"Enjoy the %#*$ out of it."

The "cheat." We paleo practitioners know all about it. Unless you literally have a serious medical reason to eat paleo -- and, if you do, then, like my wife, you probably are on the even-stricter autoimmune paleo protocol -- sometimes you fall off the wagon.

My CrossFit trainer has wise words for that moment: "Enjoy the shit out of it."

See, there is more to eating paleo than strict compliance to a set of rules. Yes, that is what we are striving towards, but sometimes you can get wildly stressed out over the whole venture, and sometimes you even crack and succumb to the joys of CoffeeCoffeeBuzzBuzzBuzz (or, if you are foolish and didn't read the Manual of Life that you were handed, some *other* Ben & Jerry's flavor).

If you do -- and mind you, this shouldn't happen, and certainly shouldn't happen often -- at least, for the love of all that is good and right.... *enjoy* the moment.

Savor it. Don't rush your way through that beer, cookie, ice cream, booze, whatever.

Part of the processing of food is determined by your mental attitude. Rush your way through a meal -- and, yeah, I have done that a few times -- and you just don't digest it as well. If you wanna walk the walk as a paleo master with a Zenlike calm, you can't approach your food like it is a battle to be fought.

The same is true of your cheat food. For godsakes, if you are going to venture into that glass of bourbon, at least approach it with some respect and reverence as you enjoy it.

You have heard me say it before: life is short; enjoy the ride. If you are going to fall off the paleo truck, savor every morsel.

And then climb back on. We've been waiting for you.

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