Comfort Food That Is Healthy

Comfort food may bring to mind fattening foods such as macaroni and cheese, brownies, fried chicken or ice cream. Comfort food includes any food that inspires a positive emotional response and may be specific to your childhood memories and culture. Comfort food does not have to be unhealthy. Tweak traditional recipes to make classic comfort foods more nutritious, while still satisfying that need for home-cooked goodness.

Chicken Soup

Homemade chicken soup can be a healthy comfort food, especially on a cold winter day. Add extra vegetables to your homemade version to make it as healthy as possible. Simmer a cut-up stewing chicken with chopped onions, parsnips, celery carrots, turnips and fresh chopped parsley for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Strain the soup, discard the vegetables and remove the chicken meat from the bones. Skim any excess fat off the soup. Place the soup back on the heat and add fresh chopped carrots, diced zucchini, green beans and the chicken meat. Add cooked brown rice, quinoa or whole grain noodles as the soup finishes cooking.

Mashed Potatoes

Creamy mashed potatoes are warm and satisfying but often contain excessive amounts of butter and cream. Substitute heart-healthy olive oil for the butter and cream to make a healthy version. Cook 1 1/2 lbs. peeled Yukon gold potatoes with 6 cloves of garlic and 1/2 tsp. of salt. When soft, mash with a fork or potato masher and add 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, 1 cup chopped scallions and 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil. The recipe makes 8 servings and has only .5 g of saturated fat and 121 calories per serving.

Meat Loaf

Meat loaf made with fatty ground beef and white bread crumbs may satisfy your taste buds, but it includes a lot of saturated fat and very little fiber. Instead, mix together 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground turkey, 1 chopped onion, 4 cups fresh, chopped spinach leaves, 1 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs, 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard and 1 large egg white. Season with salt and black pepper. Form the turkey mixture into a 10-inch loaf, and top with 1/4 cup organic ketchup that has no added high-fructose corn syrup. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 45 minutes. The spinach adds vitamins A, K and C to the meat loaf. Using lean ground turkey instead of 80 percent lean ground beef reduces the fat content by two-thirds and the saturated fat content by half. Whole-wheat bread crumbs double the fiber content.

Pizza

Pizza may be comforting, but takeout versions can contain as much as 350 calories and 800 mg of sodium per slice. Homemade pizza made with whole-wheat crust, low-fat cheese and vegetable can still satisfy your urge for pizza but offers fiber, less fat and vitamins and minerals from the vegetables. Create a homemade crust using whole-wheat flour instead of white flour, or purchase a premade whole-wheat crust. Top with low-sodium marinara, or make your own sauce with low-sodium tomato sauce, minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Experiment with a variety of vegetables, including mushrooms, roasted eggplant, red bell peppers, zucchini and even broccoli.