Think about your favorite foods – what comes to mind? Grandma’s
peach cobbler? Buttery mashed potatoes smothered in gravy? A cheesy pizza with
your favorite toppings? Ooh, How about a Lobster tail with melted butter! Hey
I’m pretty comfortable with that! Obviously, we love these comfort foods because they taste
good; but are there deeper psychological reasons why
we crave them so much? Of course, there are, and I’ve got a list: 1. Comfort
Foods Remind Us of Childhood Part of the definition of comfort food is that
it reminds us of the delicious home-cooked food we ate as kids. It reminds us
of happy times around the dinner table as children, whether it was at a family gathering,
cookout, or a holiday. That childhood food reminds us of simpler times; times that
were so different from our hectic adult lives. To bring us back to those happy
times, of course, we want to reach for some of the foods we associate with them.
2. It Just Makes Us Feel Better You know those scenes in rom-coms where the girl
is cuddled up in bed crying over her boyfriend while eating a pint of ice
cream? The other part that defines comfort food is that it’s usually sugary
or high in carbs. Foods with this content – sugar, fat, and carbs – make our
brains send us the happy signal, giving us a temporary sense of well-being, and
elevating our mood. Plus, if that snack you’re eating reminds you of childhood,
that’s even more comforting! Come to think of it, you never see the gal crying
and eating carrot sticks, now do you? 3. Comfort Food Affects Your Brain
Chemistry Not to get too science-y here, but those “happy chemicals” I
mentioned are the brain’s reward system. Say you’re feeling blue and start
craving some ooey-gooey mac and cheese. If you’re feeling down, your brain is
sending out “sad” chemicals. If you eat the carb-rich mac and cheese, you get
the instant gratification of a dose of “happy” chemicals from your brain,
yaa-hoo! effectively rewarding you for your indulgence. So craving comfort food
is not your fault! Oh, I feel better now. 4. It’s An Easy Way to Self-Medicate
We’ve all been there – stress eating. And when we’re stress eating, we probably
reach for those salty potato chips or our favorite cookies. Yeah, been there
done that. When we’re feeling negative emotions is when we want comfort food
the most. (Enter that chemical work of the brain.) We might even find ourselves
thinking: “Hey, I’m going through a rough time; I deserve this doughnut!” Be
careful though: this kind of thinking can lead to an unhealthy cycle of
overeating. 5. Helps Us Overcome Loneliness (And Other Negative Emotions) Maybe
you live in a different place than you did as a child and you haven’t seen your
family in a while. You might feel a little isolated and lonely! So, you think
of those fond memories you have of everyone being together, say, around the Thanksgiving
table. Food and family tend to go hand in hand. Maybe you start to crave that
pie that Grandma always used to make for Thanksgiving. You go to your local
market and find a pie, and you feel better (though, it’s not as good as
Grandma’s, …). It may even make you feel safe and secure. Yeah, pie…. 6. Special
Occasions Speaking of Grandma’s pie at Thanksgiving…yeah, this is why the
holidays are associated with so much eating! You probably feel a sense of
nostalgia around the holidays, and can’t wait to get your hands on that food
you feel sentimental about. (Yes, it’s totally possible to feel nostalgic about
food!) Eating that food associated with that nostalgia causes our brains to
send out some serious amounts of “happy” chemicals. And, hey, it’s a special
occasion, right? 7. It’s The Perfect Distraction Ugghh, you don’t want to study
for that big exam, or do that pile of paperwork, or complete that to-do list. The
perfect thing would be to grab a snack, right? But in any of the above
situations, we’re probably under some degree of stress. So we reach for that
sweet or salty snack. This satisfies our craving for a delicious distraction
and puts us in a “happy place” for a while! 8. The Smell of Comfort Food Is
Everywhere Our senses of smell and taste are obviously pretty intertwined. Just
smelling comfort food can make us crave it. That smell may also be associated with
fond memories, such as your childhood home or the county fair. In particular,
here, I’m talking about fried foods. For example, say you’re driving along a
road that offers a lot of fast food choices. When you smell that fried food,
you may think back to when you were a kid, and Mom would pick up some of this
