Mentally Healthy Foods
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NovusDies
Posts: 8,940 Member
So as the debate warred on about natural food vs evil food I couldn't help but think about food that makes me happy or nostalgic and why are we so quick to dismiss it and its benefit in the name of almighty nutritional health?
I don't have any scientific evidence to back my claim. I have to think if I am smiling about something it is good for me, right? Perhaps it is something that just enhances a particular experience like the nachos with the goopy fake cheese at a ballgame or the beloved hot dog.
Before I begin I do believe in making today a happy experience and not dwell too much on the past but in moderation most things are okay imo.
I will start with 2 examples.
I had 2 distant grandmothers. One was physically distant and one was emotionally distant. So as a teen I adopted this older lady who was lonely herself and she became a surrogate. I didn't realize I was doing it at the time cuz I was a teen. In any event, when I visited her she always made me these grilled cheese sandwiches. Now when I make one, especially when I make one like she did, I can be right back there in her kitchen keeping her company.
When I was a teen I was also a camp counselor and like all good camp counselor stories go I had a camp counselor girlfriend. My favorite beverage at the time was Mellow Yellow and my favorite snack was Funyuns. I can't drink Mellow Yellow anymore as it tears me up but I still like a bag of funyuns to take me back to camp.
Nutritious? Maybe a little. Mentally Healthy? You help me decide.
I don't have any scientific evidence to back my claim. I have to think if I am smiling about something it is good for me, right? Perhaps it is something that just enhances a particular experience like the nachos with the goopy fake cheese at a ballgame or the beloved hot dog.
Before I begin I do believe in making today a happy experience and not dwell too much on the past but in moderation most things are okay imo.
I will start with 2 examples.
I had 2 distant grandmothers. One was physically distant and one was emotionally distant. So as a teen I adopted this older lady who was lonely herself and she became a surrogate. I didn't realize I was doing it at the time cuz I was a teen. In any event, when I visited her she always made me these grilled cheese sandwiches. Now when I make one, especially when I make one like she did, I can be right back there in her kitchen keeping her company.
When I was a teen I was also a camp counselor and like all good camp counselor stories go I had a camp counselor girlfriend. My favorite beverage at the time was Mellow Yellow and my favorite snack was Funyuns. I can't drink Mellow Yellow anymore as it tears me up but I still like a bag of funyuns to take me back to camp.
Nutritious? Maybe a little. Mentally Healthy? You help me decide.
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Replies
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So as the debate warred on about natural food vs evil food I couldn't help but think about food that makes me happy or nostalgic and why are we so quick to dismiss it and its benefit in the name of almighty nutritional health?
I don't have any scientific evidence to back my claim. I have to think if I am smiling about something it is good for me, right? Perhaps it is something that just enhances a particular experience like the nachos with the goopy fake cheese at a ballgame or the beloved hot dog.
Before I begin I do believe in making today a happy experience and not dwell too much on the past but in moderation most things are okay.
I will start with 2 examples.
I had 2 distant grandmothers. One was physically distant and one was emotionally distant. So as a teen I adopted this older lady who was lonely herself and she became a surrogate. I didn't realize I was doing it at the time cuz I was a teen. In any event, when I visited her she always made me these grilled cheese sandwiches. Now when I make one, especially when I make one like she did, I can be right back there in her kitchen keeping her company.
When I was a teen I was also a camp counselor and like all good camp counselor stories go I had a camp counselor girlfriend. My favorite beverage at the time was Mellow Yellow and my favorite snack was Funyuns. I can't drink Mellow Yellow anymore as it tears me up but I still like a bag of funyuns to take me back to camp.
Nutritious? Maybe a little. Mentally Healthy? You help me decide.
LMAO. Grilled Cheese is the only good thing you mention in this thread and it has to be with tomato soup or it doesn't count. Everything else you mention is either gross or heartburn city. Baseball Park Nachos .. GAG!21 -
For me mentally healthy foods, nuts, olives, dill pickles those are my go to feel good snack. But nothing tops a BLT for nostalgia.5
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I can't eat a lot of my nostalgia food due to celiac disease, but there is something to be said for the place of such food in the overall context of one's diet.
