Sometimes Food is Just Food

I recently found myself on a mission.

I wanted to send my son in Florida a batch of homemade cookies. While chocolate chip cookies are his favorite, I knew that sending those would result in him receiving one giant chocolate cookie blob. I needed a recipe that would survive being packed up, shipped halfway across the country, and sit in the Florida heat.

So, naturally, I went looking for the perfect recipe.

I wanted something delicious, sturdy enough to travel, and, most importantly, something I knew he would enjoy.

As I thought about it, I realized how much we have complicated food.

We talk about protein, fiber, sugar, calories, ingredients and whether something is “healthy” enough to eat. And those things certainly have their place. I spend plenty of time talking about them myself.

But sometimes food is just food.

A cookie doesn’t have to be a nutritional powerhouse to have a place in a healthy life.

Food can be nourishment, of course. But it can also be pleasure. It can be tradition. It can be connection. It can be the recipe your grandmother made, something you bake with your kids, or a box of cookies you send to your grown-up child who happens to live in south Florida.

Sometimes the reason we eat something has very little to do with its nutrient profile.

And that’s okay.

I’m not suggesting we abandon the vegetables and live on cookies. Although I’m sure Mr. Non-Compliant would be willing to take on that experiment. 😂

I’m talking about taking some of the pressure off.

We don’t need to make every bite of food justify its existence by being exceptionally nutritious. We can eat a nourishing meal and then enjoy a cookie. We can savor it because it’s fun and delicious, not because we found a way to make it “healthy.”

And then we can move on.

No guilt. No compensation. No promise to be “good” tomorrow.

Just enjoying the cookie.

So, after a little recipe testing, I found one that I think is worth sharing. It passed the Florida heat test, and his co-workers liked them too. The recipe is gluten and dairy free because of food sensitivities, but you can make them with your standard ingredients.

Whether you’re baking these to ship to someone you love or simply keeping them in your own cookie jar, I hope you’ll enjoy them for what they are…amazing chocolate cookies.

Get the chocolate cookie recipe here 

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“Sometimes food is nourishment. Sometimes food is connection. And sometimes food is just an amazing chocolate cookie.”— Health Coach Carol