The Urge to Splurge: Comfort Foods
Food means many things to all of us. And while that is true, one fundamental remains, at least for me: sometimes food is just food...it's not medicine, it's not chocked full of nutrients, it's not brain food. I mean that it simply tastes great!
At times, we all just want to eat our favorites to indulge both our taste buds and our psyches. Food stimulates at least three of the five senses: vision (looks good); taste (yum!), and smell (great aroma).
So, we all know that in the real world, we can't always indulge in our favorites all the time. Most of us have a hard time indulging without guilt and that's the point of my Today segment: Is it worth the calories? A personal decision, for sure, but with some self-evaluaiton you can enjoy your favorite splurge items, avoid deprivation, and still button your pants!
Check back later for the video from the segment!
Many of you responded to our iVillage Index about favorite foods with which to splurge. Here's how you voted:
Sweet Treats
chocolate, ice cream and cookies: 47%
Salty/Crunchy Foods
chips, nuts, pretzels: 18%
Hot Foods
pizza, mac and cheese, french fries: 34%
I'd love to know your thoughts. What is your favorite splurge food?
Here are three popular reasons for "splurging" on comfort foods:
- A fabulous "mouth feel": The combination of sugar/fat or salty/fat taste found in many of our indulgences stimulate our taste buds in a major way.
- A connection to our past experience: Sometimes we're attached to the place we ate certain foods, and that association makes us feel great.
- Deprivation on our eating plan: Our best intentions to limit "problem" foods sometimes creates an even bigger problem, longing for those "indulgences."
So, my philosophy is that there are no bad foods, just bad portions, and the most important part of choosing to indulge is how to budget these foods in your "caloric bank account."
Plus, you can exercise away some of those calories, which is key to pre-planning your splurges. You must remember to be honest with yourself: Be aware of the total calories per serving, as well as the number of calories used in your physical activity. We all underestimate calories and overestimate exercise!
Think about how often your splurge, and why you do it. The answers are not easy, but can help you to pre-plan.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Don't be shy!
Comments
I watch Today every morning. I was extremely disappointed in Dr. Fernstrom's comments on soft drinks today. Specifically her suggestions that kids should start drinking milk and eating dairy products as an alternative. Today itself, as well as the rest of the news media, have emphasized the serious problem of kids being overweight. It is well documented that dairy products are high in fat, have no fiber, and have a negative balance effect on calcium needs. In addition lactose intolerance is quite common especially in people of African and Asian Americans.
Dr. Fernstrom's recommendation to substitute dairy for soft drinks is way off-base and squanders the opportunity to make important health points to your many viewers. It also destroys Dr. Fernstrom's and NBC's credibility.
Rather than suggesting dairy as an alternative, fruits and vegetables and their juices need to be recommended at every opportunity as snacks and good old H2O for drinking to hydrate our bodies.
MILK it makes a body fat.
It is not natural for people to consume large quantities or dairy products. The fattest and sickest people in the world are that way because dairy products. I wish you would promote vegetables as the primary best source of calcium. We are the only primate that tries to convince each other that milk is required for life. Many people will beleive what you said and most will likely retain your emphasis of dairy products. During your segment I googled the phrase "calcium vegetables". Some wonderful results came up. Cheese is concentrated fat.
Look back before the industrial revolution. Who were the fat people in the world? Germans were among that group. The ate a lot of breads and cheeses. So did the French and Italians. People of those regions were first fat people in th world. They were also the first to create much easier life than ever before, and having hoofed animals, multiply their abudance. We need to promote the phrase "WATER RICH FOODS". Diet is a bad word now.
My 300 lb brother
My 300 lb. brother and many other family members are fat because of dairy and non-fruit carbohydrates products, combined with inactivity. Secretly the binge upon fattening calorie rich foods. What they don't know is the same thing those with eating disorders don't know. If for generations your family ate calorie rich food to survive due to a tough and physically demanding life, then you are probably fat now. In our world now, life is very easy when compared to the lives of people of the past in the same areas, we must adapt. Native Americans never had an obesity epidemic until they took on the ways of modern Americans. The amount of fat people follows much the same growth rate as the rise in popularity of cable (and sattelite tv) as well as the divorce rate, violence, drug abuse, illiteracy, pollution.
Don't believe it. MILK MAKES YOU FAT. Get most of your calcuim from fruits and vegetables.
Maybe someone is paying the doctor to promote milk. Maybe she's just brainwashed like most doctors, and the public.
