Heart&Stroke Health Check^TM Program

A warm woolly sweater, a blizzard sweeping the streets, and a good movie.  Nothing sets up the atmosphere better for comfort food than that. The definition of comfort food varies from person to person, however.  To some, this may mean a steamy bowl of soup, chilli or porridge.  To others, this may mean a steamy bowl of poutine. 

“There are plenty of options to make your comfort food healthy,” says Carol Dombrow, Heart and Stroke Foundation registered dietitian.  “One of the best options is experimenting with different soups.  They come in a variety of tastes, colours and textures,” she adds.
Soups are also a perfect opportunity to include a variety of vegetables and get your liquids for the day.  Whether it is lentil soup, roasted red pepper soup or low-sodium chicken noodle soup, they each bring health benefits in its cup of hot comfort.

For instance, a home-made tomato soup is a great source of vitamin C, while a cup of spinach lentil soup is a powerhouse of nutrients, such as vitamin C, iron and fibre.  A roasted red pepper soup is not only delicious, but also provides the body with Vitamin A. 
But whether soup will become your comfort food of choice or not, Carol stresses that there is always a way of making your bowl a bit healthier.
Follow Carol’s tips to make the most of your comfort foods:

• Try a new soup recipe each week.  For recipes, visit healthcheck.org.
• Lentil soup is a great source of fibre. It is easy to prepare and cooks quickly. Try it out.
• For your next batch of macaroni and cheese, consider lower-fat cheese and whole wheat pasta, and include some veggies for colour and flavour.
• When making a cream-based soup, use a lower-fat alternative, such as lower-fat milk.
• Soups are a great way of incorporating your daily vegetable servings into your diet. 
• When making chilli or spaghetti sauce, use lower-sodium tomato sauce or no added salt canned tomatoes and extra lean beef or ground turkey.
• Make sure that you always have your daily serving of fruits or vegetables.  This may mean a side salad to your main dish or a low-fat fruit smoothie for a beverage.

For recipe ideas, visit healthcheck.org, or download Health Check’s Recipe Helper app.  The free app – available in English or French − can be downloaded at the Apple, Android, and BlackBerry app stores or at www.heartandstroke.ca/mobileapps.