Ice Cream for Lunch

The other day I had ice cream for lunch. Yes, I know, I am a nutritionist and I should know better, and yes I know, I have told hundreds of people that ice cream was not the best lunch. But I was really craving it! So I allowed myself to have a big bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate peanut butter cups in it (by the way for those of you who know me well, I only like ice cream with "stuff" in it). I tried to justify my lunch selection by telling myself "well it has calcium and since this is all I am having for lunch it isn't too high amount ofcalories", I even went so far as thinking "I have my period, AND I have to pump twice today, so that has to count for something".....sound familiar?? Even though I counsel people on how to eat for a living, I don't make the best choices all of the time. I think part of my success as a nutritionist is relating to how people feel about food. As soon as I finished the bowl, I was reminded once again why ice cream is not a good choice for lunch. It makes me feel sick and it doesn't satisfy me. The milk made me feel lethargic and mucousy, the sugar me me feel super hyper and then turned me into a sloth. And the chocolate peanut butter things? Okay, I do love those, but they definitely had their share in making me stomach feel bloated.
Don't get me wrong, I love ice cream, but it wasn't the right choice to keep me going through the day, give me a balanced gentle full feeling, or set a good example for my 15 month old. The funniest part? She was eating a sliced hard boiled egg, steamed vegetables, and a bit of pasta....next time I need to take her lead!
Lunch is a hard meal for a lot of people. I think it is especially hard for moms that are at home for the children. So often we make food for them first, and then eat their leftovers or grab ourselves a piece of bread with peanut butter. That's why I recommend making enough at dinner so you have leftovers in the morning. There is nothing like opening your fridge and realizing that you have a meal already made for you (granted YOU made it last night, but still...). Also, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have some really good frozen burritos and other dishes that aren't too high in sodium and actually taste pretty good. Eggs make a perfect lunch too- throw some veggies in of any kind, add some herbs and there you go! Your kids will like it too. You can also take a cue from your toddler, for example of you are giving them yogurt- have some yogurt yourself, if they are eating vegetables, have some too :).
Going back to the ice cream for lunch, it isn't necessarily the calories or saturated fat that one needs to worry about, it is the fact that it is taking up precious time that one could be eating food that is so much better for you nutritionally. So the next time I get a craving for ice cream at noon, I am going to make myself a hummus and vegetable sandwich first and then see if I still want it afterwards. I probably won't.
We can all strive to make the best decisions for ourselves, but we aren't perfect. It is from the mistakes that we learn what is best for us. The kind to yourselves, listen to your body, make mindful food choices, and ENJOY what you eat.