Snowstorms in late March usually mean a lot of cursing, trudging around and general misery. When the weather has me down, my answer is usually to sit around and make food until I’m lulled into complacency.

Comfort food can be a nice break from reality when pressures from school, or just a bad mood, get to be too much. It’s important to remember eating three pints of Triple Chocolate ice cream or an entire fried chicken will probably make you feel worse than when you started, even if it feels great during the grub-down.Comfort food doesn’t have to be junk; it can be any food that welcomes and makes one feel at home. It should conjure a sense of nostalgia and ease, and in this respect, comfort food could be just about anything. For instance, I feel way more comfortable with a plate of steamed fish in a ginger-soy sauce in front of me than I would if I were eating a piece of chocolate cake. Most people I know would beg to differ. Herein lies the beauty of comfort food: Everyone’s tastes and conception of comforting foods differ, if even just slightly. There is a long list of popular stand-bys that many would consider comforting, and in this week’s Gastronomic Leap, I’m going to figure out how to get cozy with food without getting too greasy, too sugary or too salty.

Because this campus is in the midst of its second round of midterms, late-night studying and comfort eating is a top priority for me. A study session on the second or third floor of Helen C. White from dusk until dawn has a near guarantee of smelling a combination of pizza, Chinese food, subs, cookies and brownies. These delivery items are convenient and may be soothing, but they are seldom healthy and usually not good for studying. I spoke with Deborah Roussos, a registered dietitian with Group Health Cooperative in Madison, regarding ways to cut down on unhealthy eating habits while promoting brain function.

“Greasier food takes more digestion time and that is what can make you sleepy. If you’re going to eat late at night, try to plan ahead and ask yourself what you’ve already eaten and how much you plan on eating later,” Roussos said.

I’ve had plenty of experiences with high-fat foods (like eating two calzones and cheese sticks in an hour because there was a deal), but Roussos offered some suggestions on how to limit overeating.

“Some people like to eat while studying because they don’t want to take away focus from their studies. If you take a quick break, plan out what you want to eat and really savor and enjoy what you are eating, you will pay more attention to how much you are eating,” Roussos said.

With this in mind, things like fruit, vegetables and simple carbs are a good choice. This can also lead to comparatively cheaper study snacks when taking into account delivery fees and tips. A homemade fruit and yogurt parfait with lots of granola or cereal and milk can be way better for studying because they taste good and satisfy without ending up being a cheesy or chicken-flavored sleeping pill. Chocolate milk and dark chocolate both have their respective health benefits.

“A little bit of dark chocolate a day is actually quite good for you. It may even help you remember things because it helps with brain circulation,” Roussos said.

Those who aren’t crazy about sweets should stick to whole grains and healthy fats. Whole grain pretzels have recently become available, and nuts are also a nice, portable option for salt-lovers. String cheese with an apple is also an easy combo to put in a backpack for later. Those willing to plan ahead could make their own trail mix with some dark chocolate, lots of dried fruits and assorted nuts. Being conscious of when you are studying and what you are eating is not always going to be possible, but it is food for thought.

Still, plenty of people eat junk food outside of the library. The terrible weather of last weekend is just barely fading out of memory, but the guilt of overeating is perhaps not. A few suggestions can be made for those with a sweet tooth and those who turned to a pint (that isn’t beer) after they found out Grey’s Izzie has cancer. Moving ice cream into individual servings or buying single servings can help curb eating a bit too much.

“People do well with single servings because it takes effort to get another one out of the freezer, and they can see how much they are eating,” Roussos said.

It’s easy to see how true this is. A pint of ice cream contains 14 to 16 ounces, and an average chocolate-covered ice cream bar is about 2.5 ounces. Eating six Eskimo pies seems like much more of a undertaking than a whole pint because eating spoonful after spoonful doesn’t seem as bad as having a mess of empty wrappers on the table. Again, planning out what to eat and a bit of moderation is the key to success.

Some prefer chocolate cake or cheesecake to ice cream, and there is a solution for them as well. Try some chocolate pudding (make it yourself with skim milk, if not in the grips of laziness) and graham crackers with low-fat icing instead of buying pre-made pastries. I am a strong advocate of homemade over store-bought, and this is another option that is satisfying, delicious and not guilt-inducing even when eaten in large quantities.

Breakfast foods are also on many students’ list of comforting foods. Eggs can work without too much fat, and hash browns are also a good idea. Frozen bags of hash browns trump the pre-made hashy patties health-wise. The former is basically just a bag of shredded potatoes, and this cheap item allows for a lot of control over fat content.

“You should try using canola oil, which has less fat than butter or olive oil and is probably cheaper, too,” Roussos said.

Though there are many other recipes that could be considered, this column only has so much room. I would like to note quickly that spaghetti (whole grain), Mac ‘n Cheese, tomato soup (without cream), mashed potatoes, chili, corn-on-the-cob, Jell-O, homemade oatmeal and frozen fruit are all common comforts that can be tweaked slightly to be much healthier by substituting butter for margarine or by using low-fat milk.

Good luck with exams, and happy eating.

Alex Truong is a junior majoring in economics and history. He promises not to use the phrase “food for thought” for a very long time. Comments or hating can be sent to [email protected].