When cooked cravings get the best of you.

You’re not alone. Everyone has them. Except me. (Um…yeah no.) That’s what we get for giving ourselves all those delicious salts and spices and refined sugars.

It’s going to happen. There’s no avoiding it. Even if you’re doing very well, living with no temptations in your house, and have been for a while, you’re going to come across a smell or picture that reminds you that fried chicken and macaroni and cheese didn’t taste so bad.

Cue “I Know You Want Me”. Though I don’t think Pitbull was talking about food.

Try your very hardest not to give in. I realize that this isn’t always the easiest thing to do (we’re talking about temptation, peeps), but you will feel so much better if you don’t, both physically and mentally.

If you’ve been raw (or even vegan, and we’re talking about dairy products) long enough for your body to detox and get used to food it actually wants, if you give it any more crap, it’s going to revolt. Hard. Regurgitation, bloating, digestive issues, and a few days in bed will be coming your way soon. And we both know that once you’ve given in, it’ll be that much harder to go back.

When you’re eating it, it’s easy to rationalize. I mean, you’ve been doing so well for so long, and it’s only the one time. What harm could it possibly do? But later, you’ll think about the fact that you’ve been raw (or vegan) for six months, or a year, or five, or whatever, and now you’re starting from zero. All that time, gone in a single meal. Honestly, the one meal won’t make much difference to you physically, once it’s digested and gone. But by that time, your self esteem has taken a significant blow and will take a long time to be rebuilt.

(If this is actually what you want to do. If that doesn’t ring true for you, and you slip up often, it may be worth it to consider if this is what you really want.)

So how do you avoid all that?

In most cases, it’s as easy as staying well-fed. It makes sense: if you’re not hungry, your brain won’t need the carbs. If you know you’re going to encounter tempting foods, make sure you eat.

I assure you, you won’t be thinking about junk food after eating these.

But if that doesn’t help, and you still slip up, just know that nobody’s judging you. It was one mistake; you can pick yourself up and start anew. There’s always tomorrow.

Do you ever get cravings? How do you deal with them?