What would it be like to be able to enjoy ice cream again?
We hear from many clients things like “oh, I can’t keep ice cream in my house, I’ll eat it all”. Or “I’ve been bad and had some ice cream!” Or even “ice cream is so sinful!” Sound familiar?
A note before reading: this blog post explores some ideas associated with healing your relationship with food. It is not medical advice. If you are struggling with an acute eating disorder, it may be best to explore these questions with your therapist or registered dietitian.
Close your eyes and think of your most fond memories of ice cream as a child. What comes up? For me, I think of the local creamery I grew up near – Uhlman’s ice cream in Westborough, Massachusetts. My family and I would sit outside at the splintered picnic tables and enjoy the fragrant summer air, watching the cows graze in the pasture beside us.
My favorite flavor was Purple Cow, a unique combination of black raspberry ice cream with dark and white chocolate chunks. My father loved rum raisin, and my mom any chocolate flavor. I remember being carefree and enjoying the time spent with my family.
I also remember going to Ben and Bill’s, an ice cream store in Falmouth, Massachusetts that features the famous Lobster ice cream flavor (including real chunks of lobster!). Novelty foods were absolutely fascinating to me, and the idea that somebody created lobster ice cream tickled me. (Though I never tried it! – their chocolate candies were some of my favorites).
Were you able to think of a memory where ice cream was enjoyable for you and visualize it? What was it like? What feelings come up? What did you specifically enjoy about it?
Or perhaps you don’t have any fond memories of eating ice cream, and that’s okay too, it is something interesting to note.
Now, some additional questions to ponder. When was the first time you were told ice cream is ‘bad’? What were you told about ice cream over the years, and where did you hear this information? What messages about ice cream have stuck with you? Oftentimes messaging about food can ‘stick’ in our brain for quite a long time!
This activity also shows us how food is so much more than just fuel. It’s connection, memories, nostalgia, culture, and joy.
What would it be like to be able to enjoy ice cream again?
What would it be like to eat ice cream without over thinking, labeling, and feelings of guilt and shame?
What would it be like to stop the cycle and help your kids (or future kids, if you want them), also eat ice cream without going on an emotional rollercoaster?
The truth is, we’ve been told some unhelpful things about foods and our bodies, but it is possible to break the chain and embrace food freedom through intuitive eating and/or eating disorder recovery.
Looking for support in healing your relationship with food and moving on the path of intuitive eating?