That being said, I think I'm one who gets taken back more by the smell of things than by the taste. Nothing ever tastes as good as it used to back then to me. But smells bring me right back.13 -
Yep. Treats help keep me sane. No source .ymmv.
I can't imagine going through life without tasting ice cream again or never having cake Because it doesn't meet some made up standard of health.
Instead I like to incorporate treats along side of my well balanced nutrient dense diet.14 -
Last weekend, Mom gave me this recipe that my gramma used to make her in the 50's. She'll be happy when I bring her some this weekend!
"Healthy"? Eh. "Fits in a balanced diet?" Sure. Plus no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
Hopefully, 1 square of chocolate = 1 oz of unsweetened chocolate, cuz that's what I'm using.
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There’s some science behind it.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-babble/201501/smells-ring-bells-how-smell-triggers-memories-and-emotions
I suggest if you go for emotionally evocative foods that you decide ahead of time what your portion will be and fully immerse yourself in the feelings and the memory.
Otherwise you may eat mindlessly, one after the other, trying to repeat the experience.13 -
mutantspicy wrote: »LMAO. Grilled Cheese is the only good thing you mention in this thread and it has to be with tomato soup or it doesn't count. Everything else you mention is either gross or heartburn city. Baseball Park Nachos .. GAG!
I admit I would skip the nachos these days but I would still have a hot dog. Kind of the point of the thread though these are foods for smiles not necessarily high caliber.
I will give another example though:
I hate sweetened tea now. However, when I was ill as a kid I often drank hot tea with honey. To this day when I am ill I drink sweetened tea and it comforts me. Better?
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mutantspicy wrote: »For me mentally healthy foods, nuts, olives, dill pickles those are my go to feel good snack. But nothing tops a BLT for nostalgia.
Obviously I am not talking about foods good for your brain... A BLT though is perhaps the most perfect sandwich in the world. I don't have any good memories associated since my family never made them.4 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I can't eat a lot of my nostalgia food due to celiac disease, but there is something to be said for the place of such food in the overall context of one's diet.
That being said, I think I'm one who gets taken back more by the smell of things than by the taste. Nothing ever tastes as good as it used to back then to me. But smells bring me right back.
Yes the experience starts with the nose for sure. When entering nostalgia mode make sure the room is clear of competing smells. I wish you didn't have your disease but most taste happens in the nose anyway.0 -
100_PROOF_ wrote: »Yep. Treats help keep me sane. No source .ymmv.
I can't imagine going through life without tasting ice cream again or never having cake Because it doesn't meet some made up standard of health.
Instead I like to incorporate treats along side of my well balanced nutrient dense diet.
Ice cream sandwiches are another camp food memory.
You made my point exactly. They have their place. I don't need to eat funyuns all day but I don't like the idea of never eating a bag again. I loved being a camp counselor. Visiting that experience on occasion I think is good for me.5 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Last weekend, Mom gave me this recipe that my gramma used to make her in the 50's. She'll be happy when I bring her some this weekend!
"Healthy"? Eh. "Fits in a balanced diet?" Sure. Plus no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
Hopefully, 1 square of chocolate = 1 oz of unsweetened chocolate, cuz that's what I'm using.
You can buy unsweetened chocolate at the store. I love old recipe cards. They are so cool. One of my favorites was a card I found for squirrel chili.
That is super nice of you to fix for her. I will be expecting some in the mail.2 -
mutantspicy wrote: »So as the debate warred on about natural food vs evil food I couldn't help but think about food that makes me happy or nostalgic and why are we so quick to dismiss it and its benefit in the name of almighty nutritional health?
I don't have any scientific evidence to back my claim. I have to think if I am smiling about something it is good for me, right? Perhaps it is something that just enhances a particular experience like the nachos with the goopy fake cheese at a ballgame or the beloved hot dog.
