Karen Ciancio wrote:


Comfort food. Even the words sound warm and welcoming - like toasting your toes up by the fire on a cold winter day. Comfort food trends have seen a real resurgence in recent years and our desire for comfort food seems to be holding strong. So what is comfort food? Generally it’s the food we have good memories about, the food we think of when we hear the word homemade, and the food that reminds us of simpler times.

The list of favorite comfort foods can be different for each of us. While homemade macaroni and cheese and meatloaf with mashed potatoes have been staples for many of us, for some of us comfort food may include a delicious cheesy lasagna, or yummy pad thai. We all tend to love the food that takes us back to our roots - the foods we grew up with.

Some Of Our Top Comfort Food Choices Were Found To Be:

- Soup

- Meatloaf

- Pasta sauces

- Pot pies

- Mashed potatoes

- Pizza

- Potato salad

- Macaroni and cheese

- Biscuits and scones

- Chili

- Beef stew

- Fruit pies

- Chocolate chip cookies

Why the increased desire for comfort foods? It seems to be a combination of things. People are busier and more stressed than ever. The last few years have also resulted in many of us feeling less safe in the world. We want to feel warm and safe again, the way we did when we were young and the world seemed simpler.

There are people who watch food trends. These comfort food trend watchers say that we are craving the foods we grew up with. People enjoy their homes and want to entertain at home. We’re expressing an interest in cooking everything from easy party food recipes to BBQ to slow cooked roasts with all the trimmings.

We also want to experience different tastes, sometimes tastes from around the world, sometimes the familiar foods we love, with twist or an extra bit of pizzazz. So we have things like garlic mashed potatoes, four cheese macaroni and cheese and thin crust gourmet pizzas.

We’re also a population that is becoming more aware of health and making healthy food choices. Aging baby boomers are creating a bulge in our populations, but don’t want a bulge in their waistlines, so healthy lifestyle trends are front and center. We want fewer calories but all the taste, healthier eating with the comforts of our favorite foods. So where does this leave us? How do we combine comfort food trends with healthier lifestyle trends?

As much as we love our comfort foods many of us now look for ways to turn them into healthier choices, with a lower fat content and fewer calories. We tweak those great recipes from the past so we maintain (or sometimes even improve) the taste but forgo some of the fat, unhealthy carbs and sugar content. And while most of us are still eating our favorite comfort foods, maybe it’s just a little less often. We might decide to share that piece of amazing cheesecake so we get the taste but not the pounds.

We’re going back to our roots - but with healthy food choices in mind and a few wonderful, tasty twists along the way.



Home Decorating

 

It may be hard to believe that food cravings are all in our head. When we crave something it does not necessarily mean that we are hungry. The part of the brain responsible for controlling memory and pleasure could simply be recalling one of the last times we enjoyed a delicious snack. If we give into these thoughts every single time, we will surely encounter a weight problem. So how can we avoid the temptation and the occurrence of these cravings all together?

One way to avoid food cravings is avoid stress. When we are stressed our brain triggers us to find comfort (usually in food). Some of the most comforting foods while under stress are laden with fat and sugar. Many people will reach for a candy bar, ice cream, or chips. So try to avoid stress at all costs. Another way to diminish unnecessary snacking is to avoid hunger. For instance, have you ever gone to the grocery store hungry? You end up buying almost every single junk food product, from candy to crackers. When we are hungry our brain controls our food wants. And what our brain desires is something delicious, quick, and fattening. This is when we end up grabbing a snickers bar while standing at the checkout line. It is moments like these that we want to avoid. Simply try to eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day thereby eliminating your chances of unnecessary hunger.

And last but not least, you should equip your house with smart carbs. This way, when a craving does occur, you don’t have anything unhealthy to munch on. Try purchasing more whole grain products, more fruit and more vegetables. All of these foods contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals which will sustain hunger quickly and naturally. So if you experience food cravings, remember that it’s all in your head and it can be controlled.



By: Lyla Feldman

About the Author:

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Lauren B. Wallace wrote:


 

Many people who lead stressful lifestyles find some trace of comfort in food. Certain life events, such as unemployment, health problems, or divorce can lead to a drastic change in mood. Some people even experience mood changes due to daily hassles, such as a stressful work environment. These daily hassles and life changing events can all trigger different emotions and eventually lead to unnecessary overeating. So what exactly is the association between food and mood? Why do we reach for food whenever we feel tense?

Certain foods, such as chocolate, have addictive qualities. When we consume chocolate, our bodies release a trace of satisfaction hormones. These satisfaction hormones help us get rid of negative emotions temporarily. For some of us, finding comfort in a specific food may be closely related to our past. For instance, you might recall a time when you were a young child and your grandma took you out for ice-cream. This may be a pleasant childhood memory which you recall whenever you are stressed thereby reaching for ice-cream as a means of comfort.

