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Did you know there is a National Vanilla Ice Cream Day? It’s true. And although I don’t often eat dairy these days, I still have it once in a while.
There are other ice creams that are delicious though and that don’t contain dairy. They are much easier to find than they used to be and are made with coconut milk, almond milk or soy milk. I love the vanilla flavor and like to have it plain, with fresh fruit or with a little Morecello drizzled over it. Morecello is a blackberry liqueur. You don’t need much as it’s very potent stuff, but it is packed with flavor and richness and dresses up the vanilla ice cream!
My point in sharing this is that you can still treat yourself with a small serving of something healthy yet delicious when you just really want something for dessert or something sweet. Your taste buds will adjust once you’re off sugar too, and you won’t need the intense sweetness of processed sugar. One particular coconut milk ice cream is sweetened with monk fruit, and instead of the sweetness of sugar hitting your tongue, you will be more aware of the vanilla flavor.
These alternative ice creams are available in other flavors as well, such as chocolate, mint chocolate chip and butter pecan. I usually keep a pint of vanilla and chocolate in the freezer as it makes a quick treat readily available. We all need a treat once in a while.
I can’t stress enough how, if you stick with me on this, your taste buds will change, and your need and love for the taste of sugar will dissipate. It’s hard to believe anything that you love and crave now may in time taste too sweet, so you’ll just need to trust me on this one. I speak from experience having gotten off sugar to the point where I can have it occasionally and it doesn’t romance me back into having it all the time. I just feel so much better without it.
Another way to enjoy vanilla ice cream is to use it to top fresh fruit and berries. This means you’re having mostly the fruit (healthy) with just a little ice cream to dress it up. It may be hard to think this is a good idea, but once you learn to adjust your eating lifestyle, it will make sense; you will enjoy it and will feel satisfied! You’ll learn that just a little bit of something can be enough to satisfy a craving.
The same is true when you indulge in real ice cream which I still do occasionally. I know my favorite ice cream stand is now offering a “mini” size which is really very generous. This means they are becoming more sensitive to people wanting and needing to control their portions and gives us ice cream lovers the chance to enjoy an ice cream treat without ordering what appears to be an entire pint of ice cream stuck on a cone or in a cup.
When you think of changing your eating lifestyle to one that is healthier (notice I didn’t say “diet”), I hope you’ll be able to envision a slimmer, healthier you who enjoys good whole food. Envision yourself feeling better, having more energy because of your commitment to this change in eating habits, but also envision yourself as someone who can still enjoy an occasional treat.
It’s a process, and it does take commitment; but you can set goals and achieve them with a lifestyle change that supports your health, doesn’t leave you starving and still allows you to enjoy life and food like vanilla ice cream.
This post was originally published on my blog at http://thinstronghealthy.com/vanilla-ice-cream/
Helping You Achieve Major Wellness in Your Life!
Cheryl A Major, CNWC
Cheryl A Major lives in Westford and is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Her TV show, Thin Strong Healthy, airs on WestfordCat and is an offshoot of her blog http://ThinStrongHealthy.com Cheryl offers ongoing information and personal health coaching to help you feel better and be healthier. Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CherylAMajor. She is also a full time residential Realtor with Coldwell Banker with more than 25 years experience.
Questions? Email Cheryl at cheryl@thinstronghealthy.com and be sure to put Health Question in the subject line. Your question and its answer will be included in a future article
P.S. Check out all the free recipes for great tasting healthy eating in the Recipe Section at http://ThinStrongHealthy.com
