healthycrone Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I'm right in the middle of my 1st W30, today is day 14. Had a stressful morning of diagnostics at the Dr and as I was driving home, I found myself thinking of my old comfort foods, which of course, are off limits. (yes, i am totally an emotional eater!) What I did was come home & make a big ass salad, with a little bit of everything I could find in the fridge mixed in. Spinach & mixed greens, tomato, green pepper, toasted coconut, chicken, hard boiled egg, a chopped up pear, leftover roasted carrots. Although it wasn't the same, it was oddly comforting. I'm betting come winter I'll still be reaching for a good stew, just with better ingredients! What are your new comfort foods now that grilled cheese sandwiches and donuts are the thing of the past? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Truth. I no longer reward myself or use food for comfort. That thinking got me nowhere good. It's taken me over a year to create that new thought pattern. I think old comfort foods are the inspiration for creating SWYPO's...not that you would but for others the gears begin to grind how to make a swapped out version of an old favorite to take its place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Sorry to hear you had a stressful morning. Instead of reaching for food to comfort you, I'd suggest using the Whole30 to find non-food ways to soothe. Ideas include things like calling a friend, taking a walk, doing a craft, reading a book, putting on your favorite music. Treat it like an experiment to see what other non food options you can play with during your journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTNan Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Yup, what Meadow and GFchris said. Food is fuel, not comfort. You wouldn't put comfort food in the gas tank of your car and expect it to run, would you? Then why do we expect this of our bodies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healthycrone Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 Perhaps I worded that poorly. This is how I see it. Food is fuel, yes. But in our culture, food and the surrounding rituals of life are inextricable from each other. We are here to learn to make better choices for ourselves and to hopefully slay our food "demons". But if food is only fuel, and you derive no pleasure or comfort from the preparation, sharing or consumption of it, then I guess I feel a bit sorry for you. Yes, there is tangible comfort to be found in spending time with Mama Gaia, making contact with a friend, having a heart to heart with my DH.However the reality is that how I feel, as well as the season and many other factors, determines what I reach for when meal time rolls around. If it's winter, I'm likely going to look for a stew or soup (and once upon a time, some fresh homemade bread), in the summer a salad is more likely. If I'm feeling ill, homemade chicken soup is the order of the day no matter what the season. There are certain foods we all associate with our holidays. And, yes, being who I am, if I'm stressed or blue for some reason that will influence my choice also. Before W30, that choice would likely have been a grilled cheese sandwich, followed by a big bowl of ice cream. I made a better choice, a big salad, and I'm thinking maybe some of the components of that salad may become the new (and healthier) meals I go for under those same circumstances in the future. I'm learning to make healthier choices, as we all are, but I am still human. I like to eat. I like to cook. I derive pleasure from the making, consuming and sharing of food, and sometimes, yes, comfort too. I'm not talking about going off on a binge. I'm not even talking about a snack or dessert. I'm talking about the kind of food I choose when I feel a certain way (or it's hot or cold or whatever). It was a meal. A compliant one at that. I know I'm not the only one who wants to make helathy choices but not divorce from the psycho-social aspects surrounding food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Thanks for clarifying your perspective.I've considered myself a "foodie" for a long time. I love and appreciate good food. Discovering the Whole30 two years ago gave me an even larger appreciation for consuming whole, nutrient-dense food and doing so in a flavorful, delicious way. It also raised my consciousness on avoiding mindless snacking and eating to quell emotions vs. allowing emotions to be and dealing with them in a non-food constructive way.Now I eat more often for fuel, and I enjoy even more quality food for my meals. There are times of year where a certain type of food calls to me more than another: this time of year (summer in the US), I'll be making farmer's market gazpacho soon. In the winter, Tom Denham's Hot Thai Chicken with Cauliflower and Broccoli is the bomb. Using unique greens from the assortment at my neighborhood farmer's market. Incorporating pastured ground pork from a local farm to make Well Fed's Bora Bora Fireballs for the 4th of July and having them, along with sunshine sauce be a huge hit at the annual family cookout. This all brings me joy: consciously eating nourishing food and sharing that with family and friends. I hope that answers your question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munkers Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 The concept of comfort food, for me, has come to be about those times where I feel taken care of. It's not as much about the recipe itself or how labor intensive it is (my normal under 10min quick-cook breakfast falls into this category), but more about how it just kind of feels like a hug from the universe when I have food in front of me that's tasty AND nourishing. Or when I come home exhausted from work and my husband has dinner ready even if all he did was reheat leftovers. That's comfort food for me. A couple of discoveries and favorite recipes: -Leftover roasted sweet potato added to a salad and dressed in balsamic. (Even better if the salad has some hardboiled egg added to it.) - African nut butter stew -Stove top chicken casserole -Silky gingered zucchini soup Truth be told, I may just be a sucker for a hot meal in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted July 15, 2015 Moderators Share Posted July 15, 2015 The concept of comfort food, for me, has come to be about those times where I feel taken care of. It's not as much about the recipe itself or how labor intensive it is (my normal under 10min quick-cook breakfast falls into this category), This! I feel most comforted and cared for on Saturday and Sunday mornings when I cook myself my favorite breakfast. It's potato slices, sauteed green beans and eggs. Not exactly mind blowing but for me, I feel like I make a special effort to make weekend morning breakfasts 'special'. I actually find it interesting because the 'comfort foods' that I used to eat (ice cream mainly) are really of no 'comfort' anymore. it makes me feel lousy, does nothing for my emotions (hello pint of ice cream guilt) and doesn't resolve what's going on... I'd be more comforted by that above breakfast or a deconstructed pork burger with a side of veg and home made ranch... because making and eating that instead of ice cream shows me that I value myself and what's more comforting than that! sorry for the ramble... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishgal Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I belief food is hugely important in life, not to mention its social and family importance, so for me to go down the food is just fuel route is to take away a massive part of life that I'm not willing to accept. Food here truly is life. That said my current comforting (or favourite if it makes anyone feel better) foods are homemade mayonnaise, garlic and herb roast chicken, slightly charred roasted vegetables cooked in duck fat (particularly onions at the moment), steak kebabs with brightly coloured peppers and mushrooms, chicken Thai green curry over broccoli flecked with slivered almonds instead of rice, cauliflower mash, garlicky ghee prawns, ice cold fizzy water with lemon slices and rocket with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil Not all together mind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted July 15, 2015 Moderators Share Posted July 15, 2015 Not all together mind... Why not all together? It sounds like a feast!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishgal Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Why not all together? It sounds like a feast!! On second thoughts you're right! I'm tempted to bung the chicken in the oven tonight for dinner instead of waiting till tomorrow now!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munkers Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Add moussaka to the list. I'm eating some right now for lunch and it's kind of amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishgal Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I love moussaka grew up going to Greek islands for the summers as a child so it's always been a favourite. Now if I could find my favourite food of all time (squid) without it being battered in any shops near me I'd be overjoyed! I currently have to get the train to buy it X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted July 16, 2015 Moderators Share Posted July 16, 2015 Tell me, Britishgal, how do you prepare your squid? I just found it frozen in a bag for $3... big rings but I don't know what to do with it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishgal Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I either cut it into ring/slices after defrosting and fry it quickly (usual method) before liberally applying lemon juice or stuff it with peppers or whatever I fancy (and feta when not on a whole30) and put it in my George Foreman grill. I have various other methods (mainly Chinese recipes from my Hong Kong born ex fil) but they all contain ingredients I no longer eat sadly like soy sauce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElishaLoweRN Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Mmmm thanks everyone for your perspectives and more importantly sharing comfort foods recipes. I need to think of food as fuel more often for sure...still I want to thoroughly