Food also serves as an excellent distraction. Whenever you feel worried or stressed out about an upcoming event you may find certain comfort in food. When you turn to food, your tension minimizes because your thoughts start to focus on the pleasant taste. However, it is important to know that this feeling is only temporary. When you are done, you will return to your worry stage; and what’s even worse is that you may feel additional burden on your shoulders- the guilt of overeating. To conclude, it is clear that certain foods can improve our mood, even if it’s only temporary. However, it is not the best way to help ourselves out of a stressful situation.



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Kim wrote:


Ah, the magic of comfort food. It brings us feelings of warmth and well being. It brings back memories of childhood and innocence. We have old favorites, such as meatloaf, or Chicken Pot Pie. We develop new favorites, based on our growing tastes and perhaps culture.  Recipes for our favorite comfort foods are available all over, in the form of books, TV shows, hand me down from our parents, and online cooking videos.  

This last is the most recent in cooking trends, led by such websites as www.lifestyle.gourmandia.com .  Websites that specialize in cooking videos utilize professional chefs as your instructors into making new classic favorites.  The recipe lists are displayed in easy to read and easy to print out formats, and the chefs take you step by step on how to make new creations that are sure to quickly become classic comfort foods.

Yet these comfort foods are so elegant you could serve them at your next dinner party, without anyone knowing you have not been to a world famous cooking school. These cooking videos are range from the very simple to fairly complex, and cover a wide variety of foods such as chicken, fish, vegetarian, and even desserts.  Michelin rated chefs teach these videos, and show you exactly what is involved in making your next favorite comfort food. Since there is no one else in the “class”, you wind up getting one-to-one instruction, just as if they were right there. These are truly the next generation in finding your new favorite comfort foods.



The DUI Attorney

Fried rice is one of those lovely comforting foods that everyone in the world seems to like. No one is intimidated by fried rice. Somehow all these rogue ingredients have crept into restaurant versions over the years, such as corn, peas, ham and the like. I find the trick with fried rice is to keep it really simple and traditional – just some really fresh and fluffy eggs, onion, bacon or Chinese sausage, ginger and some spring onions.

Vegetable fried rice is a light-weight alternative to heavy food. Vegetable Fried Rice is what all of you must have cooked and eaten at home or in restaurants. It’s a really simple dish to make, and healthy too because of all the veggies that it has. I describe my recipe for making Vegetable Fried Rice which goes extremely well with my Vegetable Fried rice. Here is the recipe for my version of Chinese style Vegetable Fried Rice. Vegetable Fried Rice is Very easy and very tasty too. It is best eaten with tomato ketchup or a hot and sweet sauce.

This fried rice dish combines the nutty flavor of fried rice with the fresh taste of bell peppers, baby peas, and other vegetables. This dish is actually a lot simpler than most of us perceive it to be. Fried rice is cooked on a high flame, and the trick is to cut the vegetables small, so that they do not remain raw inside. It requires vigorous stirring though. Fried Rice or Vegetable Fried Rice is a popular north Indian dish. Its main ingredients are rice and vegetables like carrot, beans and Capsicum .It is quite a healthy dish. It is widely preferred by youngsters in the modern world and used to eat in all age of peoples.

Neatly Fried rice Natural tastes for food develop early. If kids eat real food and develop a taste for fruits, vegetables and other delicious flavors from Nature, they won’t depend on the stronger and enhanced flavor of processed food. Our Indomunch restaurant newly opened in Newyork city, the restaurant items will prepared in very neatly, and with a decent dinner, our guests have never complained, but we could never pull off that dream dinner, with all the courses perfectly synchronized. Please purchase online Fried rice in the website www.indomunch.com in Newyork city.



By: m.jeya

About the Author:

Relaxing Music

Headless Horseman wrote:


When a natural disaster strikes, many people and countries respond to this global emergency, with food, medical supplies and human comfort items for the survivors, but why doesn’t Yahoo! Inc., a multibillion dollar Internet company respond with some type of assistance?

Are they afraid that there profit margins will decrease and they won’t have as much money to spend on themselves, or are they just too stingy to want to help other cultures that are less fortune then they are, especially during a worldwide crisis?

What do you think?
Tlna: How do you know they do?

Find Your Niche

Chicken Nugget wrote:


The one food you crave when you are sick or when missing that yummy homecooking =)
actually my mom makes the best oatmeal drink thing(cant spell the spanish name) its warm and yummy but good guess =)

Loan Consolidation

No doubt about it: Most of us have never felt less in control of our destinies. The stock market is bottoming out and no one knows what to do about it. Jobs are down, food prices are up, who knows what’s going on with gas, and to make things even more expensive, the holidays are upon us. Mix all these factors together and you have a recipe for runaway stress and anxiety. But there is one thing you can control: your body weight. That’s right. Now is the time to get fit, lose any extra pounds that might be hanging around, and develop the habits that will keep your weight at a healthful level over the long term.

Soothing yourself with comfort food and spending hours on the couch obsessing over TV news reports won’t make the economy better, and they certainly won’t make you better. If you want to feel more in control, take charge of your health. Not only will you feel better physically, your emotional state will improve as well.

