people with severe illnesses or autoimmune diseases, who
should try for 100 percent compliance. Keep in mind that
many people find that once they abandon a favorite food,
its reintroduction makes them feel so awful that they simply
have little or no desire to eat it again.
The key to the three compliance levels of The Paleo Diet
is what I call the 85-15 rule. Most people eat about twenty
meals a week, plus snacks. Consequently, three meals per
week represent 15 percent of your weekly meals. At Level
1 of the Paleo Diet, you can cheat 15 percent of the time by
including three Open Meals per week. At Level 2, you are
allowed to cheat 10 percent of the time, with two Open
Meals per week, and finally at Level 3 you are permitted a
single Open Meal, which represents 5 percent of your total
weekly meals. The beauty of this tactic is that you don’t
have to forgo your favorite foods completely and forever. I
recommend that beginners start at Level 1 for a few weeks
and then gradually move toward Level 3 as they become
accustomed to the diet.