At the start of the year, I made that classic student resolution: eat healthy, live healthy, be healthy—even if I’m broke, tired, and surrounded by temptation. You know the drill: salads, smoothies, fruits, zero junk food. I even bought quinoa—yes, that fancy grain that looks like bird food but the internet swears is a “superfood.”

No gym? No problem. I told myself I’d jog in the mornings, skip in the evenings, and do YouTube workouts in between. No excuses. I was in my wellness warrior era.

Two weeks in, and I was still going strong. Honestly, I shocked even myself. I was dodging soda like it owed me money. I walked past shawarma stands with pride. I was basically a walking health blog: “How I Turned My Life Around in 14 Days.”

Then came Saturday. The day of reckoning.

My friends organized a cute little picnic—harmless, right? Until I saw the spread: jollof rice, fried chicken, puff-puff, soda, small chops, everything. And yes, there were fruits… but who was looking at grapes when the chicken was calling my name in full Igbo?

At first, I stayed strong. I picked up a banana like a good girl. Then I smelled the jollof. I blinked, and the chicken was on my plate whispering, “Forget quinoa, babe. Just chop rice.”

One bite became two. Two became a plate. A plate became “Should I go for round two?”

By the end of the day, I told myself the lie we all know too well:

“Tomorrow, I’ll be better.”

But here’s the truth bomb I learned between bites of puff-puff:

Healthy eating isn’t about perfection. It’s about doing your best when life—and jollof rice—tries to sabotage you.

So if your healthy eating plan sometimes crashes faster than your phone on 1%, don’t beat yourself up. Laugh. Enjoy the moment. Then get back on track. Progress, not perfection.

And hey—quinoa isn’t going anywhere.