Finding Comfort with Healing Foods
Alternatives exist that will nourish both body and soul
By Kristin Fusco, MA
There is nothing like nourishing ourselves through foods that bring comfort, warmth and satisfaction. This is why it can be challenging to find foods that are going to leave us feeling spiritually, emotionally and physically fulfilled. If we eat for emotional comfort, (like many of us do), leaving out physical comfort - foods to enhance peak mental and physical performance - we are left feeling empty or weighed down. The more we can feed our body, mind and spirit through food, the more we will feel our vitality, strength and power.
I believe that while it is very important not to be too restrictive with our food, it can be helpful to use more whole foods that contribute to health and immune building. I am a big believer in gradually and comfortably moving towards a healthy diet and lifestyle. Keep this list and take what you can from it now. Refer back to it from time to time and see what you want to implement next.
White flour in breads White flour robs our body of the nutrients, wreaks havoc on our blood sugar, and sets us up for sugar cravings.
- The labeling of breads is sneaky! Make sure the package says "whole". Look at the ingredients. If, for example, whole wheat is not in the ingredients of your wheat bread, then it is NOT whole wheat bread!
- Rule of thumb: if the loaf is heavy, it is whole, if it is light, it is refined.
White Flour in Pastas Pastas are also very tricky. Even the fancy gourmet pastas are refined with white flour. Here are some comforting alternatives!
- Soba noodles are Japanese noodles made with buckwheat flour containing lots of fiber and B vitamins.
- Rice noodles are similar to vermicelli noodles.
- Whole-wheat pasta.
- Spaghetti squash! It has a mild flavor that will not compete with the flavor of your favorite pasta sauce, and you will be adding more vegetables to your plate! (See recipes).
White Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners
Sugar does many things to compromise our health. Just to name a few, sugar can cause migraine headaches, can interfere with the absorption of proteins, calcium and magnesium, can cause food allergies, suppresses the immune system and leads to chromium deficiency (a mineral shown to be low in diabetics). So you may think that consuming artificial sweeteners is a safe alternative. WRONG!
"Sugar free" labels are usually are loaded with artificial sweeteners. These have been shown to cause carbohydrate cravings, weight gain, depression, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, slurred speech, panic attacks, insomnia and joint pain (sheesh!). Artificial sweeteners are aspartame, nutri-sweet, equal, etc. Some wonderful ways to transition away from white sugar and artificial sweeteners are:
- Becoming aware of the forms sugar takes, such as dextrose (or anything ending in "ose"), brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, maltodextrin, cane juice, fruit juice concentrate, raisin juice, etc. Many fat free products are loaded with sugar, or worse, artificial sweeteners.
- Your best choice is to use the herb stevia, especially if you binge or crave sugar and carbohydrates. Use it in powder or liquid form. I recommend Planetary×s Stevia, found in health food stores. Stevia with alcohol is too bitter for my taste.
- Honey is still very sweet for some people, but may work for others. If you are replacing honey for sugar in baking substitute + cup for 1 cup sugar.
- Maple syrup is strong tasting, high in potassium and calcium. Get pure maple syrup; not the stuff made for pancakes, which has tons of added sugars.
- Brown rice syrup absorbs slowly into the bloodstream.
- Try organic milk products. I am amazed at how many people who thought they could not tolerate milk can tolerate organic.
- Other foods high in calcium are dark leafy greens, wheatgrass juice, almonds, sesame and sunflower seeds and sea vegetables.
Meat I admire vegetarians. From an ethical and moral point of view, I would prefer to stay as one, but it does not work for my body. However, I still love to find meals that work for my protein requirements that are meatless and lower in saturated fats.
- Tempeh is a wonderful choice for something "meaty." Made from the whole soybean, it is more filling and higher in protein than tofu.
- "Fake meats" like textured vegetable protein (TVP) and meatless hotdogs, hamburgers, etc. are processed, lacking protein and nutrients. Stay away from these especially if you are MSG sensitive.
- Sea vegetables. Funky as they may sound, they are the latest in haute cuisine. Very high in minerals and protein.
- Tofu takes on the flavor of anything you cook it with!
- Beans. If beans are cooked properly and not overeaten, these delicious little pearls will not cause digestive disorders! Add to a whole grain for a complete protein.
Fats That Keep Us Fat and Cause Disease It is not fat that is making us fat and leading to disease, it is the types of fat we consume. Fats to avoid are refined, hydrogenated fake fats like margarine, butter substitutes and any clear, refined oils. The alternatives below can be found in natural food or gourmet stores and some supermarkets are starting to stock a wider variety of healthy oils.
- Oils good for our essential fatty acid requirement are flaxseed, borage, hemp seed, unrefined canola, and walnut oils. Keep them cold for use in dressings, or a topping to your prepared meal.
- Use monounsaturated fats for sautéing such as extra virgin olive oil, almond oil, roasted sesame oil, pistachio oil or hazelnut oil.
- Good polyunsaturated oils are unrefined sunflower, safflower or pumpkin oil. Use these in sauces and baking. There is even a pumpkin seed spread!
- For browning or frying, the best oils are butter, ghee (Indian clarified butter), or even unrefined coconut oil. Coconut oil is a medium chain saturate, which digests easily and is a great source of fuel and energy!
Begin to comfort yourself with foods that nourish mind, body and spirit. Give yourself small rewards for your accomplishments. It takes dedication and a willingness to stay open in order to transform our relationship to food.
Kristin Fusco, MA is the director of "Healing Through Whole Foods" in Troy, Michigan. As a professional chef and clinical psychologist, she offers personalized healing programs and health supportive cooking lessons. She can be reached at 248-614-1784.
