It is a fact that eating gives us comfort and there is a lot of confusion about food these days. On the one hand we have the food industry pushing ready-made meals that are quick and convenient to fit in with our busy lives. And on the other hand, we have food gurus telling us that we should eat fresh, natural products low in fat. It almost makes food a danger zone, where it can be categorized as being harmful or healing.

When I was growing up, food was expensive and my parents had to feed four hungry children. Goodies were always rationed and biscuits were expensive — we always had to share. Comfort food is often food that we enjoyed in childhood. It involves smells and tastes that remind us of being safe and loved. In times when you are happy or busy you will be less likely to need comfort food — but if you notice that meals and treats and secret comfort eating play a large part in your life, you may be relying on comfort food far more than is really acceptable.

If you regularly eat large quantities to make you feel better rather than out of hunger, then you are using comfort eating as a coping mechanism. But it does not help you to cope. Be honest — it leaves you feeling disappointed and guilty.

The first steps toward moving away from comfort eating is to tell yourself out loud that food cannot solve problems. If you have some areas of life that bother you, make a decision. If these are small irritants, let them go out of your head. If they cause you considerable grief, then don’t let the situation go on and on. Take action. Do your best to sort it out and you will be pleased with yourself for doing so. Taking action is far better for your well-being than resorting to a tub of ice cream or a packet of chips.

Recipe of the Week

Low-fat Moist Carrot Cake

Serves 12

Ingredients

175 g dark brown sugar, sifted

2 large eggs at room temperature

120 ml sunflower oil

200 g wholemeal self-raising flour

11/2 level teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

3 rounded teaspoons mixed spice

grated zest 1 orange

200 g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

175 g sultanas

Method

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C).

Begin by whisking the 6 oz (175 g) sugar, eggs and oil together in a bowl using an electric hand whisk for 2-3 minutes. Then sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and the mixed spice into the bowl, tipping in all the bits of bran that are left in the sieve. Now stir all this together, then fold in the orange zest, carrots and sultanas. After that pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the center shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until it is well risen and feels firm and springy to the touch when lightly pressed in the centre.

When the cake is completely cold, remove it from the tin, spread the topping over, cut it into 12 squares and dust with a little more cinnamon.

Ask Alva

I want to know whether I can reduce weight by walking alone and having healthy food. Now I walk for 30 minutes daily on a treadmill (started only this week). I’m 164 cm tall and weigh 79 kg. Can you please tell me my ideal weight? Can you tell me how many calories I should lose daily so that I can reach my ideal weight within three months? Waiting for your reply.

— Teena John

There are no hard and fast rules about how many calories you need to burn to lose weight in a given period of time. Certainly if you follow a balanced diet and walk at a brisk pace for between 45 — 60 minutes daily, it should help you to shed some weight. You could also look at Actrim to speed up your weight loss, as it is a completely natural fruit based slimming supplement. Of course you should also examine your diet, because if you are eating more than your body needs, you will never lose weight. One good starting point would be to look at my Healthy Eating Guide and you can obtain a free copy by e-mailing to [email protected]. I would like to see you reduce to 75 kilos as your first target, and eventually you should get down to 63 kilos.