Before I begin I do believe in making today a happy experience and not dwell too much on the past but in moderation most things are okay.
I will start with 2 examples.
I had 2 distant grandmothers. One was physically distant and one was emotionally distant. So as a teen I adopted this older lady who was lonely herself and she became a surrogate. I didn't realize I was doing it at the time cuz I was a teen. In any event, when I visited her she always made me these grilled cheese sandwiches. Now when I make one, especially when I make one like she did, I can be right back there in her kitchen keeping her company.
When I was a teen I was also a camp counselor and like all good camp counselor stories go I had a camp counselor girlfriend. My favorite beverage at the time was Mellow Yellow and my favorite snack was Funyuns. I can't drink Mellow Yellow anymore as it tears me up but I still like a bag of funyuns to take me back to camp.
Nutritious? Maybe a little. Mentally Healthy? You help me decide.
LMAO. Grilled Cheese is the only good thing you mention in this thread and it has to be with tomato soup or it doesn't count. Everything else you mention is either gross or heartburn city. Baseball Park Nachos .. GAG!
Yes indeed grilled cheese and tomato soup! I am not alone in this!2 -
Those orange Push-ups frozen treats were always so good after playing ball when I was a kid.13
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I find that I snack less when I eat for pleasure verses white knuckling the nutritional ticket. I have also found that I can maintain it and keep it mostly nutritionally sound.5
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100_PROOF_ wrote: »Yep. Treats help keep me sane. No source .ymmv.
I can't imagine going through life without tasting ice cream again or never having cake Because it doesn't meet some made up standard of health.
Instead I like to incorporate treats along side of my well balanced nutrient dense diet.
Ice cream sandwiches are another camp food memory.
You made my point exactly. They have their place. I don't need to eat funyuns all day but I don't like the idea of never eating a bag again. I loved being a camp counselor. Visiting that experience on occasion I think is good for me.
Yeppers. My sister and I share a birthday. Every year we got an ice cream cake and a pudding cake ( we insisted on 2 separate cakes)
It reminds me of that Every time I taste either of them. My Mom still makes us the cakes as adults and delivers them to our homes every year.9 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Last weekend, Mom gave me this recipe that my gramma used to make her in the 50's. She'll be happy when I bring her some this weekend!
"Healthy"? Eh. "Fits in a balanced diet?" Sure. Plus no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
Hopefully, 1 square of chocolate = 1 oz of unsweetened chocolate, cuz that's what I'm using.
You can buy unsweetened chocolate at the store. I love old recipe cards. They are so cool. One of my favorites was a card I found for squirrel chili.
That is super nice of you to fix for her. I will be expecting some in the mail.
Oh, yes, I have unsweetened chocolate. But Baker's is I believe 16 squares in 4 oz now, and Hershey's is 8, so my issue is with the conversion. And if by "chocolate" she meant unsweetened, which I'm sure she did due to the amount of sugar.
Another fun thing about old recipes is that they never list the oven temperature, so I assume she meant 350 degrees F.3 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Last weekend, Mom gave me this recipe that my gramma used to make her in the 50's. She'll be happy when I bring her some this weekend!
"Healthy"? Eh. "Fits in a balanced diet?" Sure. Plus no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
Hopefully, 1 square of chocolate = 1 oz of unsweetened chocolate, cuz that's what I'm using.
I love those old recipe cards (especially when they have food stains!). and anything I find with my mom’s handwriting on it. It kind of makes me sad that my kids won’t really have that familiarity with my handwriting.
Speaking of, one of my nostalgia recipes is this freezer cheesecake my mom used to make for my birthday. Graham cracker crust, and a filling that when I found the recipe had an ingredient I had to look up - Millnot. Also powdered lemon jello and cream cheese. A very unique texture - I never knew till I was an adult that most cheesecakes are baked!
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I always put kumquats on my Christmas list because my Grandmother always had them at Christmas when I was a kid. I never buy them at any other time of year.4
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Costco polish dogs?0
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Peanut butter and pickle sandwiches puts me back into my teens3
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