) brought me some healthy homemade chocolate chip banana bread.   Her hubby made them, using one of the Looneyspoons healthy cookbooks.  I had some for dessert last night and some for a snack today and they were absolutely delicious!  You could not even tell that there was fat-free sour cream in there!

Thank you, Kaori, and thank your hubby for me!

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!  I will be attending a raw food potluck party tonight and I will definitely be taking pictures to share with you all very soon!  Stay tuned…

xox,

Adeline