This is why childhood foods stay with us
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I want to share something that caught me completely off guard while I was becoming more plant centered. It was not the recipes or the grocery lists or even the social situations. It was something much quieter. Much more tender. And honestly something I felt a little embarrassed to admit at first. It showed up one afternoon in the freezer aisle. I was standing in front of a bright red Stouffer’s mac and cheese box and I felt this pang in my throat. Not because I missed the taste. Not because I was craving dairy. It was because that little tray of mac and cheese carried my childhood inside it. Sleepovers. After school rituals. Comfort, warmth, coziness, belonging. Safety that no one ever named out loud. And I realized that letting go of childhood foods can feel like letting go of the girl you once were. If you have felt this too… you are so not alone. The nostalgia. The unexpected sadness. The tug during the holidays when every family recipe starts with butter or sour cream or milk. We are not just shifting what we eat. We are shifting identity memory connection. It is real. It is human. And it deserves to be honored. I wrote a blog this week that is a love letter to this part of the journey. The tender part. The part that most people do not talk about because it feels silly to say out loud that a frozen mac and cheese can bring you to tears. But it happens. And there is nothing wrong with you for feeling it. If you have ever wondered why this feels emotional or why certain foods hold so much power or why the holidays bring every feeling to the surface this blog is for you.
Let this one land gently. It is meant to meet you right where you are. With so much love, |