I’m a firm believer in healthy eating and healthy living. When you eat right, you are happier, physically healthier, mentally healthier, energized, and confident.

But I’m also a big food lover (if you haven’t already noticed). And because I love food, I also love to indulge in some cheat meals. Life is all about balance. And balance means enjoying a good cheat meal every so often.

It’s Taco Tuesday!

Which means Mexican food and margs. AKA calories. But delicious, lovely, spicy calories. Even though today might not be the healthiest of food-days, here’s why you need to indulge in a good cheat meal every so often:

1. A cheat meal brings your goals into focus.

When you go all-out for one, unhealthy evening you learn your true goals. You see the consequences in straying from your goals, but you also learn that you don’t have to be crazy–you can enjoy life and be healthy.

2. You learn to let go.

Indulging means putting away the calorie counters and not stressing about how much this one meal will set you back. If you are eating well, one meal isn’t going to make or break you. Having a cheat meal means that you let go and stop over-analyzing. Food is good. Enjoy it.

3. You become more confident about your goals because you aren’t restricting yourself.

If you put yourself on a strict eating plan or ‘diet’ you’ll make yourself crave junk food, high-calorie food, or basically anything that isn’t on your ‘list.’ When you enjoy a cheat meal, you give yourself the small opportunity to stray from your plan. This makes it that much easier to stay focused because you’ve already ‘treated yourself’ rather than restricted.

4. You only live once, so enjoy it.

Within reason, of course. Food is amazing. And sadly, sometimes are most favorite foods aren’t the greatest for us. Good news–as long as well keep everything in moderation, we can enjoy it. (Tip: After your cheat meal, look up copycat, low-fat recipes! Who knows, maybe you can enjoy your favorite foods all the time!)