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All kinds of stress, from everyday life, to financial trauma, to family crisis can make us crave the good old fashioned comfort foods our Mom's and Grandmother's used to make. Yet these days, we are all well too aware of the need to eat healthy. What can we do?

First we need to think about cutting fat, sugar and calories. "Oh No!" you may be saying. The foods won't taste anything like I want them to, or how I remember them!

Never mind! We'll find a way to make comfort foods feel comforting again and still have them be healthier and filled with more nutrition!

This first one is an easy tip. If you are baking, don't use eggs! Substitute apple sauce. You get the same great consistency and an extra sweetness without the added cholesterol, and you can cut back on sugar. If a recipe calls for eggs, try to find the equivalent amount you would need in applesauce. Each recipe will vary, but in general, 4oz of applesauce can replace 1 egg as can cup of a mashed banana. This simple substitution can work well for everything from cookies, to muffins and beyond.

One great idea for changing the face of Mashed Potatoes is to make Green Potatoes! Yes, you read that right! Green potatoes incorporate broccoli and even kids love them!

This is such an easy one that kids love to help make them as well as eat them! Bake your potatoes, as usual. Steam broccoli, and when it's done and 1/3 cup or so of skim milk or soy milk and puree or just lets the kids smash it together! When that is done, and the potatoes are baked, scoop the pulp out, but leave the jackets ready to stuff. Mix together the broccoli mix and the potato pulp and put it all in the potato skin. Season to taste with pepper and/or low fat cheese. Put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 350.

Mac and cheese is always a favorite comfort food. Yet oh the calories, carbs and fat! Cut out some of each by trying whole wheat noodles, low-fat cheese and substituting spices, especially pepper for salt! Less cheese can still be tasty. Try reducing the amount you use each time you taste it. Wean yourself, slow but sure.

A really fun comfort dessert involves using a plain chocolate cake mix, adding 1 can of pumpkin puree, mixing both together. Spoon it mix out into muffin tins, bake at 350 for about 35 minutes (check with a toothpick to be sure) and you have low- cal, low-fat chocolate muffins.

Adding fresh vegetables to almost any recipe is a sure fire way to reduce fat and calories. If you are not able to get quality fresh vegetables, frozen ones are a good substitution.

For almost every comfort food you can think of, there are easy substitutions to make. Stop, think, and try different ideas! While this article offers you some suggestions, your ability to make changes is limitless! Use your imagination!

Learn more about this author, Laura Hinds.
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