Here's another example of how we are used to hearing the same old crap from ignorant news peoplem, and the public. DNA scientists agree that the term "race" is not a valid term to use any longer. We must learn to say "ethnicity". My personal opinion is that mixed people are not inferior to pure blood people. We probably have genetic advantages over pure blood people. If we were talking about dogs we would know that "Pure breed" really means inbred. Do you want to be inbred or diverse?
Diversity of genetics is always good. I am a mutt from seven lines of ethnicity. I have blood from Europeans, Native Americans, and Mexico. I'm rarely ever sick. Poison ivy can't effect me. I heal fast. I feel sorry for pure-blooded people who think they are better than me.
You can absorb more calcium from bok choy and kale than you can from dairy.
Consuming dairy makes young people develop early. I agree dairy products are high in fat.
I don't consume dairy or meat. I would like to say I'm skinny but I'm certainly not fat. As a vegetarian I make sure I get a balance of protein, minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, drink plenty of water and eat raw foods every day. Raw foods should be emphasized as they are 'live' foods that provide our bodies with enzymes.
Iâm a registered dietitian and enjoyed your TODAY show segment on the urge to splurge with comfort foods. Portion control is certainly key; however, I think that nuts are an excellent snack choice and should not be lumped together with low-nutrient foods like pretzels, candy and cookies. Nuts are a good source of dietary fiber, protein and healthy fats, which can help with weight management by increasing the feeling of fullness and the length of time until hunger is felt again. In addition, research shows that nut consumption in general is associated with a lower body mass index and has not been shown to cause weight gain.
I liked your tip to eat in-shell nuts like pistachios because they take longer to eat, so people often eat less. Plus the empty shells can serve as a visual cue, which is helpful for portion control. In addition, pistachios offer the most nuts per ounce -- you get 49 pistachios per one-ounce (160 calorie) serving. Comparatively, a one-ounce serving of almonds is 23 kernels, and walnu
...(walnu)ts is 14 halves.
hasn't anyone heard of low-fat and skim dairy products?
Great advice! Too many parents think sugary sodas and fruit juices are fine for small children. In fact, before modern society, children were breast-fed until the age of 4 or 5. We wean very early nowadays, but we can partially make up for that loss by making sure that toddlers and young children drink cow's milk, rather than sugary fruit juices and sodas.
I eat dairy all the time. I have yogurt everyday almost, the key is to keep to fat free and low calorie products. OBVIOUSLY if you consume too much of the ones with a high fat content, you're gonna gain weight.
Cows milk is for cows. Humans should only have the milk from their species because that is what our body can use efficiently. That is why so many people are lactose intolerant. I agree that you get more digestable calcium from vegetables. As for replacing soda, it should be water, or if you need a little sweetness, try half fruit juice to half water. It cuts down the calories while you can still get some flavor.
How did you base the calories burned from the snickers bar etc? The math doesn't figure out right. What formula did you use?
Okay,
You know i am not sure yet where I stand in this thought. I have been back and forth on this one for years as I have been diagnosed with an eating disorder (anorexic, bulimic, binge-eater) at different times in life.
I have worked with some of the best nutritionists in the country in dealing with ways to solve this mystery. Some have very sucessfully moved from deprived or "thinking they were deprived" behaviors to knowing a little is okay. But I have also seen people that once they get around certain food-no matter if they have been allowed it with no guilt-been unable to control. This has been mainly with eating disordered people, so please excuse that this does not pertain to the rest of the population. But, if someone is reading this my guess is they are really worried about their weight, or there has been some inability to "control" thier eating patterns.
Just food for thought.
half skimmed milk has less fat and provides even better calcium than skimmed or full fat. dairy products are not bad themselves. for juices to be healthy they need to be drank the moment they were squeezed/made which is not always quick or practible to take for school for example. while milk on the other hand does not lose the calcium with time.
you mentioned lactose intolerance but what about vegetarians? they need to get their protien of something! there are obviously other resources, nevertheless milk IS good and does not make you fat. jerkchicken and junk, fried food that chinese and african cooking usually contains make you fat.
and anyways, water, milk, natural juices (which are rarely without added stuff) are all better subtitute than soft drinks so why are you arguing so much with it?