enjoy it. Good for the original poster for reaching for a big salad instead of junk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaPT Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 I am so into experimenting with sweet potatoes and squash. Spaghetti squash is a magic vegetable!! You get noodles from it hhahhahaha. I am such a silly skeptic. I read all this good stuff from Whole 30 and say pfffft...squash-bleck. Well....wow, butter squash is soooo good. I have been dicing it and sweet potatoes and having them caramelize in the pan. I made spaghetti squash and topped the lovely noodles with homemade pasta sauce that was LOADED with vegetables and some lean ground meat. What I have learned on my Whole 30 is that there is food that has nutrients that can be prepared in ways that I ACTUALLY LOOK FORWARD TO IT and would even RATHER IT MY OWN COOKING OVER A RESTAURANT!!!!!! This is big stuff for me. I can make a breakfast worthy of a picture in a magazine. (egg white and spinach frittata folded over and dollops of salsa on top with a side of sweet potato medallions.) I can make a salad and I eat like a starved animal because it is so dang good whereas in the past the idea of salad was just more boring than staring at a cement block. I have learned to make fists when I want to eat just to eat for moods. Fists tell your brain that you are fighting. I am on day 56 of my Whole 30 Bring on day 100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted July 21, 2015 Moderators Share Posted July 21, 2015 I am so into experimenting with sweet potatoes and squash. Spaghetti squash is a magic vegetable!! You get noodles from it hhahhahaha. I am such a silly skeptic. I read all this good stuff from Whole 30 and say pfffft...squash-bleck. Well....wow, butter squash is soooo good. I have been dicing it and sweet potatoes and having them caramelize in the pan. I made spaghetti squash and topped the lovely noodles with homemade pasta sauce that was LOADED with vegetables and some lean ground meat. What I have learned on my Whole 30 is that there is food that has nutrients that can be prepared in ways that I ACTUALLY LOOK FORWARD TO IT and would even RATHER IT MY OWN COOKING OVER A RESTAURANT!!!!!! This is big stuff for me. I can make a breakfast worthy of a picture in a magazine. (egg white and spinach frittata folded over and dollops of salsa on top with a side of sweet potato medallions.) I can make a salad and I eat like a starved animal because it is so dang good whereas in the past the idea of salad was just more boring than staring at a cement block. I have learned to make fists when I want to eat just to eat for moods. Fists tell your brain that you are fighting. I am on day 56 of my Whole 30 Bring on day 100 Good for you! Now, why are you making egg white frittata? Use the whole egg -- most of the nutrients and good, healthy fat is in the yolk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaPT Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Sadly. whole eggs have not agreed with me since I had my gall bladder out about 20years ago. Now that I have gone through whole 30 twice I may try the whole egg again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted July 22, 2015 Moderators Share Posted July 22, 2015 Sadly. whole eggs have not agreed with me since I had my gall bladder out about 20years ago. Now that I have gone through whole 30 twice I may try the whole egg again. Ahh, that makes sense then. We get lots of people leaving them out, thinking that it's healthier because of the less fat, less cholesterol stuff, so I thought I should mention it. Don't feel you have to try eggs if you have really bad reactions to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawie Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Thanks for clarifying your perspective. I've considered myself a "foodie" for a long time. I love and appreciate good food. Discovering the Whole30 two years ago gave me an even larger appreciation for consuming whole, nutrient-dense food and doing so in a flavorful, delicious way. It also raised my consciousness on avoiding mindless snacking and eating to quell emotions vs. allowing emotions to be and dealing with them in a non-food constructive way. Now I eat more often for fuel, and I enjoy even more quality food for my meals. There are times of year where a certain type of food calls to me more than another: this time of year (summer in the US), I'll be making farmer's market gazpacho soon. In the winter, Tom Denham's Hot Thai Chicken with Cauliflower and Broccoli is the bomb. Using unique greens from the assortment at my neighborhood farmer's market. Incorporating pastured ground pork from a local farm to make Well Fed's Bora Bora Fireballs for the 4th of July and having them, along with sunshine sauce be a huge hit at the annual family cookout. This all brings me joy: consciously eating nourishing food and sharing that with family and friends. I hope that answers your question? That Bora Bora Fireballs sounds amazing. I will definitely have to give that one a go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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