The roast turkey, glistening ham, and juicy prime rib are just a memory, and the holiday pies and frosted cookies have been eaten down to the last crumb. With the new year well underway, many revelers feel the urge to simplify not only their social calendars, but their diets, too, by incorporating lighter fare, along with a few time-tested comfort foods, into their daily meals.
Complicated dishes and rich desserts can dull the senses, leaving diners over-full and a little numb. When enough of a good thing has you yearning for a simpler diet, consider following up the season’s fancy feasts with some old-fashioned favorites tweaked for 21st century sensibilities.
Nothing warms from the inside out like a helping of homemade macaroni and cheese right out of the oven. To lighten the caloric load and mitigate the guilt factor, replace the dish’s heavy cream and processed cheese with low-fat milk and low-fat cottage cheese, while boosting the flavor with a little grated, extra-sharp cheddar.
For an even healthier version, substitute that nutrition-challenged elbow macaroni with whole grain wheat or rice flour noodles. Serve with a big salad full of crisp greens and dressed with a fresh vinaigrette. For dessert, nibble on dried fruit or a low-fat yogurt parfait to satisfy that sweet tooth without straining the waistline.
“Making healthier food choices is not about weight loss as much as it is about a healthy lifestyle,” said Mary Corbo, the business half of the Organic Chef, a personal chef service (theorganichef.com) based in Nipomo. “Weight loss is just a bonus.”
And even though fresh, wholesome food may cost a little more than processed-to-death packaged items, she added, “You can pay now or pay later with health problems that require doctors and drugs.”
General guidelines for lighter-on-your-feet eating include cutting back on animal-based products, filling menu gaps with fresh fruits and vegetables, and being mindful of portion size. Cook with lots of herbs and spices to bring out bold flavors, choose whole-grain items over refined ones, and whenever possible, replace whole eggs with egg whites only.
Cut saturated fat by stocking the refrigerator with low-fat milk, sour cream, and yogurt, and cook with canola or olive oil instead of butter. Watch for hidden sugars—such as corn syrup, molasses, and honey—that add plenty of calories to prepared foods, with little to no nutritional payoff.
Carnivores who crave meat are advised to select lean cuts instead of marbled slabs, and if given a choice, to opt for organically grown animals. Avoid meat laced with mass production chemicals, such as antibiotics and growth hormones, and go with braised, broiled, stewed, or baked delicacies, rather than fatty, free radical-rich fried dishes.
Jessie Price, author and food editor at EatingWell magazine, recently published the timely Comfort Foods Made Healthy: The Classic Makeover Cookbook. In it, conscientious cooks will find many of their favorite recipes, including chicken-fried steak, pizza, and, yes, macaroni and cheese, re-calibrated with sensible ingredients for healthier dining.
The book includes tips for better ways to fry and bake, a list of wholesome staples essential to any well-stocked pantry, and techniques for integrating more veggies into the family meals. With the wisdom found within these pages, it’s easy to transform heavy recipes into flavorful delights guaranteed to offer both comfort and vital nutrition.
Often distinctly personal, comfort foods usually evoke happy memories of childhood or nostalgia for a certain time or place. For instance, where one person may choose a bowl of steaming chicken soup to warm a winter day, another may favor a peanut butter sandwich layered with sweet pickles, because that’s what Mom always made.
Depending upon ethnic traditions and family preferences, these comfort foods can range from Swedish meatballs to mashed potatoes, smoked eel to a tuna salad sandwich. They may be as basic as steaming pasta tossed with sautéed garlic, olive oil, and freshly chopped parsley, or as nuanced as grandma’s gumbo.
Whether you’ve resolved to lose weight or to simply eat healthier food in the new year, the heart of winter calls
for comfort food. By choosing wholesome ingredients, sticking to modest portions, and savoring every bite, you’ll feel happy and satisfied, while growing ever lighter on your feet. m
Get a modest portion of K. Reka Badger every week in the Sun. E-mail comments or ideas to rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Jan 15-22, 2009.