There is no good food or bad food, if you eat in moderation

Gertrude never labeled a food good or bad, she would say “Be reasonable with how much of it you eat.” She was right. But I love ice cream. It is my favorite food, especially when life is difficult. Can anyone else relate to that? I did not realized how I turned to ice cream when life was difficult until I was almost 40 years old and going through a divorce.

As a kid I ate ice cream in moderation but as an adult, not so. I was a dietitian and knew how many calories, grams of fat and carbohydrates each serving contained. That knowledge did not stop me from seeking ice cream when stressed. And it was not in small quantities. Blue Bell comes in huge containers and who needs a spoon when you are the only one eating it!

So, I decided to reflect on when ice cream became such a comfort food to me.

It was then I recalled all the good times with my grandparent. Gertrude had a small freezer in her refrigerator and upon occasion would have some ice cream in the house, but I remember those hot summer nights when my grandparents would drive to the local dairy to get an ice cream cone. If I close my eyes and think about the dairy, I still smell it. Yes, there is a special aroma that an old fashioned ice cream parlor emanates.

They showed me unconditional love. No matter what I did, said, who I married or what color my hair turned out to be, they always loved me. It was a wonderful feeling. So, as an adult, when life was not fair, I turned to ice cream to bring back those memories of love and being accepted. I think most people have a comfort food or a feel-good food. It is important to remember that eating that food only bring momentary comfort. Food does not fix the situations. Now when I have this craving for ice cream, I stop and think is that really what I want or is it that feeling of unconditional love, when life is just not fair.