Beware of Emotional Eating
Food is commonly used as a coping mechanism for sadness, depression and anger. Emotional eaters can get back on track if they figure out what triggers are causing their need to eat. Consider these tips:
- Learn to identify real hunger—If you ate only a few hours prior and your stomach is not rumbling in response to hunger, then you probably should wait to eat.
- Identify triggers—Emotional eaters should keep a food journal and write down everything that they eat, how they felt emotionally right before they ate and how they felt when they were done eating. It is also beneficial to note how hunger played into the eating. Then, analyze what emotions accompanied food intake to determine what is causing the need to eat.
- Find comforts outside of food—Pick up a hobby, watch a movie, listen to music, take a walk or visit a friend instead of eating when you feel particularly blue.
- Remove unhealthy foods from your home—If you don’t have junk food in your pantry, you can’t eat it.
Snack smart—Instead of reaching for unhealthy foods when feeling hungry, eat a piece of fruit or vegetables.
Recipe Swap: Making Your Holiday Favorites Healthier
Butter, oils and other fats can add flavor to your favorite recipes, but they can also add many calories. They act as a barrier so flour does not absorb as much water to give your dishes a moist, tender feel. There are many ways to reduce the fat without sacrificing taste; the trick is to replace fats with foods that add creaminess without cholesterol.
Will substituting the fats change how my food tastes?
Substituting fat in your favorite recipes may not give them the same texture, but it will be close. In addition to lower fat content, many of the substitute ingredients will add more fiber, vitamins, minerals and protein to your recipes.
How can I get started substituting?
To experiment, start by substituting one-third of the fat from the recipe and then increase or decrease to your desired likeness. For baking, use ⅓ cup applesauce or fruit juice and ⅔ cup butter instead of 1 full cup of butter. Instead of 1 cup of heavy cream, use 2 tsp. cornstarch whisked into 1 cup of fat-free milk.
Now that you have the basics, it’s time for you to try it out. With the holidays right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to makeover your beloved (and maybe not the healthiest) recipes.
Download This Month’s Recipe Below
If the recipe link doesn’t work, copy and paste this into your browser: http://go.seubert.com/l/654093/2021-01-07/hjlb1h/654093/1610035427CmtTb0HZ/Cranberry_Pumpkin_Muffins.pdf