Can Comfort Foods Be Good For You?

Comfort – A condition or feeling of pleasurable ease, well-being, and contentment.

Chicken and dumplings

 
Food – A substance you consume to produce energy, stimulate growth, and provide nourishment.

Spaghetti Pie

Put these two words together and people dream of hot fudge sundaes, or turn to mom's fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy for pick-me-ups and fall prey to many other kinds of eating rituals. This is the power comfort foods hold. Unfortunately, it seems that most comfort foods console us with extra fat, calories and other ingredients that lack great nutritional value. But not all comfort foods are made this way.

There are actually 7 comfort foods that are GOOD for you!  Check these out - -

Yogurt (with fruit)
The frozen variety tastes pretty similar to its ice cream counterpart, only with less fat. By adding fruit, you’re only adding more minerals and vitamins. Cool and soothing, this comfort food is a perfect snack, yet tastes sweet enough to ease your pain. I have recently fallen madly in love with OIKOS!

OIKOS Greek Yogurt

Fruit smoothie
This is the perfect cure for anyone with a sweet tooth. Amazingly, even if you don’t normally like fruit, you will probably still enjoy this blend of fruit, juice and yogurt. It only takes a few minutes to whip up in your blender and is a cool and refreshing treat during a hot, summer day.  I love these after a workout and I always add UNJURY protein to them. 

Strawberry Smoothie with UNJURY Protein

Chicken noodle soup
Would you rather have anything else when you’re sick? This blend of noodles, chicken chunks and veggies in a steaming hot bowl will take you back to your childhood. Remember to buy a brand with low sodium, or make your own at home.

Kristin's Chicken Noodle Soup

Angel food cake
Sometimes, we all love a slice of cake. Warm and fluffy, every bite is better than the previous one. With angel food cake, you can enjoy a slice without feeling guilty about it later. Pretend it’s your birthday and have a slice, maybe even with some fat-free whipped cream. I love this dessert, and have since I was a little girl.  Mom would make it for me for my birthday!

Grandma's Angel Food Cake

Oatmeal
Forget caffeine-charged coffee; oatmeal is all you need for a hot breakfast that will leave you energized for hours to come. Packed with complex carbs, oatmeal is easy to make and much healthier than a sugary cereal you might otherwise eat. A steaming bowl of oatmeal will make mornings your favorite part of the day. Toss in some fresh fruit to get that sweetness you crave.  Stay away from those little packets of already prepared however, they are full of that evil SUGAR!!!!!

OATMEAL does a body good!

Vegetable juice
Sometimes you need that kick. Vegetable juices, such as V8 and others, have enough kick to play in soccer’s World Cup. (Which Alan loves by the way!)  A blend of many vegetables, including tomatoes, it’s great when you’re not very hungry or when you're on the go.  I got a juicer for Christmas two years ago and it is easy to make your own, however it takes a lot of vegetables.  So if you can't make it yourself, then buy it just check the labels for sodium content.

Vegetable Juice - - - YUM!

Crock pot creations (anything that’s healthy, any way)
One of the greatest food inventions of the 20th century, a crock pot can seemingly take any combination of ingredients and turn them into a great meal. Slowly cooked, whatever comes out is hot and tastes great. Throw in healthy meats and a bunch of veggies to make this comfort food good for you. I will never stand for anyone to tell me that they cannot cook.  This kitchen MUST HAVE will turn you into a gourmet in no time!  The choices are endless, and the great thing for me is that, time is saved yes, but look at the amount that is made.  I get 7 meals out of one dish!  That is so cost efficient these days!

Kristin's Chicken in a Pot

 Bottom line is, there are good comfort foods out there, and you can have them!  How great is that?  When you cook at home you can control what goes in your mouth more easily.  You can make meals healthier, by substituting and removing certain things, such as fats and salt.  I love to cook, and I find it fun to try new things.

  I used to want to eat only those foods that I loved.  Which happened to be high calorie, fat laden foods most of the time.  I don't eat hamburgers anymore.  Yeah you heard me right I just don't desire them, not to mention my pouch does not like em much either.  Can you say STUCK!  Believe me, if you would have told me prior to surgery that I would not want a hamburger off the grill I would never have never believed you, but now, I would rather have a small piece of grilled Talapia or grilled chicken.

Grilled Talapia with pineapple

These things comfort me now, because I have redefined what COMFORT means to me, and FOOD is no longer my comfort.  I am an addict.  I must never use food as comfort again.  I eat to live, I no longer LIVE TO EAT!


Thankful it is Thursday!


Come on Weekend!  Two weeks from today my train arrives in Chicago for BOOBS 2.0!  I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!