How to Enjoy Comfort Food? By Isabella dos Santos When we talk about comfort food, we refer to those foods or dishes that may provide us an emotional or sentimental value. Maybe because it reminds us of our hometown, our childhood, our culture or a specific moment in our life. Each country or culture has its own comfort food: apple pie, mac & cheese, fried chicken, or biscuits and gravy are common United States staple comfort foods. What do they all (usually) have in common? They tend to be very high in calories, carbs, fats, and therefore are usually considered unhealthy. Many fitness “gurus” have just told us that we have to leave behind all these types of foods if we want to succeed in our lose-weight/eating-healthy journey, and that is simply not true. In many cases, our efforts to lose and maintain weight are damaged by restrictive diets where our comfort food cannot be included. I propose you two ways to enjoy your favorite comfort food: The first one would be to make a little twist in some recipes, such as using less fat in your preparation (which can drastically reduce the calories of the dish) or putting less sugar or sweetening with fruits (such as ripe bananas). Though I do not recommend overdoing non-caloric sweeteners, such as Splenda or stevia, they may be handy for some dessert recipes. You may find many “twisted” recipes in the internet which are also very useful. Use them, but just be sure to not end up cooking with weird ingredients. Keep it as real as possible. Second, if your plan is to order food, be conscious of not overeating. Sometimes restaurant portions tend to be big, and you may end up eating more than you usually would. When you receive the food, split the portion in half. Eat it and enjoy every bite. If you are still a bit hungry, maybe eating some veggies or fruit may fill you up. If you really (really) want more, OK, go ahead. If not, put it aside and enjoy it later in the day or the next day. There is no reason to suffer and feel guilt for what we eat. Trying to find the balance so that most of your food is healthy and comforting is not easy, and it greatly differs from person to person. Go ahead and think where you can improve your diet. Simple changes such as less processed food and more fresh produce is a long way. Using less salt and fats by swapping them for more natural spices is a go. Do not believe everything “gurus” tell us on the internet and social media: going back to basics, such as eating real food, establishing times to eat and enjoy meals with our people are part of the comfort that food can evoke for us.
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