fast food as a treat. Smell is a powerful thing that can be associated with
memories just as much as our other senses can! 9. We Associate Comfort Food
with Relationships We’ve talked about Grandma and her pie; we may also
associate comfort food with Mom’s cooking, times with childhood friends or
current friends, or maybe even with our first date with our spouse. If you
think about it, food and relationships go hand-in-hand, even outside family
gatherings. Say on your first date with your spouse or current partner you went
to the county fair and got a delicious corn dog and cheese curds. Now, if
you’re missing your partner or you have an argument, you may crave that corn dog
because it reminds you of good times. Plus, who doesn’t love fair food?? 10. It
Just Looks Delicious or Cute You walk past a bakery and see a display of beautiful
cakes in the window and end up walking out with a cookie that’s iced like a
unicorn. If we see something attractive, we want to be part of it, or for it to
become part of us. It’s just a natural human reaction. By eating an adorable
unicorn cookie, we feel like we are taking on some of that cuteness. Or say you
see a TV commercial that features a plate of nachos. You can see the cheese
melting down the nacho tower; you can see the steam coming off the meat, and
the veggies on it look colorful and bright. Is your mouth watering? Our sense
of sight plays a big role in deciding which foods we want to eat. How comfort
food looks can trigger a craving for it. 11. Comfort Food Is Part of Our
Culture Every culture has its own comfort foods. And haven’t comfort foods
always been part of your life? How often in childhood did you hear, “It’s
alright, we’ll go get some ice cream and everything will be okay” or something
along those lines? Comfort food is pretty deeply entrenched in our customs. Thanksgiving
isn’t complete without pumpkin pie. Superbowl parties just aren’t right without
nachos and wings. Hot dogs and baseball just go together. And what would
Halloween be without Trick or Treating for candy? Plus, don’t we all have fond
memories of these activities, and want to pass them along to our own children? Comfort
food is just a delicious part of life. Mmm, now I’m hungry! We should be
careful though; cravings for comfort food can lead to overeating and weight gain.
This is where the old saying “too much of a good thing” definitely applies. If
you’re craving a portion of comfort food, take a step back for a second: are you actually
hungry? Or do you want this food because you’re bored, down in the dumps, or
stressed out? Try drinking water instead, or grabbing a healthy snack. Or
constructively channel your feelings – go for a run, walk the dog, call
a friend. You don’t want to get stuck in an unhealthy cycle. You’re going to
crave and indulge in comfort food, and that’s okay! Just remember that
moderation is key. Alright, it’s your turn. What are your favorite comfort
foods, and why?
SUMMARY:
- That childhood food reminds us of simpler times; times that were so different from our hectic adult lives.
- Foods with this content – sugar, fat, and carbs – make our brains send us the happy signal, giving us a temporary sense of well-being, and elevating our mood.
- If you eat the carb-rich mac and cheese, you get the instant gratification of a dose of “happy” chemicals from your brainю
- Eating that food associated with nostalgia causes our brains to send out some serious amounts of “happy” chemicals.
- We’ve all been there – stress eating. And when we’re stress eating, we probably reach for those salty potato chips or our favorite cookies.
- We may also associate comfort food with Mom’s cooking, times with childhood friends or current friends, or maybe even with our first date with our spouse.
- Our senses of smell and taste are obviously pretty intertwined. Just smelling comfort food can make us crave it. That smell may also be associated with fond memories, such as your childhood home or the county fair.
- If we see something attractive, we want to be part of it, or for it to become part of us.
- If you’re craving a portion of comfort food, take a step back for a second: are you actually hungry? Or do you want this food because you’re bored, down in the dumps, or stressed out? Try drinking water instead, or grabbing a healthy snack.
- Every culture has its own comfort foods. And haven’t comfort foods always been part of your life?
- We should be careful though; cravings for comfort food can lead to overeating and weight gain.
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