Top Ten Comfort Foods Made Healthy: Part 2

Posted by Matt on January 13th, 2010 at 08:00am

No matter how disciplined of a dieter you are, that craving for comfort food always exists. Comfort foods warm us and have an uncanny ability to make us feel better. But the foods that might make you feel better could end up making you feel worse in the end. Full of lots of sugar, salt, fat and calories, comfort foods often are terrible. In the second part of a two-part series, we here at FaveDiets.com have compiled a list of our favorite comfort foods and ways to make them healthier.

This is the second part of a 2-part series. For part 1, click here.

Chicken Soup - Pre-packaged soup is often full of sodium. Lower the salt amount by making your own broth or by using low sodium broth. Add heaps of your favorite veggies to the mix to add nutrients and taste to chicken soup. Whole wheat noodles, carrots and celery, for example, taste great in chicken soup. This Hearty Heart-Smart Chicken Soup recipe courtesy the blog I do have a real job … I swear … uses green beans and brown rice.

Pizza – Really, when it comes down to it, nothing beats hunger quite like a warm cheesy slice of pizza. Make your pizza with some actual health benefit by using a whole wheat crust. Avoid salty fatty toppings like sausage and pepperoni and go for fruit or vegetable toppings. For a healthy pizza with mushrooms and red peppers, try this Homemade Thin Crust Pizza from A Wife’s Charmed Life.

Bacon - Bacon has a distinct smoky flavor and aroma that is hard to duplicate. While bacon adds loads of flavor to a dish, it also adds loads of fat and calories. If you absolutely need that bacon flavor, go for turkey bacon. The flavor is not quite the same, but turkey bacon has a pleasant flavor with far less fat than traditional bacon. If all you want is some crunch to your dish, try baking thin slices of tofu until they are super crispy. On the blog Mele Cotte, check out this intriguing twist on a Southern staple using turkey bacon.

Applesauce – Do not think of applesauce as the little packages eaten by kids. Instead think of it as mashed potatoes with apples. For healthy applesauce, simply skip the store. Bake or even steam the apples, then mash them with some cinnamon. Put as little sugar as possible into the applesauce to keep it as healthy as possible. This recipe courtesy the blog She Was Old Fashioned includes pears in a homemade applesauce recipe.

Chili – When home on the range, chili sticks to the ribs and keeps you plenty warm. The key to healthy chili is to keep the fat and salt content to a minimum. Use as many fresh or frozen ingredients as possible and choose the leanest meats possible. This Healthy Chili Recipe from the blog Quite Contrary uses turkey and yellow corn.

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Tags: home cooking, what to eat

Under healthy eating Tags: home cooking, what to eat