Giving Your Comfort Foods A Makeover

Colder weather often calls for warm foods laden with butter, like mac and cheese, sloppy Joes and casseroles. While these dishes are notoriously delicious, they’re equipped with added fat and calories that make them hard to indulge in without feeling guilty. But the truth is, your favorite comfort foods no longer have to bust your diet. By giving them a quick makeover, you can still enjoy the taste without all of the added fat and calories.

Choose a different meat
Ground beef is the staple meat for many comfort food dishes, including sloppy Joes, hamburgers and goulash. By simply replacing this meat with something like bison and elk, you’ll be getting much more nutritional value out of the meal. Elk and bison are often grass​-fed and free-range, making their nutrient content higher than that of ground beef. By consuming the meat of animals that were not fed corn and other high-carbohydrate foods,you’ll be consuming fewer calories and fat and more protein and nutrients.

Opt for whole wheat
The next time you’re whipping up spaghetti and meatballs, try using whole-wheat pasta or spaghetti squash as an alternative. Whole wheat contains three parts of the grain and offers the most nutritional benefits, including vitamin E, B vitamins, antioxidants, protein and healthy fats. To make this dish even healthier, try using turkey instead of ground beef and make the sauce from scratch to eliminate any added preservatives and sugar.

Use a strong cheese
Yes, you can still enjoy pizza without all of the grease and calories that often comes with it. Pizza can make for a healthy meal if you do it right. Choose whole wheat dough and make sure to top it with plenty of your favorite vegetables for lots of vitamins and minerals. When you are deciding on which cheese to use, opt for a strong-flavored variety. This means your pizza will require less cheese to get full flavor.

Online cooking school can help you whip up a tasty and healthy comfort food dish to enjoy.