(sorry I somehow managed to send the last one before I finished it while trying to copy and paste)

I try to stick to the paleo diet as much as I possibly can.  I am usually pretty strict, not eating any of the following:

• Grains (eg wheat/rice/oats etc)
• Dairy (eg milk/yogurt/butter/cheese etc)
• Refined foods (eg salt/sugars etc ) - including honey and sweeteners
• Nightshades (eg peppers/tomato/eggplant)
• Tubers (eg potato/arrowroot etc)
• Legumes (eg soy/beans/peas etc)
• Modernly palatable (eg cashews/olives etc)

I do, however allow myself to eat the odd thing on my no-no list if I am craving it and am unable to satisfy that craving with paleo food.  I will also occasionally use minimal nightshades for flavourings (i.e. spices) - but that's more because it's the most recent to be eliminated from my diet and I haven't learned to live without it yet.

I find the sugars and grains are the worst for setting me off on binges so I try to avoid them as much as possible.  I use fruit juice as my sweetener when I need to make something sweet (like with my cakes/biscuits) and that is suffice and doesn't set me on a binge.

I also don't let myself feel bad for going off track.  Once I go off track I often don't feel too great for it, so make a conscious note of how it affected me (which is a good deterrent in the future) and then go back to eating good.  I probably have a 'naughty' day once a week to once a month, which consists of one or two bad things in the one day (i.e. when I go to mothers group I may have a chocolate biscuit - one of my biggest downfalls) or if I am out for a birthday dinner I'll have a couple of glasses of wine.






----- Original Message ----
From: Charlotte Williams <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 9:16:56 PM
Subject: strict adherence vs occasional non-paleo?

I'm debating whether I should aim to eat paleo 100% of the time or allow
occasional non-paleo eating (such as a non-paleo meal every few days as in
Cordain's book or a few bites of the family pizza or ice cream each day).
I'm wondering what arguments are for and against strict adherence, and what
other people's opinions are?

I'm thinking that occasional non-paleo would be a more sustainable diet
(feels less restrictive), however the longer I eat paleo, the fewer cravings
I get.  Any thoughts?

Thanks much!
Charlotte