As a food blogger, you’re living the dream. You spend your days trying mouthwatering dishes, testing new recipes, and sharing culinary adventures with your audience.
But this lifestyle (while delicious) comes with a unique challenge: How do you savor every bite of that viral cookie croissant while maintaining a healthy balance?
It’s a common dilemma for many in the food blogging community. When your livelihood depends on you constantly developing new dishes for your blog and sampling your creations, it’s hard to resist the temptation to indulge. However, with obesity affecting 41.9% of adults in the U.S., finding that balance is important.
In this guide, you’ll discover actionable tips to help you navigate the calorie-rich world of food blogging while staying healthy. From mastering portion control to practicing mindful eating and even using tools like WP Recipe Maker to your advantage, we’ll explore strategies that let you have your cake and eat it, too!
How do I maintain a healthy lifestyle as a food blogger?
1. Set realistic expectations
Remember, what you see online isn’t always a true reflection of reality. While online food personalities such as food bloggers and mukbangers may show themselves indulging in many tasty treats, they aren’t necessarily consuming every last bite themselves.
In fact, some creators, like the popular YouTuber KarissaEats, are known to take just a small taste and then leave the rest.
Maintaining a healthy weight as a food blogger is a long-term commitment. It’s about developing sustainable habits over time, not relying on extreme diets or fads. That means making healthier food choices regularly, staying active, and not getting caught up in the illusion of perfection you may see on social media.
🍏Pro-tip: Don’t beat yourself up if you overindulge occasionally. Recognize that even the most successful food bloggers have to work at balancing their passion for food with their overall health and wellness.
2. Consider your niche
Your specific food blog niche can play a big role in how you approach maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For example, if you specialize in vegan or vegetarian recipes, you may have an easier time aligning your personal eating habits with your blog’s content.
On the other hand, if you’re a dessert blogger who regularly indulges in high-calorie, sugary treats, portion control and balanced eating become even more essential. In this case, be sure to complement those decadent desserts with plenty of nutrient-dense, healthy meals to fuel your body.
🍰Pro-tip: Embrace moderation and the 80/20 rule. It’s okay to indulge in your favorite foods, even if they’re not the healthiest options, as long as 80% of your meals are nutritious.
3. Portion control
Portion control is all about enjoying delicious dishes without overindulging, which helps prevent excessive calorie intake and reduces your risk of weight gain.
But how do you determine the right portion sizes for your needs? A good rule of thumb is to use online calorie calculators to estimate your recommended daily intake based on your age, gender, activity level, and weight goals. From there, it’s about putting that knowledge into practice.
🍽Pro-tip: Use smaller plates to control serving sizes, measure out portions with measuring cups and spoons, and practice mindful eating techniques. Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues, and savor each bite slowly to allow your body to register when it’s satisfied.
4. Strategic planning
Strategic planning is a great way to balance indulgent meals with lighter, nutrient-dense options. Here are some ways to do that:
Meal planning: By mapping out your meals in advance, you can avoid the temptation of unhealthy convenience foods like microwave dinners or takeout when you’re tired after a long day of cooking for your blog. Even chefs at the top of their game resort to unhealthy meals when they don’t plan. For example, in the hit show The Bear, we see Carmy resort to eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Batch cook: Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated. For meals that aren’t for your blog, make a big batch, portion it out, and stash it in the freezer for easy reheating. That way, you always have a nutritious option on hand, even when you’re short on time.
Time management: By prioritizing your health and planning ahead, you can easily fit in meal prep, exercise, and self-care alongside your food blogging responsibilities. It’s all about finding a rhythm that works for you.
🍱Pro-tip: Lean on your loved ones for support if you need it! Whether it’s a significant other who helps with meal prep or a friend who joins you for a weekly workout, surrounding yourself with a supportive network can make a big difference.
5. Balanced diet
As you know, maintaining a balanced diet is essential for getting all the necessary nutrients. Take a cue from Alton Brown, the TV chef who lost 50 pounds without going on a restrictive diet.
His secret? “I came up with this concept that there are a great many foods that are extremely high in nutrition that you ought to be getting every day, some things several times a week. And I balanced that with the things that did need to be restricted, which is the once-a-week-and-never list,” he said on his Good Eats episode.
