Comfort food that won't swell your waistline

When you've had a rough day, all you want to do is curl up with a good book and eat something tasty. However, most of the delicious comfort foods we know and love also have the unfortunate side effect of ballooning our waistlines. The comfort foods listed below are just as tasty as the full calorie versions and they also won't increase your waistline.

Yes, brownies can be made healthy. Because chocolate is a very strong flavour, it will cover most changes to a recipe, allowing you to reduce the amount of calories in a single brownie without affecting taste. In fact, it's possible to prepare a pan of brownies with just 160 calories per serving with recipes that use substitutes such as whole wheat flour and yogurt.

You can greatly cut back on the number calories by reducing the amount of fat in a cheesecake. Substituting the rich flavour of cream cheese for low-fat cottage cheese can also make quite a difference. If you want more flavour, toss in some frozen cherries rather than artificially flavoured syrup.

Even mac and cheese can be made healthier. Rather than relying on artificial cheese and whole milk, use evaporated milk and Muenster, cheddar, and Parmesan cheeses.

Pancakes may be the most delicious breakfast pastries available. (Sorry, waffle fans!) However, they are often full of calories, and it doesn't help when they're smothered in sugary syrup.

Make pancakes using Greek yogurt and fresh fruit to help reduce some of those calories and turn them into a perfectly healthy and delicious breakfast or dinner option, depending on your mood.

Comfort food doesn't have to be unhealthy. Learning how to reduce the calorie count means you can eat these foods without guilt when you've had a rough day and all you want to do is relax.