Sunday, 15 February 2009
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How Do You Stop Eating Comfort Foods?
Healthkicker
Question Of The Day:
We've been getting a few messages asking us on how to stop eating comfort foods. We originally thought it was a simple answer, substitute the comfort food with healthier options but it's seems to be hard for many.
So, maybe other readers can help.
How do you stop from constantly eating comfort foods? What is your favorite comfort food?
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Comments (25)
I dont eat certain type of comfort foods, I dont really hve a comfort food I only eat these when I am annoyed I was doing so well this year so far not eating many sweets and chocolate, but this week took the biscult.
Moderation? :P I had pan fried hashbrowns and maple syrup for breakfast, doesn't mean I do that every day.
My favorite confort food is "confiture de lait". It is a french jam made with milk and sugar.
My solution not to eat this kind of food is really simple : read the information on packets. The composition is often frightening, with a lot of things sounding weird added, chemical products, or meat (bones powder) on some milky desert (chocolate mousse, chocolat creams...) on sweets, and on cakes sometimes.
Since I am vegan, I refuse to eat this food !
i just try to find foods that are like my comfort food, but are healthier, like rice cakes are a substitute for snacky foods...it may not be the same, but it will be better for you
You stop using food to COMFORT you. Its dangerous, and pointless. The purpose of food is to nourish your body, not comfort you when you are in a pissy mood or upset. You have to break free from that.
my comfort food is chocolate. And I don't stop eating it. I eat it in moderation. I try not to deprive myself of anything, because if I do, I'm more likely to binge.
It's a matter of will power. you have to make an effort to change and keep that change.
Find other outlets for your emotional stress. If you would normally sit down with a bowl of chips because you are bored, put on your shoes and go for a walk! It takes a conscious decision.
It's not easy, if it was the diet industry wouldn't be billionaires.
Figure out why you need to be comforted all the time. Just trying to eat something different or finding a different form of comfort (e.g., drugs, shopping, gambling) isn't going to do you any good in the long run.
better alternatives???
if you find yourself reaching for a "comfort" food more than once a week...or even weekly for that matter...then there is something in your life that needs to be addressed and it has nothing to do with food. You're just using food as therapy. Find out what is bothering you and either do something about it or find someone to talk to. Get a hobby. Go outside and run/walk, blog about it...whatever
@Begierde@xanga - i was about to say exactly the same. Once you know what's in it you don't want to eat it anymore (especially fast food)
you're right that's what I'm trying to do!
@liljunebug28@xanga -
However i ate a slice of cheese cake today and I don't feel guilty. This is good news for me :)
@J4MIE_YUN@xanga - If you find them tell me!! moderation is a good one...
@peacelove__CALLIE@xanga - i wish it could be that simple. but you're right, food is to nourish the body. However I think pleasure is really important. I feel better when i enjoy what i eat (unfortunatly it doesn't happen very often... )
It's definitely about will power. I realize that every now and then you can give into wanting your favorite comfort foods, but I know I don't need it so, I go exercise and then the craving is gone. It's that easy for me, but not for everyone. It's all in the mind.
I agree with a lot of the posts above about finding something else for stress relief. And don't give up if the first thing you try doesn't help. For instance, nothing stresses me out more than trying to do a real "work out" with aerobic exercise (I know, my heart is going to hate me if I don't work it in more, but I just can't make myself do it when I'm already stressed out) but I always feel better after yoga, or sitting with a friend over coffee. Pick up a hobby that you quit a long time ago, give yourself some "you time," and find ways to resolve things in your life that keep eating at you.
chocolate or ice cream.
I find it helps to solve the problem that is causing me to "seek comfort."
if something is stressing you out, and you choose not to fix or accept that problem, you will always have an uncontrollable desire to eat.
that cake looks disgusting.
comfort food can taste good without killing you in excess amount. if the ingredients are closest to their natural form like raw vegan desserts, or raw desserts, even soy yogurt dusted with cocoa. it's not as difficult as people make it.those processed foods shouldn't even be on the market!
These pictures of delicious unhealthy food certainly don't help
I don't have 'comfort' food.
What I have are cravings.
Weird cravings- like wanting a slice of banana chocolate cake at 11pm at night.
And no, I'm not preggers, it's just the way my body's always been- strange.
Figure out why you need to be comforted by food, then fix that emotional problem. Find another way to comfort yourself.
I don't know it depends on how I feel. My comfort foods range from chicken toritilla soup to chocolate.
mmmmmmchickentortillasoup
I love comfort foods, but I have found another alternative. I have a subscription to the healthy cooking magazine and they have all kinds of healthier desserts and recipe makeovers that have lower fat and calorie content. Not to mention these recipes are still amazingly delicious!
its been a long process to figure out why I eat comfort foods. I think once finally understood why, it was so much easier to stop. I have had to come up with other things to do, such as drink water, deep breathing, take a nap, use essential oils, meditate, do some yoga, etc. If I still need something to eat (sometimes I just have low blood sugar) I usually carry larabars with me or a piece of fruit and will eat that.
can't say I have comfort foods,sugary foods would be the closest. But I agree with GodsGirl62, if you can't fix it, fill the void with what it's really yearning for, and get back into old hobby/or a new one and do it with a water bottle beside you.
I found a food that was delicious and healthy to eat when I have cravings, sweet potatos!
You don't. You stop downing the entire platter. Comfort foods (minus the one pictured above) are often quite healthy. Tonight, I served my family a filling chicken and vegetable soup with a helping of mac and cheese... the homemade kind with breadcrumbs on top. So what's the secret to eating foods like this and staying slim? Eat "a" serving. Not three or four servings. And eat an appropriate size of the serving. We don't need to super size our meals. Ever. Then, when something like the above whatever that pie is gets plopped down in front of us, we have to do something we are completely unaccustomed to doing and loathe doing. We have to live with the pain. Learn that the discomfort of not eating something like that is just a part of life if we want to be healthy. Think of it this way, that piece of pie is probably somewhere in the vicinity of 800 calories. More than your meal should be all together. If you eat it, it will take you close to six hours of rigorous aerobics and weight lifting to burn it off. Hell, let's be honest. That baby's going straight to your butt. It's important to develop a new way of thinking. We feel we HAVE to eat what's in front of us because maybe tomorrow it won't be there. But it will. And if it isn't, then someone somewhere in the world will make more. Relax. Food isn't going to disappear. But your belly will if you learn to live with a little pain. And distract yourself. Usually, this works well once it's been practiced a while.
For me it's moderation. Something my parents taught me and it has served me well. I would agree, comfort foods should not be used and it is probably an underlying problem. Finding alternatives like yoga or exercising or even a therapist would work.
I guess when I 'crave' a food I either chew gum or drink water. Or, this works when I'm at work: pack healthy foods and have NO cash on you so you don't feel tempted to buy something out of a vending machine, and all the food you have is what you packed, like an orange or veggies. Variety in foods helps too. Can't munch on carrots the rest of your life.
my comfort foods are mostly carb loaded foods. i love savoury bread like cheese scrolls, spinach and cheese twists etc i also love eating anything potato; and fried. not much variety there.