What is your idea of ‘comfort food’? For some, it might be a nice warm soup on a cold winter evening. For others, only an old standby, like mac and cheese, offers the flavours and familiarity they crave. And still others might consider anything they eat while they watch TV or read a book to be their comfort food.
Regardless of what you think it to be, if you’re trying to manage your weight, you should make sure you only eat healthy comfort food.
Why Your Comfort Food Should be Healthy
It’s our reliable escape from the worries of the day. As such, we often eat comfort foods without the stress of worrying about how much we eat. Unlike a healthy meal, we usually don’t count calories or portions when it comes to our favourite foods. But that makes it easier to overeat.
Try These Healthier Comfort Food Ideas
The following ideas, many of which are healthier versions of your favourites, will help you enjoy the ‘comfort’ as well as the food.
- Use Lean Meats – If your fave is something like a chicken pot pie or beef chilli, choose lower fat versions like lean ground beef, lean ground turkey and skinless chicken breasts
- Choose Healthier Varieties – If you love mashed potatoes, you may have heard that sweet potatoes are healthier. But, when not smothered in cream, butter or some other unhealthy topping, white potatoes offer their own health benefits. So, if you want more fibre and antioxidants in your diet, go with white potatoes. If you want more minerals and inflammation-fighting properties, try sweet potatoes.
- Make Your Own Substitutes – This one is good news if you like heavy cream on your pumpkin pie or fruit bowls. You can make a much healthier substitute on your own, including mixing soy milk and olive oil, or greek yogurt and milk.
- Try to Avoid the Really Bad Stuff – If your favourite food is pancakes and maple syrup, you’re probably not going to find a healthy alternative.
- Try Something New – Yes, we know, nothing that’s new can be ‘comfortable’. But even just finding healthier comfort food recipes, or adding something to your diet, like grape seed extract to counteract some of the ‘unhealthy’ parts of your diet, can make a difference.
If you enjoyed this post, check out our recent article on how a food pyramid helps you eat a healthy diet.