's motd Saturday March 27, 2010

[Guest guest]

COMFORT FOODS?

Saturday, 27 March 2010

You watch a lot of those food shows on cable TV, don't you? I do. And you know what I notice a lot lately? They've all fallen in love with the phrase...comfort foods. A lot of times when one of the cooking-show hosts is preparing a certain recipe, they'll talk about what a wonderful "comfort food" it is.

And let me ask you...what are comfort foods? Well, they're the foods you eat when you're sitting around the house in your pajamas, probably watching TV and maybe even feeling a little lonely or down.Comfort foods are not the foods you eat when you're working to lose weight. Oh, no! Comfort foods are filled with fat, grease, sugar, cream and every cheese you can pronounce. And I don't even want to think about the number of calories they contain. Now fess up! Everybody reading this message today has gotten, well...comfortable, with comfort foods! Okay, let's talk about some of them, shall we?Chili is a comfort food. Oh yeah, with those big-old pieces of hamburger meat swimming in a sauce of beans, onions and cheese then topped with crumbled saltine crackers. Ahhhh, man! Where's my bowl!?

Macaroni & cheese is a comfort food. So is a bowl of mashed potatoes with extra butter and lots of salt. And how many of you have gotten comfortable with a nice big cheeseburger along with a side of beer-battered onion rings, huh?And now, (drum roll please), I'd say the number one comfort food in our country has to be ice cream! Oh, go ahead and admit it with me. I'll admit, I was raised on ice cream. My father would buy it by the gallon at the A & P near our house. And on top of that, there were three ice cream parlors in the French Quarter. One of them was an Italian ice cream parlor. So I've been eating gellato since I was about three! There's just something about a bowl of ice cream.

So are you a Ben & Jerry's person or a Haagen-Dazs individual? Do you like chocolate chips in your ice cream or swirls of peanut butter? Do you like to throw in some M & Ms or chopped Snickers? But wait, what would a bowl of ice cream be without some hot fudge or caramel sauce, whipped cream and a bright red cherry on top, huh?

Ice cream comes in so many flavors and flavor combinations. Just go to your local market and see how much space it takes up in the freezer section. Why, it's almost criminal! Okay, now that we've identified some of the comfort foods, the question you have to ask yourself is: What's all that comfort food doing to your body? Well, it's making you gain weight, that's what! I'm talking more weight here, there and everywhere on your body. And when you finish that bowl of ice cream, are you comfortable when you gain weight? Are you comfortable when your clothes are so tight that you have to say a little prayer before sitting down? Is it comfortable when you're actually in pain because of the extra weight you're carrying? Are you comfortable sleeping at night now that you've put on all of those extra pounds? Wait, let me answer those questions for you. NO! You're not comfortable at all. In fact, it's a horrible feeling! You end up so upset that you begin beating yourself up with a freshly baked croissant.

Look, I don't want you being so "comfortable" with some foods. I want you to be cautious with all foods. Were you on a healthy eating plan yesterday? If you were then please, repeat it today.

And if you want some real comfort, do this. Take your right hand and place it on your left shoulder. Now take your left hand and place it on your right shoulder. Now, give yourself a big-old bear-hug. Nice, huh? Doesn't that make you feel better and give you some comfort...with no added calories!Love,