Preparing for Comfort Food: Managing Your Weight
By Genevieve Cunningham
Comfort food is the best food. From the time that the cool winds begin to blow in all the way through the winter, comfort food takes over our diets and lives. For the most part, this is a good thing. It gets us in the mood for big sweaters and candles and holiday fun. But comfort food isn't necessarily good for the waistline. If we're not careful, we can gain a lot of weight at this time of year. So how do we enjoy the food without ruining our health? Take a look at these tips for preparing for good health and good food at the same time.
Plan Your Desserts
Desserts are half the fun of fall food. Caramel apples, pumpkin pie, spice cake. It's a delicious time of year! But it's also fattening. If you want to enjoy some good desserts, you need to carefully plan them into your menu. Leave room on Sundays for dessert. Leave extra room at gatherings. If you know in advance that dessert is on the menu, you can adjust your plate and still keep calories under control.
Learn New Ingredients
New recipes mean you get to cook with new ingredients. And if you're going to be learning new recipes anyway, why not make sure they're healthy? New ingredients -- seasonal produce, new spices, etc -- make seasonal cooking much more exciting. And when you're excited about doing something, you're more likely to do it with energy and to stick with it long-term. Learn how to make a yummy seasonal salad. Learn some healthy, warm, comforting casseroles. If healthy cooking is fun, then staying healthy won't feel like such a burden.
Keep Your Workout Game Strong
You want to curl up with a book or the remote and a warm blanket. You want to sip something warm on the couch. But what you want isn't always what you need. And in this instance, you need to get up and go to the gym! Now is not the time to cut back on exercise. It's a time to ramp it up. If you're going to eat a few more calories, you'll need to burn a few more too. To make this more comfortable, join a gym or an indoor class. Or enjoy nature walks or jogs outside before it gets too cold. Whatever you do, keep your workout game strong so that you can enjoy the fall foods without guilt.
Don't miss out on the fun of fall. Instead, learn how to stay healthy while still enjoying the goodies and treats! Use these tips to get prepared, and you can leave the guilt in summer for a fun-packed, delicious autumn ahead.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Clifton Park, N.Y.