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For Ellie, Who Loved Applesauce

in The Too Busy to Diet Blog on December 27, 2013

Written by Monica

I decided to write about applesauce, because it reminds me of my horse Ellie who liked it. In fact, she loved it. Just recently, she had not been feeling well. She was an older mare, and keeping weight on her wasn’t easy. So, I looked for comfort foods. I watched her neighbor Buddy across the aisle eat his applesauce with lots of enthusiasm, so I decided to try some. She loved it! I immediately went and bought a large jar of Mott’s applesauce (the same applesauce from when I was a kid).

I realized it’s been around forever. In fact, the company was founded in 1842. It brought back memories of growing up eating it. Now, all grown up and a registered dietitian, I immediately checked the nutrition label. It’s low in calories; only 70 for a serving and 50 for the low-calorie version. I admit that most of the carbohydrates come from sugar (if you buy the natural version, you avoid high fructose corn syrup), but the good news is that there is no fat, no sodium, and no cholesterol. It’s also now portable coming in those handy snack packs to take with you anywhere. It doesn’t have to be refrigerated or heated. And did I mention that it’s cheap and can be found just about anywhere? No fancy stores required. Your neighborhood shop will do.

I know that eating applesauce isn’t really cool. It’s not Greek yogurt that’s high in protein and other nutrients, and it doesn’t tout containing probiotics or trendy vitamins and minerals.  It’s not the ever-popular quinoa, which we all know is good for you (and took me a few times to learn to pronounce). But applesauce tastes really good, goes down easily, and is the perfect comfort food. Young and old like it, and even better, Ellie loved it. She even nickered when I brought out that old-fashioned jar and started scooping some up for her. She felt better for a time and even started putting on weight, thanks to good ol’ Mott’s. She unfortunately took a turn for the worse and we said goodbye to her yesterday, but we know that applesauce brightened the last of her days. It really is a comfort food.

By the way, did I mention that my goldendoodle’s name is Motts? Applesauce, as you see, will forever hold a special place in my heart and in my pets.

More about applesauce

• Did you know that applesauce can replace melted butter and oil in baking for a lower-fat product? Give it a try; it tastes delicious.
• Want to make your own applesauce? It’s very easy! Look here.