Here’s the problem. Because we tend to live in a dieting-obsessed, “quick fix” society, most of us have absorbed some common misinformation that might actually be hindering our fitness goals.

 To really be successful, you must first debunk the myths that you might have read on the Internet or received as advice from friends or coworkers.

Think you know your stuff? Read on for the revealing answers to common weight loss blunders that might trip you up in your quest to get healthy:

MYTH #1: Weight loss is all about the cardio. Anyone who believes cardio exercise alone will burn off the pounds hasn’t gotten up an hour early every day for two months to hit the treadmill…only to be disappointed when the scale doesn’t budge. While it’s true that cardio is highly beneficial, you won’t really see results until you add equal amounts of strength training to your exercise plan. That’s because muscle burns more calories than fat in a process called protein metabolism.

                                                                    

Quite simply, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn each day. Lifting weights is also critical as you grow older, because it will prevent you from losing muscle. In short, keep the cardio but add the strength training. The combination will help you to burn the fat and calories you desire in a healthy and balanced way.

MYTH #2: Salads are the best choice for healthy eating. A salad full of fresh vegetables can be packed with healthy vitamins and minerals, but depending on what else you throw on top, it can also be loaded with calories. For most people, cheese, croutons, and salad dressings are a must, but often these salad accessories are high in fat and calories, practically negating all the healthful veggies that lie underneath.

Many people don’t know that because of all of the extras they add, salads at fast food restaurants can contain more calories than a hamburger. Be conscious of the extras you’re adding to your salads. If you can’t stick to the vegetables and a light dressing on the side, you might be better off choosing a small burger and an order of fruit or a plain baked potato.

MYTH #3: Vegetarian = Healthy. When we hear the word “vegetarian,” we automatically assume it’s healthful. But the reality is that dishes at restaurants that are labeled as such can be deceiving to patrons trying to make a conscious choice about their meal.

Many vegetarian options replace meat with flavor boosters like mayonnaise, cheese, and dressings, causing the calorie count to soar. Be wary of the ingredients in vegetarian dishes. Just because it sounds healthful, doesn’t mean it is.

MYTH #4: Reduced fat means low in fat. It’s easy to be persuaded to pick up items at the grocery store or out at restaurants that are labeled “reduced fat.” But before you assume that reduced fat equals low fat, consider what the food’s original fat content may have been.

The FDA says in order for a label to claim a food has “reduced” fat content, it must contain 25 percent less of the nutrient than the regular product. If an item contains 10 grams of fat, it need only reduce its fat content to 7 ½ grams to qualify for the reduced fat label. So, while it has less fat than its original counterpart, it’s only marginally more healthful, and may still contain more fat than you need to consume.

MYTH #5: Fresh is better than frozen. With an increasing number of products being marketed as “organic” and “fresh” as part of the current health food trend, it can be easy to assume that fresh foods are naturally better for you than frozen ones. However, we forget that in order for the so-called “fresh” food to get to the stores, it often has to travel long distances from its place of origin. During the journey, fresh fruits and vegetables can lose some of their nutritional value. Fruits and vegetables that have been flash frozen (or even canned!) immediately after harvest maintain their nutritional value until they are consumed. As a bonus, frozen and canned goods can be much less expensive to buy when they are out of season, helping you to stay healthier year-round.

If you are able to buy locally grown produce, you should. Garden-grown foods do have the best flavor, and if it’s grown locally, you can be sure that the time between picking and eating is reduced.

MYTH #6: All fat is bad for you. For years we have had it drilled into our brains that fat is public enemy number one when it comes to losing weight and staying fit. And it is true that you want to avoid saturated fats such as those found in fried foods, sweets, and full-cream dairy products. However, if you avoid all fat all the time, your body will be missing out on important nutrition that it needs to function properly.

Of course, you should never overindulge, but you do need healthy fats in your diet to be on the top of your fitness game. Great options include moderate servings of nuts, seeds, and fish. Keeping your fat intake in check will make for a healthier lifestyle than one with no fat at all. 

MYTH #7: If you exercise, you need to consume a sports drink. While sports drinks can be beneficial for those individuals involved in long continuous exercise routines (lasting more than 2 hours) or working out in a very hot and humid environment, most of us Average Joes and Jills don’t need them. True, these drinks have electrolytes that are critical for normal body function such as muscle contraction and heart function, but these same electrolytes can be obtained from our daily diet. So unless you are exercising in extreme conditions or for an extended period of time, water is a better way to go.

What people often forget is that sports drinks contain calories, which in many cases cancel out the ones you just burned during your workout. Stick with water. You’ll get all the hydration and none of the added calories.

MYTH #8: You should work out as much as possible. If exercise has overall health benefits in addition to contributing to weight loss, the more we exercise, the better—right? Not so. Weight lifting should be done only every other day, three days a week. That’s because strength training breaks down muscle, and the day off between workouts allows time for the muscle to rebuild. You should also be careful not to overdo it on cardio. Too much can cause excess wear and tear on your tendons and joints, which over time can lead to joint pain or discomfort, especially in the knees, lower back, and shoulders. 

