I have been eating very healthy for the past ten years; butter, cream cheese, and real ice cream became nothing but words that I once used to use over a decade ago. Their meaning was lost to me . . . until my cousin decided to have a dinner party.

Sara was going to show off her culinary skills. She just finished some cooking classes and considered herself the next Julia Child. Just like Julia, Sara never uses anything low fat when she cooks. Only the real thing will do for the best flavor, she insists.

This took place about a month ago -- it was my downfall1x

Family and friends were all gathered around Sara's table, oohing and aahing as she presented each new dish to us. What was I supposed to do? I thought I'd sample a little of this and a little of that, just enough to keep me in her good graces.

I put a tiny forkful into my mouth. The first taste of the fat filled food melted over my tongue and flooded my senses. All the old memories flowed back to me like a dam giving way. Fat makes food delicious1x I forgot about my plan about sampling and just ate. I ate everything, and loved it all.

Now that wasn't even the worse part. The worse part was that the next day I bought myself some butter, cream cheese, real ice cream, and much more. For two weeks I forgot about fruits and vegetables and eating healthy. I was like a mad woman.

Look, I'm not perfect, I slipped off the healthy path, as many others have also slipped. Let's face it. Fattening foods are very addictive. Fat adds flavor to foods that's why we love to eat them. But to help us, thankfully, scientists have discovered fat and sugar substitutes. Some foods are made out of Olestra, a fat substitute, and saccharin and other sugar substitutes have been around for years. We have options on how to fulfill our cravings nowadays.

Eventually, I knew I had to stop. Two weeks ago, I threw out whatever was left from my eating escapade and returned to the vegetable store. The owners told me that they missed me. I bought loads of fresh fruit and vegetables and then went to the grocery store for some low fat cottage cheese. I had a great idea about freezing some grapes and then eating them with the cottage cheese. It's pretty good.

I'm not going to abuse and demean myself because I fell off the health wagon. Nobody should. As long as you know that you can and will climb back on, let yourself have that special food. But remember to make it a special event, and not an every day one.

Eating with a view for health makes for a long life. But enjoying special occasions with family and friends helps make for a joyful life.