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Steer
around comfort food hazards
October 21, 2009
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Put on a sweater, eat a piece
of pumpkin pie.
That’s the way it goes this time of year. As cool weather
sets in, many of us are conditioned to crave comfort foods.
What qualifies as comfort food? It varies, depending on the
season, your cultural background and the foods you may have
enjoyed as a child.
For most of us, though, favorite comfort foods are simple,
easy to fix, good-tasting and emotionally satisfying. Many
are creamy, rich, and filling, like a bowl of tapioca pudding
or a plate of macaroni and cheese.
Of course, this means comfort foods are often high in calories.
That’s especially true for cheesy, cream-filled and
buttery foods.
The foods tend to be easy to eat, so the calories can quickly
pile up.
If you’re not careful – and who’s restrained
when it comes to cobbler? – the combination of less
activity and more high-calorie comfort foods could cause you
to put on weight this winter.
Take steps to head off the comfort food effect. It doesn’t
mean you have to give up everything you love to eat.
But there are ways to enjoy comfort foods while minimizing
the extra calories they can bring.
For example, try this:
* Focus on lighter comforts. Tomato soup topped with cracked
black pepper, hot mint tea, flavored coffee, and mulled cider
in a big mug have relatively few calories and can make you
feel pampered on a dreary day.
A baked apple with maple syrup or a bowl of warm, homemade
applesauce with cinnamon also works. Spiced gumdrops and jellybeans
are a better snack than chocolate, which, contrary to the
hype, really isn’t good for your health.
* Tweak your recipes for homemade desserts. It doesn’t
take much to cut the calorie count substantially.
Make a one-crust pie instead of adding a top crust, or leave
off the crust altogether on a pumpkin pie and enjoy pumpkin
pudding instead. Make apple crisp – topped with brown
sugar and oatmeal – instead of apple cobbler topped
with strips of high-fat pastry.
Whenever possible, choose fruit fillings in lieu of cheese
or cream fillings in tarts and pies. Use low-fat or nonfat
milk when you make puddings, and leave out the heavy cream
and egg yolks.
* Reduce the richness of entrees and sides but save the flavor.
Stir a scoop of pesto – basil or sundried tomato –
or horseradish into mashed potatoes, but leave out the cream
and butter.
Use nonfat milk and low-fat cheeses to make macaroni and cheese,
an omelet or lasagna. Use one slice of cheese in a grilled
cheese sandwich instead of two.
Condition yourself to respond to other comforts, too. When
it’s dark at 5 p.m. this winter, light a candle in the
kitchen or put some mulling spices on the stove.
These touches are symbols of the nurturing and pleasure you
may associate with a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Redirect
that response and pair it with something that’s calorie-free.
If you’re powerless to resist the comfort foods you
have around the house, have fewer of them around less often.
Limit baking to once a week, and when they’re gone,
wait until next week to make more.
We have strong emotional ties to certain foods, and the seasonal
change we’re in may trigger you to eat more of them.
Take comfort in knowing it’s possible to enjoy them
and still control your weight.
Suzanne
Havala Hobbs is a licensed, registered dietitian and clinical
associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and
Management and the Department of Nutrition in the UNC Gillings
School of Global Public Health. Send questions and comments
to suzanne@onthetable.net.
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