You simply need to remember to give your body time to recover from its workout. Consider taking a day off once or twice a week as an “exercise holiday.” If you abuse your body, you will have difficulty achieving the results you are looking for. Keep in mind the new federal guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine when you plan your workout routine for the week. It recommends 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week plus your strength training. It may seem cliché, but the saying rings true—slow and steady does win the race.

MYTH #9: Stretching before exercising is critical. It’s no secret that stretching after a workout can be beneficial and improve results. However, many people mistakenly assume that stretching before a workout is good as well. The truth is that stretching before a workout does not actually increase our range of motion, as previously thought.

Warming up is actually a better pre-workout exercise than stretching. Great warm-up activities are running in place and jumping jacks. They will get your blood flowing and your heart pumping. Save the stretching for after your workout and look forward to maximizing your results.

MYTH #10: Your weight is the best way to tell if your “get healthy” efforts are working. Research is clear that weighing yourself every day is critical to a weight loss program, but many people don’t realize that taking their waist measurement is just as important. A simple tape measure can tell you what kind of progress you are making and can sometimes be a better indicator than the scale. 

We’ve all stepped on a scale that won’t budge and wondered why our weight isn’t going down even though our clothes are feeling loose. Here’s why that happens. When you first begin to exercise, two things will happen: 1. You will gain muscle mass, which is good, and 2. You will lose fat weight, which is also good. The increase in muscle mass offsets the loss of fat, which is why the scale has not changed, but your tape measure shows an improved waistline. This process occurs for about the first six months of your exercise program, and then finally the increase in muscle mass levels off or plateaus but your fat loss continues, which is then reflected on your scale.

MYTH #11: If you’re sick, you can get better by sweating it out. Many people think that a great all-natural cure for what ails them is to hit the gym and try to “sweat out” their illness. That’s just not the case. If anything, it will only slow the recovery process. And chances are you won’t benefit from your illness workout in any other way, because your performance will likely be below par. The best thing to do when you’re sick is to take a break from exercising. Allowing your body to recover will quicken your response to the illness and get you back to working out at full steam before you know it.

Successful weight management is really about education and mindfulness. It means rejecting the myths and making a conscious choice every day to eat the right foods and get the right amount of exercise. And there really is a tremendous satisfaction in making that choice. Once you realize that you can pursue and achieve good health, you’ll feel calmer and more in control. Getting healthy is truly empowering. Whatever the future may hold, you’re taking the best possible care of yourself—and that’s a great feeling in any economy. 

# # #

About the Authors:

Thomas B. Gilliam, Ph.D., is the founder and president of T. Gilliam & Associates, coauthor of the book Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy.: The Simple Truth About Achieving & Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight, creator of the Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy.® wellness program, designed to teach workers how to achieve a healthy body weight, creator of www.moveitloseitlivehealthy.com, and founder and owner of Industrial Physical Capability Services, Inc. (IPCS).

Since 1982, Dr. Gilliam has designed and managed many corporate fitness centers ranging from 500 square feet to 34,000 square feet. He has established a variety of wellness programs to deal with such health issues as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, physical inactivity, stress, osteoporosis, low back pain, and many more.

In addition, Dr. Gilliam is a pioneer and acknowledged expert in the field of dynamic strength testing for industry based on the sports medicine model. Since 1982, he has provided isokinetic physical capability assessments for Fortune 1000 companies through his company Industrial Physical Capability Services, Inc. (IPCS) (www.ipcs-inc.com). Dr. Gilliam’s programs have dramatically reduced workers’ compensation costs and decreased injury incidence and severity rates for major industrial clients. In addition, Dr. Gilliam has been instrumental in identifying and presenting to industry the higher risk for injury and disease caused by obesity in the workplace.

Dr. Gilliam is the creator of the Heart “E” Heart program, which is a healthy lifestyle program for children and their families. He was the principal investigator in a National Institutes of Health research study investigating the impact of physical activity and nutritional habits on heart disease risk in young children. Conducted in the late 1970s, this research resulted in numerous scholarly publications and television and radio interviews throughout the world, including NBC’s Today Show and NBC’s Nightly News with its science editor, Robert Basel.

In 1973, Dr. Gilliam earned a doctorate degree in exercise physiology with a minor in graduate statistics and research design from Michigan State University. From 1974 to 1982, Dr. Gilliam was a tenured faculty member at the University of Michigan. Before resigning from his tenured faculty position, he was involved with numerous funded research projects (i.e., N.I.H., Kellogg Foundation, State of Michigan, and others) that resulted in twenty-nine refereed scholarly publications. 

 

Jane C. Neill, R.D., L.D., is the 2004 recipient of the Nutritionist of the Year Award for the State of Alabama Public Health. She is an active member of the American Dietetic Association and currently employed by the Alabama Department of Public Health, where she works with the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program as a WIC coordinator and a licensed dietitian. She has worked in the WIC program for over ten years, providing daily nutrition counseling for women, infants, and children.