Give me a cup of 100% whole fat milk any day. Any of you fatties who say otherwise need to re-evaluate your eating habits and eat less. Becoming healthy means controlling portions. Even a whole bushel of apples, or broccoli, or whatever is not going to be extremely healthy. Eat a variety of foods in reason and you will be surprised at what happens. Brainwashed? you sound like my older sister who tried to tell me that I was adopted. I see no validity in the points about dairy that were brought up. Where is the proof? There is something good in everything (well, except the obvious sugar,fats, and various restaurants in our world today)so stating that all dairy is bad and we should not consume it is simply ignorant. While it is not wise to consume a great amount of whole fat dairy products, dairy IS nutritious. Take advantage of the low-fat and fat-free options that are available. They taste just as good and provide valuable nutrients. Look at your facts, people, and then come and tell me not to drink milk.
Oh my goodness, folks - lighten up! There is nothing wrong with low-fat dairy as part of a healthy diet, and it is certainly a better alternative to regular soda! Even a portion of milk that has the same number of calories as a can of soda provides a child with many more nutrients than the latter!
Those of you who are overweight are not overweight because you drink milk or eat dairy. It is because you eat more calories than you burn - plain and simple. Every type of food is fine in moderation, particulary when paired with a regular exercise regimen.
We need to stop blaming others for childhood obesity. The fact is, as parents, we have the responsibility to control what our children eat, and how much activity they get.
Milk is not the problem! Lazy, blame-shifting parents are. Kudos to Dr. Fernstrom for encouraging people to make healthier choices. Maybe instead of nit-picking, you all need to listen to her advice and take control of your own eating habits.
Why is everyone bashing dairy?? I eat tons of yogurt and cheese and I'm slim. its CARBS and SUGAR that cause weight gain! this isnt a myth. and yes, milk IS better for you than all the fruit juices because they are loaded with added sugars. your better off eating a piece of fruit itself instead of drinking commercialized fruit juice because its 80% sugar. the fruit juice and soft drinks in stores are full of sugar, not good for you at all.
people dont get "fat" from eating dairy foods. ice cream and sour cream? probably. but its the carbs and sugar that cause weight gain. this isnt rocket science. milk IS a better choice than a soft drink or fruit juice because there it isnt loaded up with sugar.
is it sugar with 16 calories per teaspoon or is it high frutose corn syrup that our body had no idea how to process.All natural non chemical altered foods in moderation do not pack on pounds.
soooooooooo stupid
soooooooooo stupid
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Carbs are not bad for you if you eat the right ones. Complex carbs like whole grain oatmeal and beans and simple carbs like fresh fruit do not make you fat. The Atkins diet gave carbs a bad name. Stop eating refined carbs like white bread and donuts and you will be fine. It's the sugar, fat, and refined flours/carbs together that make you fat. But I also agree that too many calories and no exercise makes you fat. Eating refined carbs and sugar just shortens your life and could cause cancer. Also, low fat and fat free dairy are not bad for you. It's the high fat dairy that causes problems.
I tried eating shelled peanuts as a way to get protein and the good "fat" but nuts are very high in fat and after eating peanuts for about a 2 months I realized that it was not helping loss weight but I was gaining due to how much fat is actually in those peanuts. Were talking a 30 gram fat snack!!!!! Since I stopped eating them, and yes they were shelled, I have dropped weight quickly. The DR who said that about the nuts I would like to hear more from you on this. I thought they were good but ended up to be bad.
well for one thing peanuts arent nuts theyre legumes. the name is misleading. and the whole food issue is mainly the fact that most people take in to many calories and not being active enough. alot of the people to complain about their weight would probably start losing if they just did 30 minutes of exercise extra a day. instead of sitting and watching the tv do jumping jacks or flutter kicks run in place. granted alot of the additives in foods now adays dont help. corn syrup actually makes it harder for the body to recieve the message telling you your full. thats one reason why when you eat out and have sodas you eat too the point of feelin miserable. and portions dont help especially at restaraunts since most people see all the food and they either dont want to waste it or it becomes a type of conquest. processed food is also easier for our bodies to process so we take the whole punch. ive heard alot of dairy isnt good since it does have horomones to help calves grow. but either way too much of anything is bad
I really think all of you people need to lighten up a little bit.. and i don't mean weight. I am pleasantly plump... lol.. and guess what... I do not care. I like my shape and I like to eat what I want. I'm not obsessing over calories and all that crazyness..
Get a life! Learn to enjoy your food not become obsessed with it.
my obsession iz chocolate! i eat it way 2 much. i'm going 2 end up having diabetes later.
You know, soy milk is just as healthy as cow milk and is often less fattening. And the vegetarians who posted are right, you can get calcium from vegetables and nuts, but you have to be careful about planning your meals to get enough.
