The snow was swirling and the kids were flinging snowballs and kicking snow at each other as we walked down the street to our houses.  “Why do I always want to bake chocolate chip cookies when it snows?” she asked.

For so many of us, comfort food —  those hearty, soul and belly satisfying, sweet and salty foods — seem be the “go-tos” when we’re housebound (and perhaps stir-crazy). They’re foods that are simple, familiar, and often have emotional ties and pleasant memories, especially of childhood.

What Can You Do When Your Cabin Fever And Calories Reach Stratospheric Levels?

You can do lots of things (including choosing your food very carefully), but sometimes wise choices are just not happening and the trips to the fridge go on and on.

You can try countering with some activity. It can do a lot for your mood and might burn some of those excess calories.

Calories Some Winter Activities Burn In An Hour

(numbers are for a 150 pound person)

• Building a Snowman:   285 calories
• Having a Snowball Fight:   319 calories
• Making Snow Angels:   214 calories
• Snowshoeing:  544 calories
• Shoveling snow:   408 calories
• Baking cookies:  170 calories
• Sledding:  476 calories
• Cross country skiing:  612 calories

What’s your favorite “snowed in” food?

The post What Do You Eat When You’re Snowed In? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

We spend a lot of hours at work — whether that means time at the office, at home, in the car, on an airplane, in a hotel, in a retail store, or anywhere else you conduct your business.  The challenges are enormous — especially in the face of ever-present food – a good deal of which is carb and fat loaded – and an environment which can range from fast paced, stressful, and overwhelming to boring or downright exhausting.

Using Food To Cope, Manage, And Procrastinate

All of this can push you into using food as a means of coping, procrastinating, or looking for energy to ward off fatigue.

• Try to identify what you usually do when you’re stressed, tired, or angry.  If your usual action is to grab a cookie or candy bar try to manage your stress without the reward foods. Instead of turning to a high-calorie, high-fat trigger foods to calm your nerves or as a reward, try some healthy, stress-relieving practices like deep breathing and meditation — and make them your default.

• Make a deal with yourself to work some activity into your workday.  Instead of using eating as an excuse to take a break, make taking a short walk – even if it’s around your office or to another floor — an essential part of your day. The quick walk will get you out of the immediate environment, let you blow off some steam, and burn an extra calorie or two. If you travel, walk in the airport rather than plopping yourself down in the food court or bar.

• If you eat out or order take out for any of your meals, scout out the restaurants, delis, salad bars – or even your own workplace lunchroom.  Identify the meal choices that are the best for you and make them your “go-tos” so you’re not caught in the trap of being starving or too busy to care when you order.   Have you ever been so hungry that you throw your best laid plans out the window and end up eating a whole pizza followed by a piece of chocolate cake?

• If you plan your route to work to intentionally pass your favorite coffee shop with the absolute best blueberry muffins — or find yourself using the rest room on the next floor because you have to walk by the vending machine with peanut M&Ms — think about changing your route.   Don’t taunt yourself with temptation. Do some thinking and planning.  If you’re going to have a snack, plan for it –  know what you’re going to eat and stick to your choice.  Contemplating your choices while standing in front of a bakery display or vending machine filled with candy or salty treats is a sure fire recipe for caving in.  Don’t deny yourself food – just make it good food.

• It’s always someone’s birthday — or it’s a holiday — or someone has brought in leftovers from their kid’s party  or a recipe that you just have to taste.  By the way, the reason they probably brought in the leftovers is because they don’t want them hanging around their house tempting them.  Have a strategy for the inevitable food fest of leftover cake, pizza, and bagels. Perhaps allow yourself a once or twice a week treat.  Just don’t make the snack room a routine place to visit to scrounge for the leftover cake.

• Install your own personal policy for bowl dipping —  you know – the dipping into the candy bowl at the receptionist’s desk, the jelly beans on your partner’s desk, the chocolates on the counter. Use whatever reason you have to – maybe think about all of the other hands – and where those hands have been – that are also dipping into the same bowl.

• If your desk drawer filled with reward food that stares at you every time you open the drawer, aren’t you tempting fate?  See it — eat it.   Need I say more?

The post Is Your Workplace A Food Landmine? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Chocolate chip cookies. That’s what a friend said to me as we waited for our kids to get off of the school bus after early dismissal from school because of snow.  Walking down the street to our houses, the snow was blowing sideways and the kids were ecstatic to be flinging snowballs at each other.  “Why do I always want to bake chocolate chip cookies when it snows?” was her question.

Who knows?  Although I’ve found no scientific study to back this up, I think we retreat to comfort food when we’re housebound – food that is simple, familiar, and often has emotional ties and pleasant memories, especially of childhood.

With the major snowfalls in the East this past week, there have been lots of recipes posted on the web for snow ice cream, maple syrup over snow – most of which caution using freshly fallen clean snow! Most of the recipes and food talk has been about hearty, belly satisfying food and sweet, perhaps soul satisfying food.

Right now my view from my windows is of snow coming down heavily and blowing sideways.  I can’t help but wonder if my friend – or maybe her kids – made chocolate chip cookies today.

The good thing is that having a snowball fight or shoveling snow (for a 150 pound person,15 minutes of shoveling burns about 100 calories) is one way to burning off some those comfort food calories.

The post What Do You Eat During A Snowstorm? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.