A balanced diet in the U.S. typically consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. By including a variety of these food groups in your meals, you can fuel your body with the vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients it needs to thrive, all while satisfying your culinary cravings.
🥒Pro-tip: Challenge yourself to find creative ways to sneak more vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins into your blog posts. For example, if you run a dessert blog, try making your next batch of brownies with grated zucchini. You won’t be able to taste it and it’ll keep the cupcakes moist – it’s a win-win!
6. Track nutritional information
Understanding the nutritional content of the foods you’re working with is crucial. It’s not about obsessing over every calorie but instead gaining a clearer picture of what you’re consuming.
To simplify this process, consider using user-friendly tools and apps like MyFitnessPalor Lose It! to log your meals and track your intake. If you want to help your readers prioritize their health, you can also use WP Recipe Maker to include detailed nutritional information in your food blog recipes.
🥕Pro-tip: Review your food diary or app entries weekly and make adjustments to your diet based on your analysis, such as increasing vegetable intake, reducing sugar, or balancing macronutrients.
7. Meal timing
Eating at regular intervals can help boost your metabolism and manage hunger. In fact, a recent study by Harvard Medical School investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that when participants ate later in the day, they also burned calories at a slower rate, leading to an increased risk of obesity. Here are some tips to help you manage your meal times:
Try to spread your meals and snacks evenly throughout the day.
Aim for three balanced meals and a couple of healthy snacks, making sure not to let too much time pass between each one.
Avoid eating large meals right before bedtime to improve digestion and sleep quality.
🥘Pro-tip: Planning and preparing your meals and snacks ahead of time can help you be consistent with your eating schedule.
8. Document meals
By keeping track of what you’re eating, you’ll become more mindful of your food choices and be able to make adjustments as needed to support your health goals.
But why do it just for yourself? Consider sharing your meal documentation and planning on your blog as well. Adding an extra layer of accountability can help you stay on track. Plus, your audience will appreciate the behind-the-scenes look at how you manage your culinary passion with a healthy lifestyle.
🥙Pro-tip: Experiment with different meal documentation methods to find what works best for you. Some food bloggers prefer detailed food journals, while others find success with vlogs on Instagram or TikTok.
9. Hydration
Drinking enough water throughout the day can do wonders for your body. It helps flush out toxins, supports cognitive function, and can even curb those pesky cravings that might lead to mindless snacking. If you struggle to drink plain water, try infusing it with fresh fruits or herbs for a delightful twist.
💧Pro-tip: Consider getting a water bottle with timed markers to help you measure how much water you’re drinking.
10. Staying active
The concept of “calories in, calories out” is the foundation of weight management. By incorporating exercise into your routine, you can help burn off those extra calories from all the delicious dishes you’re constantly creating and testing.
Some food bloggers have even incorporated fitness into their content. For example, the team behind Nom Life offers quick and effective HIIT workouts that can be easily squeezed into even the busiest schedules. This benefits the creators and inspires their audience to prioritize their health.
🏋️Pro-tip: Find activities you genuinely look forward to, whether it’s a brisk walk, running, yoga, barre, strength training, or swimming. When exercise feels more like self-care than a chore, you’re much more likely to stick with it in the long run.
11. Share or save some
While you’d ideally always taste-test your dishes, you don’t have to consume it all yourself!
When you’re done photographing and documenting a recipe, portion out the dish and share it with your loved ones. This will prevent you from mindlessly polishing off the entire meal and it’s also a great way to spread the joy of your culinary creations. And for any leftovers, be sure to store them properly to maintain freshness and quality.
🍲Pro-tip: If you have leftovers that you won’t be able to finish, consider sharing them with a local food bank or charity.
12. Multiple posts of the same meal
Creating multiple posts from the same meal is a clever way to give the illusion of indulging in a wide variety of delicious dishes without actually having to consume them all. For example, if you’re dining out, you can document every course for each attendee and turn it into separate posts for starters, mains, and desserts.
This content efficiency strategy saves you time and effort and allows you to showcase the meal from different angles. You could share recipe variations, behind-the-scenes footage of the cooking process, or even a series of beautifully curated food photos highlighting the various components.
