Feeling a tinge of the winter blues? Most people start to feel a little down in the winter time-less sunlight, more rain, cold weather-it all adds up to equal tiredness and a little moodiness at times. It is not uncommon to reach for foods to make you feel better. “Comfort foods” are most often eaten during the fall and winter and it is not a coincidence that this is the same time when people often put on a few pounds. Here are three guilt-free comfort food that you can go ahead and eat without feeling unhealthy.
1. Spaghetti squash. If you crave a warm filling pasta-based meal, try making a dish with spaghetti squash. It is rich in nutrients such as beta-carotene, Vitamin C & A, calcium, and iron. The texture of this type of squash is very similar to pasta but with more nutrients and less calories. You can toss it with herb and garlic butter and add a few prawns, or even use it in place of pasta and cook with a heart marinara sauce filled with veggies.
2. Creamy Soup. If you tend to crave creamy, fat filled and heart soups during the winter months, then you need a substitute. Cream based soups generally contain a very high amount of fat and calories unless they are made with alternate ingredients. Instead of using whole fat milk, substitute it for 1% and cut out the cream altogether. Also, use low fat cheese and chicken broth to give it flavour without the added calories.
3. Baked apples. If you tend to crave sugary sweets, it is a good idea to find alternatives. Sugar cravings come from eating sugar-basically the more you feed your body, the more you will crave it. The next time you reach for that chocolate bar, try grabbing an apple instead. First wash and remove the core from the apple, only carving out the inside. Stuff the apple with a mixture of dried fruit and nuts, cinnamon, and a bit of butter and bake it for about twenty minutes. The result is a sweet and nutrious treat without the sugar.
Although it can be hard to beat your winter cravings, once you find substitute foods that taste as good as your previous treats, it will be too easy to substitute nutrition for bad food choices.
