Sunshine, I've been on the Paleolithic Diet for 15 months or so. My diet was very clean for the first several months, and it has been for the last 2 months. In between that, in the winter, I did have a lot of trouble with eating some non-Paleo foods.

I think by far the biggest factor for me in doing this diet is that I want to achieve long-term health, and I know that the foods I do my best to avoid are just not good for me, and could eventually end up giving me things like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. I really care about my body, and I also want to set a good example for my little girl, who also eats Paleo (though not as strictly as I do).

I am never tempted by processed junk food because it is poison pure and simple. It has no nutritional value, and can make a person poorly. Pick up the box of one of those donuts that look so good. What are the ingredients? It will be made of flour, probably containing soy (toxic in its unfermented state); it will have been fried in vegetable oil and so will contain trans-fatty acids; and it will be topped with sweet icing. People eat these as BREAKFAST FOODS!! I was fed them as a child. They are probably the number one worst "food" anyone can eat.

If I think these things then I just am not tempted to eat the stuff and I feel sorry for the people who do.

Before I sound too holier-than-thou, though, I have to say that I also struggle with sugar cravings, and I had a string of months last winter where it was a huge problem. If your diet is clean then theoretically you should not crave sugar or other unhealthy foods. But none of us here are well, our biochemistry is "off," and cravings can come and go as symptoms. They can be hard to deal with, I know. I think mine are due to the depression, which is worse in winter. Carb cravings seem to be a feature of winter depression and I really can attest to that.

When I "cheated," I almost always tried to stick to some kind of whole foods diet because I was never out to totally wreck my body. I would still eat protein, veg and healthy fat with every meal because those are the fundamental core to staying on an even keel. "Cheats" I had usually consisted of some kind of chocolate/milk combo because that's what gave me the biggest "comfort" factor. Too much sugar of any kind made me feel awful, and ditto with white flour; sometimes I'd add some wholemeal flour to things. I used a lot of butter. Very rarely bought any kind of processed foods from the shops. I grew up cooking things like this a hundred times over and unfortunately could still do it in my sleep.

I am also mindful that the cycle of "being good" and bingeing that I was on, and have been on several times in my life, is far worse than having slow but steady "cheats" because it's so much stress on the body. And of course I gained quite a lot of weight quickly.

I kept asking myself, did I want to "drug" myself with food, and spend so much money that i didn't actually have, on the stuff? I tried so hard, but sometimes willpower simply isn't enough. I've had unrelenting depression for 3 years and I know how tempting it can be to try to find a way to give yourself a break when nothing else works.

The reason why my diet has been so clean for 2 months now is simply this: sugar interferes with chelation. If I'm investing the time and the money in it, and am getting results, then I would be mad to sabotage that for a quick fix. It's been hard but somehow I've managed so far.

Next time you're sat next to someone eating some tasty-looking junk food, why not take that holier-than-thou attitude in your head LOL. Pity them for eating themselves into an early grave. Think about how you are taking care of yourself with the good choices you are making.

Linda.