How many times have you seen a social media post about Shakeology or organic fruit cleanses? Intimidating to say the least. Do I think it’s important to eat healthy? Yes, of course. Your body NEEDS the good stuff like fruits, vegetables and protein to keep you going throughout the day. Do I think everyone needs to go vegan and cut out all sugar from their diet? Eh, not necessary.

First of all, not everyone can afford the seven-dollar organic Greek yogurt tub or fat free soy milk at the grocery store. There are other good substitutes you can buy regardless if they’re free of GMOs or not. Let’s face it, eating healthy is expensive.

I was raised to eat well-balanced meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then reward myself at the end of the day with a sweet treat. A good chunk of our childhoods revolve around yummy food; baking cookies with your grandma, licking the mixing bowl clean of brownie batter, buying cotton candy at the circus intermission, or ordering pizza with your high school friends on a Friday night are all fond memories we possess. I do not wish to keep my future children from these same traditions I experienced. Kids should be allowed to do kid things, and that just happens to include a lot of sugar. Not to mention holidays like Christmas Eve (who doesn’t like pumpkin pie?), where dinner is the most essential part of the night. I can’t imagine anything worse than sitting down to a highly nutritional meal on Thanksgiving.

Cheating every once in awhile is totally human. But regardless if you eat everything in sight or focus too heavily on food labels, everyone should still make time for the gym. Just think, every time you reward yourself means you have to push a little bit harder next time you work out to make up for it. Keeping your body in shape is so important for your health, happiness, as well as overall energy.

I consider myself a fairly healthy person. I work out regularly, love my fruit, and stray from too many carbs. However, when I’m craving chocolate or pizza, I don’t think twice. After all, what kind of life are you living if you are constantly fighting your taste buds’ wishes? Don’t beat yourself up. Stay fit, get your daily dose of fruits and veggies, and you’ll get through life healthy and happy without torturing yourself every five minutes.