While on the staff as a registered dietitian at the University of Michigan Health System in the late 1970s, Jane was instrumental in working with Dr. Gilliam as an investigator on the National Institutes of Health research study to investigate the impact of physical activity and nutritional habits on heart disease risk in children ages six to eight years.

Ms. Neill is a member of the team that developed and wrote the Heart “E” Heart program for children and their families.

She received her bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Alabama in 1977 in food, nutrition, and institutional management. Ms. Neill has been working as a registered dietitian for over twenty-seven years.

About the Book:

Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy.: The Simple Truth About Achieving & Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight (Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy., LLC, 2008, ISBN-13: 978-0-9762703-5-5, ISBN-10: 0-9762703-5-8, $19.95) is available in bookstores nationwide and through all major online booksellers.

For more information, visit www.moveitloseitlivehealthy.com.



By: C. Hand

About the Author:

Straddles

If you are like the 99.999% of people on the face of the planet you enjoy comfort foods like pasta, pizza, burgers, cakes, hot dogs etc. There really is no stopping eating these foods especially if you are older, these habits are hard to kick! An easy solution to this problem is to slowly start switching your foods for healthier ones. Here is a quick list of things you can substitute:

Find Out How To: Lose 9 Pounds Every 11 Days

Chocolate:

Yoplait Chocolate Mousse Yogurt is a great option as well as low calorie hot chocolate.

Chicken or Turkey:

Not a substitute but if you want to enjoy it in a healthy way, take off that fatty skin.

Red Meat:

Red Meat can have so many chemicals and toxins from growth hormones injected into the animals. A healthier option is fresh fish, it has omega fatty acids which are great for your health.

Donut:

Try a bagel and spread some strawberry jam or an English Muffin.

Chips:

Grab some saltine crackers and spread on some cheese if you like cheetos, ranch spread if you like ranch chips etc! Try some popcorn too.

Learn About Calorie Shifting: New Diet Method

Ice Cream:

Frozen Yogurt or Frozen fruit is a great alternative to ice cream. Top on some light whipped cream if you’d like.

White Bread:

Try some whole grain bread, it has more fiber.

Soda or Juice:

These both have tons of sugar. If you don’t enjoy drinking tasteless water, try some naturally sweetened tea instead to satisfy your taste buds.

If you are looking for a new diet that is not too restrictive, check out Fat Loss for Idiots, it uses a new method called “Calorie Shifting” that allows you to eat the foods you love while still losing weight!

For more detailed information about the program click here: Fat Loss for Idiots



By: Miranda Smith

About the Author:

Sports Legends

sandypaws wrote:


I usually get stuck in the same rut of bakers & salad so tonight I want something different, yet still comfort food for sides to go with grilled pork tenderloin chops about 1 1/2 thick…..

I’ve got the makings for scalloped potatos, garlic mashed potatos or a pkg of premade stuffing from the meat case. I also have a mushroom pasta dish, carrots, peas, corn, broccoli, baked beans and home fries ( frozen)…

What will be something different, still yummy?

Repair Credit

King Oscar III wrote:


How many things, products, services, creature comforts, foods, everyday experiences do we take for granted? TV, radio, computers, Internet, cell phones and thousands of others? Pain free surgery, modern dentistry, cures for various diseases?

Relaxing Music

Current info about food diaries is not always the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes the latest food diary info available.

It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of weight loss and food diaries is no exception. Keep reading to get more fresh news about weight loss and food diaries.

As a child, you may have kept a diary to record your daily activities, your hopes, and your fears. If you wrote in the diary each day, it might have seemed as if the diary itself had become one of your best friends. As you grew older, the diary might have become a record of your job search, love life, or wedding plans. Psychologists, in fact, tell us that writing down your goals can be the first step to achieving them. It has been demonstrated that individuals who kept a written record of their hunt for employment were more likely to find the job they wanted than those who did not.

It’s not surprising, then, that some dieticians recommend keeping a food diary or journal if you’re hoping to lose weight. If you’re not accustomed to writing, the idea can seem a bit daunting at first. After all, if you don’t seem to have the time to record all of your baby’s “firsts”—the first words, the first steps, the first day of reciting the alphabet—how can you be expected to find the time to write down everything that passes through your lips? It’s a valid question; however, if you stop to consider just how much time you spend eating, surely you can find the time to write down what you eat.

The key to keeping a food diary is motivation. You have to have a desire to record your food choices. One good way to do this is to place a picture of your heaviest self onto the cover of a notebook. Also, make sure that you keep the notebook in full view, either on your bedside table or on the kitchen table. This could provide you with just the incentive you need to make note of what you’re eating. Another motivating factor could be to log your daily weight at the beginning of each diary entry. That way, you can see if your dietary choices are having an effect on your weight. If you find that you are shedding pounds, you can affix a gold star next to your entry. The gold star can provide the psychological boost necessary to continue to lose weight.