When you’re taking photos, get creative with your angles, lighting, and styling to make each post feel fresh and unique. A top-down shot of the entire spread might be followed by a close-up of a particular dish, and then a moody, atmospheric image capturing the ambiance of the dining experience.
📹Pro-tip: Turn your meal posts into recipe roundups, tutorial videos, or even a multi-part series that explores the culinary journey from start to finish.
13. Don’t always eat out
When you cook at home, you have complete control over the ingredients and portion sizes, which can lead to healthier eating habits compared to frequently dining out.
During recipe development, consider highlighting cooking methods that preserve nutrients and reduce the need for excess oils or fats. For example, opt for air frying over deep frying to cut down on unnecessary calories and maintain the nutritional value of your dishes.
14. Remember to enjoy it!
Ultimately, remembering to enjoy your food blogging journey is important for maintaining a positive relationship with food and sustaining healthy eating habits. After all, your passion for food is what drew you to this path in the first place.
Avoid over-limiting specific foods, as this can actually increase anxiety and stress around eating. When we label certain dishes as “bad” or completely off-limits, we may experience intense cravings and potential binge-eating episodes once we eventually consume those restricted foods. Instead, focus on moderation – you can absolutely indulge in your favorite treats, as long as you do so mindfully and in balance with nutritious, whole-food meals.
🍕Pro-tip: Regularly check in with yourself to ensure you’re still finding fulfillment in the process. If the pressure to be “perfect” starts to creep in, take a step back and reconnect with the reasons you fell in love with food blogging in the first place.
Help others stay healthy with WP Recipe Maker
As a food blogger, you have a unique opportunity to inspire your audience to adopt healthier eating habits. And WP Recipe Maker is the perfect tool to help you achieve this goal.
With WP Recipe Maker, you can create and share balanced diet recipes with detailed nutritional information using the following features:
Template Editor: Adjust the default templates to match your brand’s color palette and style. For example, use a green color scheme to symbolize freshness, health, and vitality.
Customizable nutritional information: As we already mentioned, WP Recipe Maker lets you add detailed nutritional information to your recipes so your audience can make informed choices about their diet. Note that while you can add calories to recipes with the free version of the plugin, you’ll need the Premium, Pro, or Elite version of the plan to all standard nutrition facts to recipes. With the Pro and Elite versions of the plugin, you can also get automatically calculated nutritional info.
Dietary preferences metadata: WP Recipe Maker’s “suitableForDiet” metadata feature lets you specify what type of dietary preference a recipe is suitable for, such as gluten-free, vegan, or paleo.
This integration is great for food bloggers. By specifying dietary restrictions like gluten-free or vegan, you make it easier for your health-conscious readers to find recipes that fit their needs.
Unit conversion and adjustable servings: WP Recipe Maker offers the convenience of automatic unit conversion and adjustable servings. This allows your readers to tailor recipes to their specific portion sizes, making it easier for them to include your healthy dishes in their daily routines.
Meal planning tools: With the Elite version of WP Recipe Maker, you can take your healthy recipe organization to the next level. Create saved recipe collections, such as weekly meal plans, and display them on your website using a shortcode or block. For example, Well Plated by Erin produces free weekly meal plans aimed at saving time and money while helping readers cook more nutritious recipes.
SEO benefits: WP Recipe Maker automatically outputs schema.org, increasing the likelihood of your recipes appearing in rich snippets on the search engine results, and growing your online presence.
Transform your food blog and lifestyle today
Balancing your love for diverse cuisines with maintaining a healthy lifestyle isn’t easy, but it’s definitely achievable. By implementing the strategies we’ve discussed – from mindful eating to strategic recipe planning – you can savor your culinary adventures while keeping your health in check.
Remember, creating healthy recipes that align with your blog’s niche doesn’t mean compromising on taste or creativity. It’s about finding that balance where indulgence meets nutrition.
This is where WP Recipe Maker can help. Its features allow you to create visually stunning, SEO-friendly recipe cards complete with nutritional information. You can even create meal plans to guide your readers toward their own health goals.
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