This way of eating is not for everyone. Removing dairy, grains, and legumes from your diet is something that most folks only consider doing if they have a condition that calls for it or if they’re interested in being as nutritious as possible for their body in the hopes of life extension, which, if you ask me, ain’t a bad thing! (Maybe this way of eating is for everybody!)

Regardless of your reason for changing your day to day noms, there’s gonna be some “body backlash” – some “Hey! Where’s my bread and candy?!” coming from your system. It happens to everybody, whether you’re a bodybuilder or someone weak from a combination of many ailments.

The most important thing to remember when beginning or even maintaining a change in your eating habits is that long-term changes are what matter most. This means that occasional glitches or “cheats” are the norm, not the exception to the rule.

Does this mean that you should “cheat?” Heck, no! Why on earth would you want to self-sabotage? But are you going to anyway, despite your best efforts? Probably. And that’s okay.

It’s not like you’re making a small change from the standard American diet. Being a Paleo eater and following the Paleo Diet means giving up all the artificial crap that we knew and loved and that sustained us and brought us up to be the people we are today, for better or for worse. And the great thing about it is that we’ve come to the point in our lives where we’ve decided that we want to be healthier and to take a step towards feeling better by eating a specific way.

There’s nobody who’s going to punish us if we stray. Our bodies won’t reject the other food, and odds are we’ll just enjoy it. If something bad occurs, we’ll be able to tell exactly why.

If you’ve chosen this path, it’s because you’re doing it for yourself, for your health, and for those you love. So don’t ever think it’s all or nothing.

It’s meal by meal, bite by bite, day by day that you’re making your insides feel better and letting yourself heal.

The secret to success has always been the same: just don’t quit. :)