Of course, the next question you’ll face is: What exactly should I write down for each entry? To begin with, just include a running list of foods, along with portion sizes. You might be surprised to find out not only what you’re eating, but also how large the portions are. Next, categorize each food entry. Is it a fruit, vegetable, whole grain, or fat? Such information could be vitally important in determining where your excess pounds are coming from.

You can also use your journal for meal planning. If you think about what you should eat ahead of time, you’ll be less likely to indulge in the wrong foods. Such planning can make you feel more organized and more in control—two important elements for losing weight.

If you indulge in comfort food every once in a while, don’t panic. Eating high-calorie foods occasionally can help prevent a feeling of deprivation which can lead to overeating. The key is to eat “bad foods” in moderation. It is also important that you write down everything you eat, including fatty foods. Trying to hide your food choices by not writing them down is counter-productive and could lead to feelings of guilt.

Yet another helpful idea is to write down your goal weight each day. This can be an important element of psychological warfare. Knowing what your goal is—and mapping out a way to get there—can improve your chances of achieving critical milestones.

Also, when possible, try to make your diary experience fun. Do your writing on the patio, by the pool, or in your bathtub. Set the mood by playing some of your favorite music in the background. Decorate your diary by using colored pens or colorful stickers. Whatever you can do to make your diary-keeping chores more interesting will certainly be helpful.

Be aware of the fact that it could take you a while to get into the diary-keeping habit. But, once you see those pounds melt away, you’ll find it’s well worth the investment of time and energy.

Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.



By: J. Brian Keith

About the Author:

Get Good Credit

eople are indeed addicted to food and in some cases they treat eating almost like a drug. Those who are really addicted to food can develop all sorts of problems in their life as a direct result of eating too much, or eating unhealthy foods.

One of the bigger hurdles with eating addiction comes from the fact that the recovery strategy cannot really be complete abstinence from all food, like we would do for drugs or alcohol. Instead of this, those who have food addiction have to learn moderation, something this is pretty much seen as an unlikely outcome when it comes to handling other types of addictions. We all have to live to eat…there is no abstinence-based option for food addiction recovery. This makes it trickier to recover from than some other types of addictions, where a person can abstain entirely, such as drugs, gambling, and so on.

In spite of this stark difference, food addiction is actually quite similar to drug addiction. This is because of the general underlying principle for which addicts tend to use drugs and alcohol or eat emotionally in an addictive way. In each of these instances, addicts are using either eating or chemical substances in order to deal with their emotions.

When someone with drug addiction has a rough day or becomes angered with a situation, they will generally resort to self medicating with their drug of choice in order to feel better about themselves. Similarly, a food addict will turn to certain comfort foods when they are upset about something in their life or feel stressed out. This is an example of emotional eating, and obviously this is a form of medicating that is very similar to how people use drugs or alcohol.

Food addicts can deliberately raise their consciousness and see when they are reaching for a bag of potato chips out of boredom or frustration, instead of to satisfy genuine hunger. Many people get bored and will simply much on things that they don’t really need. Others will munch on food simply out of habit, such as when they watch television.

In the same way, drug addicts take drugs for much the same motivations. Habits form slowly over time, and drug addicts might also try drugs out of sheer boredom also. The parallels here are pretty obvious and so it naturally follows that those who have an issue with eating addiction are really using food just like they would an addictive substance. They are self medicating for a number of different reasons by getting a small rush that comes from filling up our stomachs and giving our taste buds something to chew on.

Due to these parallels, addicts and emotional eaters have discovered a unique recovery strategy, in that they can all use the idea of supporting and helping others who struggle with the same issues.

By: Patrick Meninga

About the Author:

Find Your Niche

*~*Ms Kitty*~*Spring has Sprung! wrote:


Classic one-liner from Hurley to Sahid: “If you ate more comfort food, you wouldn’t wanna go around shooting people all the time!”

Spa Resorts

We are living a very fast-pacing and complicated life which can be a threat to our health. Our everyday lifestyles can become stressors to cause our health to gradually deteriorate. One main factor of which is the food we eat. People now, are so much in love eating delicious yet unhealthy foods. Oftentimes, we compromise our health for what we call “comfort foods”. Foods that may not only deprive us of nutrients but worst will become cause of sickness. Because of a busy lifestyle our choices of food changes to “ready-to-eat foods”, “canned foods” and the very popular foods from “fast-food chains”. This is reality.

What can you do? You need to get out of your comfort zone! Forget about what is ready! Think of how much you are killing yourself every time you open a canned food or eat junk food even eat in a fast-food restaurant. Think that you are what you eat. If you eat healthy, you become healthy as well. If you eat junk, you will be “junk” as well. Of course this is just a cliché. This is my way to get your attention. Eventually, whatever you take in will be reciprocated back to you. My point is that, you can do something. You just have to make a choice.

