Kelsea Ballerini likes to eat healthy - most of the time. In a culture where celebrities are quick to point out their latest diet fad, which often involves strict discipline and/or a completely boring eating plan, Ballerini refreshingly reveals that she believes in balance with everything, especially what she eats.
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For Ballerini, it's the 80/20 rule.
"So 80 percent of the time I'm really healthy," Ballerini tells People. "20 percent of the time, catch me at McDonald's."
Ballerini comes by her love of the fast food chain honestly.
"As a kid, I was such a picky eater," Ballerini reveals. "And my parents joke with me, like, 'All you would eat were waffles and chicken nuggets.' So I think it's just probably my inner child craving it still."
But Ballerini also likes to cook at home, where she makes healthy meals for her and her boyfriend, Chase Stokes.
"My favorite thing to cook — I've been upping my protein a lot recently, just because I didn't realize how much protein we're supposed to have as women," says the singer. "I cook a really good chimichurri steak ... that is my go-to. I'll do it a couple of times a week. I have some in the fridge downstairs ready to go."
Kelsea Ballerini's Quest To Be Healthy
Ballerini looks great on stage, but that isn't why she is focusing on being healthy. Instead, the 31-year-old wants to be the best version she can be, both for herself, and for others, including her beloved dogs.
"The goal now is like, can I run around on stage for 90 minutes and have that energy to do it? Can I wake up and take both the dogs on a walk and make sure that Dibs is going to all of his doctor appointments, and I'm on Zooms in the middle of it? Can I be present for everything that I need to?" Ballerini explains, adding that she also wants to be present for her friend and family, amid her busy career.
The East Tennessee native has worked too hard to falter because of unhealthy choices.
"I want to be mentally healthy," she says. "I want to be physically healthy, emotionally healthy, and I want to be able to sustain the life and the career that I've been lucky enough to build for myself."
