5 Comfort Foods That Are Bad For You

I turn to comfort food for two reasons. I'm either sick or I'm really, really sad and need to drown my sorrows. So it doesn't make me to happy to find out that two of my favorite comfort foods have made this list of the 5 most unhealthy comfort foods. Take a peek and see if your favorite comfort food made the list.

1. Pecan Pie

It has nuts so it’s healthy right? Not so fast. It’s alright to enjoy a slice here or there during the holiday season, but it’s not something that you want to indulge in every night. A small slice tends to contain over 500 calories and between 22 and 27 grams of fat. Need to fill your pie craving? Reach for a slice of pumpkin. Pumpkin pie has about 14 grams of 14 per slice. Oh and if that’s not enough to make you think twice about how much pecan pie you eat, keep in mind that pecan pie is also loaded up with syrup, sugar and lots and lots of butter.

2. Starbucks’ White Hot Chocolate

If you’ve ever had a cup of Starbucks’ white hot chocolate then you know how creamy and buttery it tastes. It’s definitely heaven in your mouth. But all of that heaven in your mouth comes with a price- 19 grams of fat, 12 grams of which are saturated fat, 63 grams of carbs, and 480 calories. Oh, and that’s just for a grande!

3. Chowders and Bisques

I don’t know about you, but the very first thing I reach for when I’m sick is creamy soup, but that’s not such a great idea. If the soup you’re eating is a chowder or bisque, it’s loaded with cream and calories. One can of Campbell’s Chunky New England Clam Chowder has 26 grams of fat, 460 calories and 1,780 milligrams. But don’t think you’re off the hook with regular old Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup either. A can of this soup (which holds two and a half servings) has as many as 890 milligrams of sodium in one serving.  Your best bet? Make your own soup from scratch and cut back on the calories.

4. Pot Pies

Pot pies are one of my all time favorite comfort foods and you’d think that by combining veggies, meat, and dairy you’d be making a healthy choice…until you start looking into the nutritional numbers. A serving of a Marie Callender’s pot pie will generally have about 500 calories and 30 grams of fat and that’s about half of an adult’s daily intake. 

5. Cheesy baked pasta dishes

Lasagna, macaroni and cheese (my favorite!) or any other pasta coated with ooey gooey cheese is so not good for you. Ready for this? One quarter cup of macaroni and cheese can have nearly 300 calories, and let’s be honest, who’s eating just a quarter cup at a time? Not me!