Eat the Damn Cookie
I bake a mean peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie. No really, people tell me that I should sell them.
The recipe started in my parent’s kitchen from an old cookbook - I can still see the cover and the butter-splattered pages - and over time it morphed into my famous pb & chocolate chip cookies. I have made them for almost every birthday, potluck and care package. Back in the day, whenever one of my triathlete friends had a bad bike accident (unfortunately this happened too often), I was there with my healing cookies to brighten their day. I love baking cookies. The smell wafting through my kitchen, the perfect shape created with my perfectly-sized ice cream scoop, and the joy that they bring to everyone who eats them. But guess what? I never bake any just for me, I always give them away. And why? Because I don’t trust myself around them. I tell myself that I should’t keep them in the house because they are too decadent, too rich. I have to run 20 miles to burn off the calories from just a couple, and even then I feel guilty.
This relationship with food is not uncommon. We are constantly labelling foods as “good” or “bad”. Determining whether or not we deserve to eat them because we had a great day and want a treat, or got some bad news and need something comforting. We make our running route longer, bike more miles, eat less during the day, just so that we can indulge in a bowl of pasta, a grilled cheese sandwich or a scoop of ice cream. But here’s the thing, when we deny ourselves that food we are craving, do we actually feel better by eating something that we don’t want? If my body is craving vegan mac n’ cheeze and I eat a salad, I might feel ok, but I’m still craving that bowl of cozy carbs. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a big salad. But when it is cold and rainy outside, those delicious greens may not be cutting it for me that day.
So here’s what I propose. Take a moment and start listening to your body. Are you thirsty? Are you tired? Are you hungry? Are you craving a big bowl of delicious roasted veggies with fresh herbs or do you want a cookie? If the answer is cookie, then eat the damn cookie and enjoy all of the sweetness and joy that it brings you.
🍪 🍪 🍪 🍪 🍪
