Comfort foods
Food has many roles in our lives. We physically need it to survive but we also use it to socialise, to celebrate, it has cultural and religious significance and to many, it is a source of comfort.
Throughout our lives we may associate certain foods or meals with positive memories and emotions. When we consume these foods, they can trigger feelings of happiness and comfort, helping to relieve stress and anxiety. Over time this can become a learned behaviour, so when we are feeling upset or stressed, we use food as a coping mechanism.
Comfort foods can differ from person to person based on individual preferences and cultural backgrounds. The common theme between them is that they tend to be high in calories in the form of carbohydrates, sugar, fat or a combination of all.
Foods that are high in carbohydrates, sugar and fat can have temporary positive effects on the body, which combined with the emotional reasons, can reinforce our desire for them when we are dealing with negative emotions.
Carbohydrates
Foods that are carbohydrate-based can cause a temporary boost to our mood.
This is because they stimulate the production of serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter involved in regulating our mood, emotions, sleep and digestion.
Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and many medications used to treat anxiety, depression and other mood disorders often target ways to increase the level of serotonin in your brain.
Sugar
Sugar is a type of carbohydrate and can be found naturally in foods such as fruit and milk. It is also added to many processed foods such as cakes, sweets, biscuits and ice cream.
Sweet foods has an impact on the reward centre in our brain which can have a short-term positive impact on our mood.
When we eat something high in sugar, that glucose gives us a quick boost of energy so we may seek out these types of foods when we’re feeling tired or sluggish.
Sugar also stimulates the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter which is involved in helping us feel pleasure as part of the brain’s reward system.
The more we do this, the more that this behaviour is reinforced. So in short, the more dopamine that is released, the more likely it is that we’ll repeat that behaviour.
Fat
Fat adds many appealing dimensions to food which makes it more desirable to us.
Fats play an important role in making foods satisfying or making us feel full. Our bodies absorb fatty foods at a slower pace than proteins or carbohydrates so it makes us feel full, and when we feel full, our brains trigger the release of hormones that also make us feel relaxed and content.
Taste is the main driver of why we choose particular foods and fat makes food taste good. It adds a richness to food and it has the ability to absorb and preserve flavors because many flavors dissolve in fats.
Mouthfeel is the physical sensation a food or drink creates in the mouth. The way fat coats the tongue and allows flavors to linger can also alter the flavour experience.
Fat helps with the appearance of food. In gives a rich glossy sheen to sauces and it also helps with the browning process, which gives an appealing golden brown colour to many foods, such as bread and baked products.
It also affects the texture of cooked or processed food. Frying in fat brings the food to temperatures above the boiling point of water and contributes to crispiness or crunchiness in cakes, pastries, and cookies.
So how does this knowledge help us?
Having an awareness that there are many different factors, both internal and external, that drive us towards eating certain foods can be helpful for both our physical and mental health.
If you are aware that your food choice is coming from an emotional place, when something happens that causes a negative emotion, is there perhaps another way that you can deal with it that doesn’t involve food but can also make you feel better?
Having an understanding of what the drivers are for you and when they are most likely to happen can turn this from an unconscious learned response to something that you can recognise that is happening – which gives you an opportunity to address what the underlying reason or emotion that is pulling you towards eating.
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