Healthy comfort food tips from a registered dietician!

Guest author: Janel Ovrut MS RD LDN
Website: Dine, Dish, Delish

Editor’s note: It might not be what we want to hear, but comfort food can sometimes pack a LOT of calories and fat.  Janel sent some tips to help us from expanding too much during this month

I am a Boston-based registered dietitian and frequently am asked by clients how to make their favorite recipes healthier. Here are some tips I offer:

Always use low or no fat cheese in your recipe to cut back on calories and saturated fat. Also, unless the cheese is an integral part of the recipe (like in Mac and Cheese or Grilled Cheese), omit it!

When using any grains, stick with whole grains. They provide fiber and nutrients and are more nutritious than white, refined products. Choose brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and whole wheat bread.

Comforting stews and casseroles can always be made better-for-you by throwing in lots of extra vegetables. Use fresh or frozen vegetables, dice and chop them, shred them or add them whole and you’ll get a bigger-volume meal with lots of added nutrients.

Omit excess oil or butter where it is not necessary. Try using light cooking spray when greasing a pan or sautéing vegetables instead of butter.

If meatloaves, burgers, or beef sauces and stews are your comfort foods, try substituting ground beef with ground turkey. You can barely detect a taste or texture difference, and you’ll be getting a good source of protein without as much of the saturated fat and cholesterol found in red meat.

Avoid whole milk or heavy cream in recipes. Try to choose a lower fat dairy, such as 1% or 2% milk in cream-based soups, fat free creamer, or a plain soymilk with a creamy consistency to avoid the saturated fat.