Why Everyday Food Habits Matter More Than Perfect Diets

“Done is better than perfect,” says Priyasha Saluja, Founder, The Cinnamon Kitchen, Hormone Health Coach and Plant-Based Chef. “It’s a line we often use in work and life and it applies just as much to food.”

For years, eating well has been positioned as something that needs to be done perfectly. The right diet. The right rules. The right time to start. But people don’t stop eating well because they don’t care. They stop because perfect food plans don’t work in real life.

“Most food plans are designed for ideal days,” Saluja explains. “And most of us don’t live ideal days.”

On a regular weekday, meetings run late. Lunch gets delayed. By evening, energy is low and cooking feels like too much effort. In moments like this, strict food rules tend to break

down not because of poor discipline, but because the plan simply doesn’t fit the day.

The same thing happens around workouts. “People plan to eat before exercising,” Saluja says. “Then work runs over, traffic builds up, or energy drops. The choice becomes simple, go to the gym without eating or skip the gym altogether.” According to her, this isn’t a willpower issue. It’s a practicality issue.

This is why everyday food habits matter more than perfect diets.

“The habits that last are small, repeatable, and realistic,” Saluja notes. Eating something before stepping out. Keeping familiar food at your desk. Choosing meals that are easy to eat when you’re tired. These habits may not look impressive, but they work because they fit into real life.

Over time, Saluja has observed that consistency improves when food doesn’t require constant planning or decision-making. “When eating feels manageable,” she says, “it happens more often.”

Based on her personal experience working with clients, these are the food principles she believes help people stay consistent:

Set realistic expectations
“Don’t commit to extreme routines,” Saluja advises. “Choose goals you can actually maintain.” Fewer workouts done consistently are far more effective than ambitious plans that fall apart after a few weeks.

Choose movement you enjoy
“If you hate a workout, you’ll avoid it,” she says. Picking activities like badminton or tennis things you genuinely enjoy makes movement easier and more sustainable.

Track briefly, not obsessively
Short-term tracking can be useful. “It helps you understand what you’re actually eating and highlights gaps in protein or fibre,” Saluja explains. Once awareness is built, occasional tracking is enough.

Keep two meals consistent
Fixing two meals around protein and fibre every day reduces daily decision-making. “It keeps eating balanced without feeling restrictive,” she adds. The third meal can remain flexible.

Don’t eliminate snacks or desserts
“Total restriction doesn’t last,” Saluja says. Planning small portions of snacks or desserts helps with portion control and makes eating feel realistic rather than punitive.

This philosophy also shapes how food is designed at The Cinnamon Kitchen. “Instead of creating products for ideal routines, I focus on how food fits into real moments,” Saluja explains. The Almond Flour Cacao Cookie, for instance, works as a practical pre-workout option on rushed mornings. Methi Millet Crackers quietly replace habitual tea-time snacks without demanding a lifestyle overhaul.

“People are tired of rigid food rules,” Saluja notes. Good days. Bad days. Cheat meals. Constant restarts. There is a clear shift toward a calmer relationship with food, one where eating doesn’t feel like a test you have to pass.

Perfect diets may look good on paper. Everyday food habits work in real life.

“And that’s why they matter more,” Saluja concludes. “Not because they’re perfect but because they actually last.”