Aspire, Perspire, Nourish Yourself

Comfort Foods: Get Ready for the Winter!

There is nothing like the first real big snowfall to get you thinking about hibernating in your comfy home, catching up on TV shows you’ve missed, and munching all day long! With 6 months of this weather ahead of us, staying active and eating well may be a challenge.

Seeking Comfort through Food

Apparently, it is physiologically and psychologically natural for us to want to eat more fat and carbohydrate-rich foods and to be less active during cold, dark days. These factors are closely connected.

From a physiological perspective, some experts believe that the cold weather causes our body temperature to lower and as a result we seek foods that will warm us up and provide the energy we need physically. Other researchers suggest that stress, anxiety, and depression are major factors in raising our cortisol levels which lead to cravings for comfort foods.

With less daylight hours, lack of exposure to light can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which influences our moods. To seek relief, many who suffer from SAD crave carbohydrate-rich foods. The consumption of these foods can increase serotonin levels and help balance the natural hormone melatonin.

Psychologically, we can also attach memories and emotions to the foods we consume. Do you remember what your mother made for you when you were sick and how it made you feel? That memory can lead you to crave that food when you’re in the same mood today. Many of us also reward ourselves with foods based on how we’re feeling or the context of our activity. For example, how can anyone watch a movie without eating popcorn!

Adding another layer of complexity to understanding our need for comfort foods, a 2003 study by Wansick et al, showed that age and gender influence the kinds of comfort foods craved. Women tend to crave more snack-type food like chocolate and ice cream, while men reach for more hearty, warm foods like steak and casseroles. Like women, younger people tend to prefer snack foods, but adults 55 and older reported craving heartier meals. ((http://www.mindlesseating.org/pdf/downloads/ComfortFood-P%26B_2003.pdf)

Avoiding Weight Gain

Regardless of what you crave during those cold, winter months, giving into those cravings can lead to weight gain, especially since one’s physical activity seems to drop during winter months. Some common factors for the inactivity include:

Shorter daylight hours and colder temperatures making it difficult to exercise outside;
Busy holiday schedules emphasizing eating and drinking;
Bad weather and road conditions making it difficult to get to the gym;
Just plain desire to stay home under a warm blanket!

These are good reasons occasionally, but not all winter! Exercise helps to increase serotonin levels so it will help curb your cravings.

Here are a few ideas to keep eating well and staying active:

Reinvent or lighten up your top comfort foods. Pay attention to the foods you crave when you’re feeling blue or when you reward yourself. Try to make those foods healthier. For example, if you like starchy, savory foods like potato chips, then switch these out for healthier crunchy foods like roasted chickpeas (http://www.chow.com/recipes/30368-spicy-oven-roasted-chickpeas) or carrots, jicama and dip. Creamed soups can be lightened up by using yogurt or beans instead of cream. To satisfy your sweet tooth, try a small piece of dark chocolate (70% cacao), instead of milk chocolate. Alternatively, dip fresh fruit in melted dark chocolate. Watch the portion sizes!

Keep fridge and pantry stocked with ‘good’ comfort food. The less junk food you have in the house, the less of it you’ll eat! Buy more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. We need a good balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in our diets to stay healthy. Choose better quality of these nutrients, like whole grain brown rice instead of white rice, or carrots instead of crackers.

Find a winter physical activity to enjoy. Skiing, snowshoeing, and skating are some activities you could consider. Okay, this might be a stretch for some of you! If you dress appropriately for outdoor temperatures, a walk in the crisp air during a sunny day can be invigorating and keep you away from your fridge.

Find a friend to join you for activities. Making a date with a friend to go to the gym or for a walk may help you stay active. Getting out the door is easier when you have committed to meet someone. Also, the activity is more enjoyable when sharing it with a good friend!

Brake the cycle. Be aware of your moods and your reactions to those moods, then make a “contingency list” for those times. What will you do differently when experiencing that mood? For example, when feeling blue if you tend to reach for the cookie jar, your contingency list might be to pick out one cookie and put the rest in the freezer, or distract yourself by calling a friend, or going for a walk. The contingency list is personal and needs to be relevant to what will help you change your response to an event, mood, or particular situation.

Comfort foods play a role in our physiological and psychological wellbeing. Be sure to nourish your body with good comfort foods and limit your intake of foods that add calories without much nutrition.

References:

Recipe of the Week: Apple Cran-Blueberry Crisp

Monthly Food Feature: Hemp

So you’ve heard of clothing made with hemp and paper made with hemp, but food?

Until recently, hemp food products such as seeds, oils and milk have primarily been sold at natural food stores. With its increasing popularity, hemp hearts are now found in most grocery stores. They are even regular staples at Costco!

Derived from the Cannabis Sativa plant, there are a number of varieties of hemp used for different purposes. For example, it is used to make rope, wax, resin, clothing, pulp and paper, fuel, some oil-based paints, creams for moisturizing, and as animal and bird feed.

Growing hemp for food purposes has been controversial in the past. In fact, the U.S. Federal government banned the cultivation of hemp in 1957 because of confusion over its association with marijuana. There are a few U.S. states that have introduced legislation to support, research, and cultivate hemp so changes are on the horizon there. Within Canada, Health Canada has authorized and licensed commercial production of hemp since 1998. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#Canada)

photo credit: Dreamstime

“Hemp is a genetic ‘cousin’ to marijuana but contains little to none of the THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana associated with the “high” sensation.” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/18/first-hemp-harvest_n_4123628.html). Hemp seeds do not contain THC but the leaves of the plant do, so growers take precautions to avoid contamination of THC with the seeds. In Canada, “Producers are only allowed to plant certified seed – there is no “common” seed. All hemp planted must be an approved variety, all of which have less than 0.3% THC in them in field.” (http://www.hemptrade.ca/grow_hemp.php).

Nutritional Profile and Health Benefits

Hemp is a fantastic plant food that is both nutritious and tasty. Its nutritional profile boasts:

High protein (over 30%) with an almost complete profile of amino acids that make it comparable to proteins such as meat, eggs, milk and soy;

Highest concentration of polyunsaturated (good) fats;

Rich in essential omega fatty acids (80%), having a perfect balance of omega-6’s to omega-3’s (4:1) needed by our human bodies for health and wellness;

High concentrations of phytosterols, which help lower cholesterol, and have now been shown to be anticarcinogenic. Hemp’s chlorophyll content also increases its anticarcinogenic properties.

In summary, hemp’s health benefits include:

Promoting heart and brain health,
Lowering triglycerides,
Helping maintain hormone balance,
Helping build strong muscles,
Protecting skin from sun damage,
Reducing inflammation, and
Supporting immune system.

Because hemp is largely made of edible oils, it must be stored properly to avoid oxidizing, which can make it go rancid. Store hemp in a dark container and refrigerate.

Easy Recipes

photo credit: Dreamstime

Hemp’s use is often promoted in breakfast foods, baked goods, protein shakes, and as toppings for salads. There are many creative ways to integrate this food into your diet. You can buy hemp in different forms such as raw and shelled (hemp hearts), seed, ground, nut butter, oil, milk, and flour.

The following are some recipes we thought you would enjoy trying.

Flourless Hemp Chia Cookies

This recipe is excellent! When we bake these, they get devoured very quickly. We like to use tahini or almond butter instead of the peanut butter.

http://www.impactmagazine.ca/food-and-nutrition/articles/low-carb-slow-carb.html

Hemp Seed Pesto

A less expensive and more nutritious alternative to using pine nuts.

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=7053

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