Is there such a thing as healthy comfort food? Yes, there is

It’s February. The weather is mostly grey and blustery, and if we aren’t going away to the sun or the slopes, we start feeling like winter is getting long – even if it hasn’t been really cold.

For many of us, this is the time when we fall into a rut. We may have fallen off the resolution wagon and slowed down our workout schedule. It’s easy to rationalize those potato chips we ate while sitting on the couch or that extra snack we had at work.

We might even go down the rabbit hole of rationalizing those snacks.

I saw statistics recently that piqued my interest. (Being a gourmand makes me predisposed to liking dark chocolate.)

Did you know that a 100-gram bar of dark chocolate with 70–85% cocoa contains:

• 11 grams of fibre

• 67% of the recommended daily intake for iron

• 58% of the recommended daily intake for magnesium

• 89% of the recommended daily intake for copper

• 98% of the recommended daily intake for manganese

• Plenty of potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium

It was at that point I almost forgot, eating 100 grams of chocolate in one sitting is downright silly. But that was just because I was stuck in the winter blues.

Fear not, gentle reader. Those infinitely wise pundits (heavy on the “pun” here) have recently posted in the news they have the answer. They want us to eat all that comfort food and keep smiling on our couches and now we can do that without feeling guilty. After all, Super Bowl weekend is coming, and then Valentine’s Day. We need to participate in the snacking.

Some of our need for indulgence is about nostalgia, a concept central to comfort food. We like to remember happy times, and comfort food is usually centred around those times. The new secret is to add in a healthy component to that comfort food.

You might think I’m kidding. It is not just the rationalization that eating chocolate or ice cream makes you feel better, it is about including ingredients that have benefits such as immune-boosting antioxidants or healthy fats. The holistic benefits of spices like cinnamon, ginger and turmeric have also become more popular.

Some examples of trendy items are:

• Golden lattés with turmeric or ginger in hot chocolate

• Wild mushroom powder in nut butters

• Snack mixes flavoured with herbs and spices instead of salt

We could also approach health from a big-picture point of view, as in the health of our community and environment. If our efforts to indulge in some self-care with say, a hot chocolate on a winter day, and we support a local business during the Hot Chocolate Festival, then that offers comfort for us and the community.

The one shift that seems to be carrying on undaunted in this new world is the trend to eating plant-based foods. There are increasing efforts to showcase colourful dishes full of textures and flavours, enticing people to try this new approach to eating. Even if we don’t all get on this train 100%, it is certainly a healthy way of eating.

In closing, I have a selection of Superbowl-worthy snacks I saved that are all plant-based. Even if you’re not a believer, I’m sure you can use the basic recipe and add back in the meat or cheese if you wish.

Remember, if you support an independent local store when you buy any ingredients, you get extra points.

For those wondering about my advance advice for Valentine’s Day, it is simply this—forego the out-of-season roses and enjoy chocolate or whatever your favourite treat might be. That goes for everyone, single or attached.

Love must come from within. Be comfortable with yourself and you will likely find your comfort food is in a healthy balance too.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.