Go on, Cheat a Little!

I was speaking to a co-worker and we were sharing our diets. She asked me, “Don’t you ever cheat?” I replied, “Sure. Just the other day I had a slice of a raw vegan cheesecake.” She countered, “That’s not cheating!”

I consider that cheating because, even though there is no flour, sugar, or dairy; it’s not a meal. It doesn’t have vegetables. It doesn’t contain enough fiber and there’s very little protein. Everyone’s version of what they consider cheating is different. Where someone else’s cheat snack is full-fat dairy ice cream, mine is tortilla chips or crackers. That person might see the tortilla chips and crackers as perfectly acceptable.

As long as you cheat no more than once a week, it’s a good thing because it will keep you on track the rest of the time. If you don’t feel guilty about having that treat, go for it.