5 healthy alternatives to comfort food favorites

Comfort food. It’s right in the name. From a cheesy slice of pizza to a midnight pint of ice cream, comfort foods are there when you need them. Sadly, they’re not the healthiest of foods. If they were, it’s all anyone would eat! But luckily the recipe world is full of healthy alternatives to less-than-healthy meals. Here are 5 healthy alternatives to your favorite comfort foods.

If you want: Pizza

Try: Quinoa pizza bites (gluten-free)

Credit: Jessica In The Kitchen

Pizza is the holy grail of comfort foods, and as such might feel irreplaceable by a healthy alternative. But these quinoa pizza bites prove that wrong. They’re easy, bite-sized, and packed with protein. So go ahead and have seconds. Or thirds. Or fourths!

If you want: Ice cream

Try: Banana “nice cream” (vegan)

Credit: Minimalist Baker

Sometimes all you need is a pint and a spoon. If ice cream is your go-to comfort food, consider banana “nice cream!” It’s got less sugar and more fiber than traditional dairy ice cream, and can easily be made according to your favorite flavors. Enjoy a bowl of banana ice cream to cool down on a hot day and you won’t even know the difference. 

If you want: A burger

Try: A sweet potato black bean burger (vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free)

Credit: Cookie and Kate

These sweet potato burgers are more fibrous than regular meat patties and are packed with vitamins and minerals. This recipe is also vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free. Talk about a mouthful!

If you want: Nachos

Try: Cauliflower nachos with turkey meat (low-carb, keto-friendly)

Credit: Wholesome Yum

Nothing goes with game day quite like a gooey plate of nachos. If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to this classic comfort food, try replacing the chips with cauliflower florets! Ditching the chips makes this recipe deliciously low-carb, and turkey is a healthier meat choice for nachos as well, as it’s typically lower in saturated fat than beef. 

If you want: Lasagna

Try: Zucchini lasagna (low-carb, gluten-free, keto-friendly)

Credit: Downshiftology

This zucchini lasagna is easy, low-carb, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and loaded with veggies. Just swap out regular lasagna noodles for long, thin slices of zucchini. You could even go vegan with a meatless sauce and vegan cheese

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