If you are ready to change, I have some very important tips for you. Here is the reality. Most obese people have a wrong notion of losing weight. They focus more on what is outside of their body. They target to get the bulges out, to trim their buttocks and waistline and if they can’t see the result for a few weeks, they are discouraged and finally would like to quit. On the contrary, I advice you to focus more on what is inside of your body. Think of what you can do to make it healthy. Focus in getting rid of the toxins that you get from your old unhealthy lifestyle. Think of a clean and toxin-free living. Natural healing is best if you can find books that provide reliable information that will help get rid of the toxic substances from your body.

When you get rid of the toxins from your body, you are preventing the sickness to occur. You therefore need not worry what happens to you many years after. Why? Because by doing this, you are taking really good care of your body. How long have you been imprisoned to an old, unhealthy lifestyle? Just imagine the amount of toxins your body has taken in. If since your childhood days, you have been eating these unhealthy foods, it must have been in your system a long time now. It must have affected you in a very subtle way but it is there. If you are not going to do something about it, it could kill you.

Almost all of the foods you buy in the market have chemicals. It is best to find something chemical-free and natural. Tea, are Chinese favorite drink. When you go to Chinese countries in Asia, you will find no water in restaurants. They make tea as substitute for water. Why do I have to emphasize tea? Because tea is chemical free. It is very effective natural healing herbs. When you choose something natural, it is not only healthy but also it is considered a medicine. It can heal and prevent sickness at the same time thereby getting rid of lot toxins inside your body.

We have actually so many sources of natural herbs available. Although most of the natural healing herbs are unpopular and yet to be discovered, they sprung out like ordinary grasses in the forests and in rural areas.

You don’t normally expect friends to tell you that something is wrong with the way you look to keep you from being embarrassed. It is important to take time and have your own self-assessment. Look at yourself in the mirror. If you think you look healthy and your body is in top shape, all you need to do is maintain it and stay healthy. But if you think it needs change, then it’s time to think of what you can do to prevent it from possible danger.

Consider taking these natural herbs, foods, vegetables and drinks. Some may not taste really good like that of “comfort foods” but these are the ones that can give real comfort to your body and will truly prevent danger to your health.



By: Syahrul Azlan Idris

About the Author:

Racquetball

Brist wrote:


I’m just really depressed because I don’t have anything to look forward to (except Christmas but that’s far away and Christmas is stressful because I have to buy tons of presents). Anyway, I feel like I have so many things to do but I procrastinate and do it last minute which also causes me stress. Is there something I can do or some type of comfort food that balances chemicals in the brain to make you happy or something like that?

Puppies for Sale

Grandma Linda wrote:


In these difficult times for many people worldwide, we seem to want comfort even from our food.  Here are some old fashion comfort food recipes that are sure to remind you of home, grandma, and comfort.  Baked Chicken ‘N Butter and Cream is comfort at its best!  However, in today’s society we often use boneless skinless pieces of chicken.  In that case, you would need to reduce baking time considerably.  And who doesn’t remember the wonderful Waldorf Salad served at the family dinners of their childhood?  And speaking of comfort, we can’t leave out chocolate; Miz Effie’s Sour Cream Chocolate Cake!

BAKED CHICKEN ‘N BUTTER AND CREAM

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

1 frying chicken, cut-up

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Soak chicken in tap water. In a shallow bowl or pie pan, mix the flour, salt, paprika, and pepper. Remove chicken pieces from water, shake off excess and roll in the flour mixture. Place chicken pieces, skin side down, into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Dot the chicken with the butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Mix the hot water and dry milk powder together until smooth. Pour over chicken. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour 15 minutes longer, until chicken is tender.

ETHEL’S WALDORF SALAD

2 cups diced unpared red apples

2 tbsps lemon juice

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 cup broken walnuts

1/2 cup seedless raisins

lettuce leaves for presentation

About 1 hour before serving time;

1. In a medium bowl, toss diced apples with lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise. Refrigerate.

2. Just before serving, remove from refrigerator and add celery, rest of the mayonnaise, broken walnuts, and the raisins. Mix together well and serve on 4 salad plates. Place lettuce leaves on plate and top lettuce with the Waldorf salad.

Yields 4 servings.

MIZ EFFIE’S SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CAKE

I have no idea who Miz Effie was.

2 1/2 cups flour

2 tsps baking soda

2 cups sugar

pinch salt

3 tbsps cocoa

2 cups sour cream

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the flour, sugar, salt, cocoa. Add cream, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well and pour into large 9×13 pan that has been greased and floured. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

FROSTING:

2 1/2 cups sugar

2 tbsps cocoa

1 1/2 tbsps white syrup

3/4 cup cream

2 tbsps butter

vanilla

Cook the first 4 ingredients to a soft ball stage. Add butter and vanilla. Cool 45 minutes before beating and pour over cake. Never stir until it has cooled about 45 minutes.

If you milk and have cream, this is an easy and good cake.

Enjoy!



