Rethink Comfort Food

This one is for those of us who were raised on FOOD = LOVE, it may be a good idea to evaluate your thinking on the concept of comfort foods.

I wrote this post the first time I was exploring the Pradipika eating philosophy, because blueberries with a little milk and sugar is like the ultimate pradipika food:

Chew on this:

It seems we've collectively decided that "comfort food" automatically means warm, hearty, home cooked, and not very healthy. But it's supposed to mean food that reminds us of our childhood, and being cared for by our loving mom. We use the words "comfort food" to excuse us from eating something unhealthy when we feel bad about life, but I bet your mom would rather you eat things that kept you well.

Rethink your comfort foods. Think about the thick slabs of watermelon you enjoyed on a hot summer day, spitting the seeds across the lawn with your friends while the sticky sweet juice ran all over your face and hands and arms. Yes, there were roasted marshmallows around the campfire too, but you can choose the watermelon for your comfort moment. It's a choice.

Remember the time you all went to the strawberry farm and picked them fresh from the fields, and how great they tasted in your mouth, still warm from the sun, and bursting. Sure, they tasted equally good in the warm pies they went into, but you can choose the strawberry, not the pie.

OK, maybe in your memory, your mom did let you eat ice cream all day when you were sick. But she probably forced some nice warming chicken noodle soup into you as well. Is it actually the food you loved, or is it the fact that you were being loved, with food involved?

Today, think about your favorite "comfort foods," and if your regular go-tos are not healthy, see if you can change your thinking into something better. What is it about the food that comforts you? Can it be made with better ingredients? Can it be adapted to fit the life you want now, instead of the one you used to have when you were too small to understand about health?

When I was a child, one of my favorite summer treats was blueberries with a splash of milk and a dash of sugar. Three wonderful tastes somehow made instantly more wonderful when combined, and I thought it was more special and perfect than any cake or pie could ever hope to be. My mom baked cookies and brownies and pies all the time, but fresh fruit was costly, a rare and special treat. That's my comfort food. What’s yours?