For many of us, food is so much more than a matter of eating to satisfy physical hunger. We comfort ourselves with
food, we celebrate special events with food, we bond with others while sharing a meal, we create memories with food,
and we communicate how much we care about others with food. The American Institute for Cancer Research, AICR, defines
comfort food as feel-good food that is both nourishing and nurturing. Food appeals to all our senses -- the smell of
warm baked cookies; the taste of sweet, salty, or tart; the sight of vibrant colors that decorate the plate; and the
textures of creamy and crunchy. Food is a means of time travel because food can evoke memories of a simpler time that
made more sense. Food can be a comfort. However, most comfort foods are also fattening foods. The AICR offers fat substitutions, so that we can have our cake and eat it too. Following are some suggestions for substituting fats that make us fat, with fats that are not as fat-threatening -- and nutritionally -- more cancer prevention-friendly.
For cooking:
- Cream to thicken soups -- substitute with -- puréed vegetables or potatoes
- Oil base for marinade -- substitute with -- citrus juice flavored vinegar
- Stick margarine -- substitute with -- olive oil or canola oil broth
- 2 oz. mild cheddar cheese -- substitute with -- 1 oz. reduced fat sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- High-fat sauces for meat or poultry -- substitute with -- vegetables purées of blend steamed broccoli, sautéed onion, garlic, salt and pepper or use fruit salsa
- White rice -- substitute with -- brown rice bulghur kasha quinoa whole wheat couscous
- Bread crumbs -- substitute with -- toasted wheat germ and whole wheat bread crumbs
- Ground meat -- substitute with -- ground turkey breast less meat finely chopped vegetables crumbled tofu, tempeh or textured vegetable protein
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine -- substitute with -- 1/4 cup applesauce or prune puree 1/4 cup canola oil, butter or margarine
- 1 egg -- substitute with -- 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
- Pastry pie crust -- -- substitute with -- Phyllo crust or graham cracker crust
- 1 cup chocolate chips -- substitute with -- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips chopped nuts chopped dried fruits such as cranberries, raisins, apricots, or cherries for quick breads and muffins
To find more substitutions, visit The American Institute for Cancer Research.