Home Decorating

Grandma Linda wrote:


We all need comfort from time to time, no matter who we are.  With the economy being a problem for many of us right now, there has been a rise in the demand for comfort food recipes.  And what is more comforting than a casserole of chicken, macaroni, and cheese?  That is a combination that will please family members of every age from the youngsters to the grandparents. Even the kids will be on board for this one, so why not try this Cheesy Chicken Macaroni Casserole today?  It is not only comforting, it is also easy and inexpensive.

CHEESY CHICKEN MACARONI CASSEROLE

1/2 cup elbow macaroni

1 pkg (10-oz) frozen peas and carrots

2 tbsps butter or margarine

2 tbsps all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed

1 1/3 cups milk

1 1/2 cups cubed pasteurized process cheese spread (6 oz)

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)

3/4 cup soft bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1 tbsp butter or margarine, melted

Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, place frozen peas and carrots in a colander. Rinse with running water to separate. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter and stir in the flour and basil. Add the milk. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese spread until it is all melted. Stir in the macaroni, peas and carrots, and chicken. Turn into a casserole dish that has been greased. Combine the bread crumbs, almonds, and 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle over the macaroni mixture. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 6



Trim Dog Nails Safely

Spiral wrote:


Last night I needed comfort food, so lots of m&m’s and cookie dough ice cream. Now i’m at work and feel like shit, every time i move or stand for too long I feel like I’m going to be sick, any suggestions on how to make that feeling go away? Would help since I have to work till 6 and i work at a glasses store so I have to look through prescriptions that make me dizzy all day long.

Loan Consolidation

Pat Barone wrote:


In the quest for weight loss, the diet industry puts a lot of attention on what we eat but focusing on why we eat may be more important.

After losing over 70 lbs. permanently and becoming a weight loss coach for others, I’ve found most people have a pretty good idea of what they should eat. We have no problem categorizing foods into healthy and non-healthy lists. But ask someone why they eat and the usual response is “hunger.” Unraveling the deeper reasons beneath the pre-emptive response of “hunger” may take a little detective work!

Here are a few things that might be lurking beneath the surface of hunger. Keep in mind that the categories can overlap and coexist!

Learned Behavior

Some people learn behaviors at an early age and never question them. A good example is milk and cookies at bedtime or a larger-than-usual meal on Sunday nights. We rarely think about Learned Behaviors, we simply do them unconsciously. However, the calories still count!

Availability of Food

Imagine you ate a satisfying breakfast. You don’t feel hungry at all. Then, someone brings donuts to work. Imagine further that you don’t even like the type of donuts that appeared! How many times would you eat them anyway? Nine out of 10 times? Availability of Food can be a real quagmire along the weight loss route, especially in the United States where food is abundant and relatively inexpensive.

Other examples of Availability of Food are all-you-can-eat buffets and social occasions.

Cravings

Cravings for food are chemical. For example, when the brain needs serotonin, the brain causes carbohydrate cravings. When blood sugar levels are low, we may crave sugary or sweet foods. When we experience cravings, eating what we crave will satisfy the body for a very short time, then the craving will return full force. Protein is actually a better choice when intense desire occurs because it will break the craving cycle.

Emotional Eating

Food can dilute, soften or dull emotions we term “unpleasant” like anger, resentment, frustration, guilt and hatred. Even emotions we label “desirable” can be so intense, food may be used to dull the feeling back into a manageable or tolerable level. Prime emotions for this type of eating are joy, happiness, desire, elation and excitement.

At other times, we may eat to substitute for a lack of feeling. A good example of this is boredom. Eating when you are bored can bring on feelings of self-hatred, humiliation, and shame, but the bored, empty feeling is gone!

Habits

A habit is a stable behavior formed through repetition over time. Many people ask how this is different than Learned Behavior. The difference is that Learned Behaviors are learned from other people, usually family, and have a long history. We are solely responsible for forming Habits. The good news is that good habits are as easily formed as bad habits.

Social Eating

It is rare to socialize in any way today in America without the involvement of food. Watching a football game at a neighbor’s house, meeting friends you haven’t seen for a while: these things don’t need the involvement of food but it usually becomes an integral part of any social plan. This often intersects with Availability of Food. It might be wise to ask yourself if you are really hungry or just eating because it seems the acceptable and expected thing to do.

Environmental Eating

Does a visit to the ball park always mean hot dogs? Does a movie have to include 2000 calories of popcorn? Certain environments trigger eating that is unhealthy. Sometimes it can be any environment that is not home. For instance, do you always eat more than necessary when dining in a restaurant?

Hunger

Hunger, true hunger, is another reason to eat. And, ideally, it’s the only reason. Humans were designed to eat to fuel their bodies. Fuel to survive. Fuel for the massive amounts of maintenance, healing and growth our bodies accomplish every day.

The first step in straightening out a negative eating style is to be able to recognize the why as it’s happening.

It may take a bit of work to get to the point where true hunger can be recognized but we’d all be thinner and healthier if we ate only when we were hungry.



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