DO I EVER "CHEAT"?

First of all a link to NUTRITION AND KIDNEY DISEASE from the University of North Carolina, School of Medicine. This link has "nutrition ideas and the kidney diet",  along with alternatives to many of the foods that we love but can't have. I've come across a lot of these type of lists but I bookmark them all and save any pamphlets, etc, that are handed to me at the Kidney Clinic.

Now, do I ever cheat on my diet? Not as much as I used to. It was difficult when my husband was alive. The cutting out sodium wasn't so bad, but it seemed like all of his favourite foods weren't exactly good for me so a lot of times I ate grilled cheese sandwiches or tomato soup or potato pancakes.

Now that he's gone and I'm cooking only for myself most times plus being at such a low functioning rate I stick to the rules most of the time but, yes, I still do cheat. On the other hand when I was talking to the dietician at the Kidney Clinic she told me I can't deprive myself ALL the time so as long as I don't do it often it won't have too much of an effect. My son has his own eating habits and is old enough to fend for himself. My daughter doesn't mind my kidney friendly dishes and if she wants something different she, too, can fend for herself.

Since my daughter is away this long weekend my son suggested we have pizza for dinner. He's 35 years old but is on the autism spectrum and he is just so sweet, he kept asking me over and over if I was sure it was okay for me to have pizza. I don't know how often I can but I figure once in 3 or 4 months I'll let myself cheat. I have 1/2 a small pizza with pineapple and green pepper, both of which are okay for our diets. I skip any type of sausage or meats. The cheese, tomato sauce and salt is bad enough. I never thought of it before but there is so much cheese on the pizza's we order that I think next time I'll ask them to use maybe half the cheese they normally would on mine.

A few weeks ago I was grocery shopping and feeling very sorry for myself. I was feeling a bit down anyway and then I'd pass this or that food that I used to eat and love that is no longer on my diet. So for the first time in about 2 years I bought myself a chocolate bar at the checkout. It doesn't take much to cheer me up.