Rediscovering Comfort Food

As my brain is rewiring midlife, I decided a few months ago that I would stop dieting. It wasn't working like it used to and my taste buds were no longer enthused nor cooperative. And, btw, I've also been reading up on women's health, both how women's bodies respond to exercise (I joined a gym and am LOVING group exercise classes of all varieties) and books exploring the pre-menopause and perimenopause phases we all experience between 35 and 50. Apparently our brains rewire, and we transform from peacemaking nurturers to empowered creators who no longer put up with stuff and finally find our voices to speak out and change.

Having been on the low carb high protein, fat is okay bandwagon since the 90's, it's been physically and mentally difficult to embrace all of the whole, yummy foods I used to love. White rice. Skim milk. Bread. Fruit! Nothing is off limits now.

I don't cook often these days because, well, my husband is a chef, and my kids love cooking too. So I got lazy and handed the responsibilites over to them. Last week I cooked two meals. I hadn't had them since the 90's! Stuffed bell peppers and Chicken and dumplings. I'm drinking skim milk with my meals again. Yum. And I'm also drinking skim milk after I do weight training. There was a study that concluded women who drank two glasses of skim milk after weight bearing exercise lost twice as much fat as those who didn't.

I'm trying to reset my metabolism by building muscle and am patiently embracing this new lifestyle. The weight loss has been slow, but my clothes fit again and I'm only a couple pounds over a healthy BMI. I have stopped gaining weight, which is the biggest comfort of all.

Are there any comfort foods you adored as a child or younger adult that you haven't eaten lately?