There was a time when I could eat pretty much anything I wanted without consequences. In the mid-sixties when I worked for Bell Telephone in the Maclean-Hunter building on University Avenue, my friend and I used to order mashed potatoes with gravy and dessert with every lunch in the cafeteria. Then, without an ounce of shame or regret, we treated ourselves to a butter tart during our tea breaks. We were both skinny teenagers back then and trying to add curves. Hah!

Of course, that was more than fifty years ago. I realize those days will never return, but imagine if they did. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could eat whatever we liked with no regard to health and wellness or our waistlines? Imagine the pure pleasure of being able to live exclusively on comfort food.

The other day hubby and I had lunch at a lovely restaurant featuring a display case of the most sinful, delicious-looking cakes and desserts that we had to walk by on the way to our table (good marketing). After I finished my lunch of boring grilled chicken and a healthy salad, my mouth was watering for a giant slice of their decadent amaretto cheesecake with nuts and a squiggle of chocolate on top—the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea after lunch. It took Herculean strength to resist but I did and that made me very sad which is not the way I want to live my remaining years.

That experience reminded me of how many pleasures in life we deprive ourselves of in our never-ending battle of the bulge. Back in those early days of carb and calorie-laden lunches in the Maclean-Hunter cafeteria, I would never have dreamed that my days of guilt-free eating were nearing an end. I mistakenly assumed my genes would protect me from ever being a weight-watcher. Hah, again!

Menopause was the body-weight turning point for me which in retrospect did give me a few years of carefree eating before the hammer fell. I should be grateful, and I am. But, that doesn’t mitigate the yearning for being able to eat whatever I want. As I reflect on all the culinary delights I’m foregoing to not pack on an extra hundred or so pounds, I find myself regretting the culinary pleasures we’re missing out on.

Imagine a life where we could eat ice cream every day without gaining weight or clogging our arteries. Those of us who enjoy baking could make butter tarts, cakes, and pecan squares to our heart’s desire. Savoury-loving types could have their fill of meat pies and mashed potatoes drenched in gravy. Imagine if potato chips or cinnamon buns qualified as health foods.

If life were rearranged to allow us to eat whatever we wanted and still stay slim and healthy, what would your diet consist of? I would start the day with a pile of buttered toast with raspberry jam followed in the afternoon by deep bowls of ice cream until I got bored with the monotony. That could take a while. Then, I’d switch to homemade brownies with walnuts and chocolate icing or chocolate cake heaped with fresh whipped cream.

My pantry would be full of different kinds of cookies and a variety of bakery breads for my beloved toast, my ultimate comfort food. Of course, there would be boxes of fruit-filled chocolates and every so often I’d go out to feast on Five Guys french fries, loaded with salt and vinegar, accompanied by a large fountain Diet Coke (I prefer the taste of Diet Coke to Classic).

Every so often I’m tempted to say screw it and not let my common sense or bathroom scale dictate what I eat. But, the reality is that we have to take care of ourselves to get more mileage out of these old boomer bodies. The six pounds I put on this past summer is probably here to stay, but that’s why we invented elastic waistbands.

Years ago, futurists predicted that by now we’d be eating a daily allotment of space-age super-pills to sustain ourselves. We have almost achieved that with all the vitamin supplements we take to compensate for our poor eating habits but their prediction totally overlooked the pure pleasure we derive from food. If only we could indulge that pleasure without killing ourselves before our expiry date.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we no longer needed brussels sprouts, asparagus, or spinach on our dinner plates to keep us healthy? If all of our needed vitamins and minerals could come from foods we loved rather than foods we needed, it truly would be a wonderful world.

When are those space-age geniuses going to invent healthy Chapman’s Black Jack Cherry ice cream or a one-stop menu of crusty bread that includes all the needed vitamins from every required healthy food group? That would be something worth keeping myself alive for. But that’s not reality, so I guess I’ll just have to soldier on minus my favourite foods ’til death do us part. I only hope the attending mortician finds a large helping of Kawartha Dairy’s Pralines ‘n Cream ice cream in my stomach—a worthy last meal. That means I will have died happy.

With the festive season now upon us we’re going to be faced with many difficult food choices. I vote for throwing caution to the wind and just enjoying everything we love for a couple of days without feeling guilt or remorse. Life is meant to be lived so enjoy the turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, the pecan pie with whipped cream, and as much eggnog as you can stomach. At least we’ll die happy.