And when you just can't resist
Eclairs were one of the hardest things for us to give up. The 4-set from Sainsbury's or Tesco was our favourite pick-me-up until we realised that they were doing a lot more than picking us up. With the single cream filling and milk chocolate topping we were getting a double dose of our dairy no's.
But even after we knew they didn't love us, like many co-dependent relationships, we found it hard to break up. In fact, we often actively weighed up the pros and cons and still chose the bloat and burp over saying no.
Weigh up your pros and cons
It's relatively straightforward for me: table manners vs tasty comfort. Bestie has more to lose, or rather her belly has more to gain.
Those cringey miracle weightloss before and after pics have nothing on bestie's milk baby, which makes an appearance within minutes!
Her food babies come with colic too and the whining sometimes lasts for days, making her choice seem more obvious. And yet it isn't. There are still times when the baby is worth the price she pays. Those times are becoming less frequent as we (frequently) renew our committments to ourselves, let go of our old food identities and find new loves that treat us well.
Let go of the old you
It may not be a source of debate with your nearest and dearest or what gives you sleepless nights, but, although your romantic relationship persona may take centre stage, your food identity quietly holds sway over a lot more of your life than you may think.
- Discovering what hurts you is a mission on its own.
- Accepting the end of a long-term loving (but one-sided) relationship is harder.
- Actually leaving can sometimes feel impossible.
At the risk of over-romanticising it (way, WAY too late), I think that our relationship with our food directly reflects our relationship with ourselves. From the grandma's cooking we grew up with, to the obsessions and aversions we developed as tweens and teens, to the habits that give structure to our adult lives: Food bonds us to our histories, our loved ones, our best memories and to the best, and worst, parts of ourselves.
Find new & loving loves
You may think that nothing will ever be able to fill the chocolate eclair-shaped hole in your heart. But I am here to tell you, categorically, that you're wrong. In fact, I'm willing to bet that in just a few new desserts' time, you'll hardly remember what you liked about it, let alone loved.
They say the best way to get over something is to dig into something else. We've fallen for these:
- Chocolate, straight up
There's a time and a place for everything. For chocolate, it's in Spain at the end of a night out. With no threat of milk babies or burps, churros con chocolate is a decadent indulgence that will cure your chocolate craving for a good few months.
- Dark chocolate dipped
You may not be a fan of 72% on its own, but give it a chance as a dip for your favourite treats: strawberries, cherries, marshmallows, let your fancy take flight. Pop it in the fridge if you want it set for that satisfying crack on biting into it.
- iChoc Feel FreeMilk chocolate was a clinger of note. Wouldn't leave me alone. I'd almost lost hope when I found, of all things, a white non-chocolate that is NOT a replacement. Don't let the slightly lame name fool you. It is a massive improvement! I'm never looking back.
- Oat milk swapsies
Swap out dairy milk for oat in all your favourites and continue enjoying them pain and embarrassment free!
- Delicious desserts on the YES list!
After going cold turkey for a short while, bestie and I started faltering. Usually in front of the pudding fridge. Using her sweet-toothed, non-sensitive daughter as an excuse, a variety of contraband found its way into our fridge. Once there, after said fussy daughter turned her nose up, we had no choice but to have it. To reduce food waste of course! And that's how we found these treasures.
