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Writer's pictureKimberly Clarke

The Power of Comfort Food

Updated: Sep 14, 2020

Beautiful girl happily eating comfort food. She looks very comfortable.

There are so many benefits to eating good food. It gives us health, strength, nutrients and so much more. It should therefore not come as a surprise that it can also give us comfort. This is something I am quite thrilled about. As a self-diagnosed foodie, I am happy that one of the things I love most in this world can provide me with so many benefits. Cooking that food yourself, also has its many advantages. Find out some of the benefits of cooking here, and how it has been helping people to cope during the corona virus (COVID 19) pandemic.


I think it is probably a universal fact that we all love to eat delicious food. This week I've been thinking specifically about comfort food and the joy it can give when it's done just right. I know comfort food has a bad rap, as it tends to be food that is high in calories or fat. Though, I must confess, that to me, those are the best kind. All those calories just leave you feeling totally satisfied. Moderation is therefore key. Let’s not overdo it, guys.


However, not all comfort food is fatty and high in calories. In fact, the main characteristic of comfort food, is right there in the name. Comfort. According to an article in Science Direct, the term comfort food refers to those foods that when consumed, provides consolation or a feeling of well-being. Food, in other words, that offer some sort of psychological, specifically emotional, comfort. It is basically any food that soothes our soul and brings us to our happy place. Wherever that may be.

So today we will talk about some of the benefits of comfort food. Check our Cooking with Grandma post for some of the comfort food recipes that we have been preparing at home.

Comfort Food, A Cure for Homesickness


Indian woman and little girl cooking and preparing food together

Comfort food can cure your homesickness. Recently, I have been cooking with my Grand Aunt, or 'Grandma' as we all call her. We have both been cooking up a storm in the kitchen and these last few weeks we have been focused on comfort food. This is good because my happy place is Jamaica and cooking some good comfort food from home has always helped when I’m feeling homesick. Comfort food has the power to take us back to our childhood days and bring out the sentimentality in us.


We associate comfort food with happy memories, for instance, those from our childhood days when our Mom or Dad cooked our favorite meals. So, eating some of our staple foods from home is a surefire way to help with homesickness. At the very least it is a nostalgic walk down memory lane. Two of my favorite meals from home are stew peas and rice which my mom used to cook for us and chicken soup that my Dad would religiously cook for us on Sunday evenings. The recipe can be found here, in our Cooking with Grandma article.

Comfort Food Improves Your Mood


A group of young people enjoying a comfort food meal together

Comfort food is believed to trigger nostalgia, which makes us feel good. The results of one recent North American survey showed that, the majority (81%) of those asked either agreed, or strongly agreed, that eating their preferred comfort food would make them feel better (see Wagner et al., 2014).


There were, however, differences in how men and women reacted to comfort food. While for the men the result remained positive, women tended to experience regret after consuming comfort food. They felt less healthy and guilty. Comfort food is good for lifting our spirits, but unfortunately for some of us that joy is short lived. So, eat responsibly everyone. Let’s not regret that lovely meal because we went overboard. Though, I have done that a few times myself.

Health Benefits Some of our favorite Comfort Food


A black woman cutting vegetables. Tomato specifically.

Now let’s talk a little about the science behind it all. How does comfort food make us feel better? Does it in fact make us feel better?

Studies have shown that what we consider to be comfort food is typically linked to the food that we were given as children to make us, literally, feel better, i.e., at times when we were ill or feeling down. Sometimes even the food that we were given by our parents as rewards for accomplishments, is what we now consider to be our comfort food. So, even as adults we still associate those foods with those feel good moments.

There are therefore many variables and factors affecting our choice of comfort food. As a result, it is almost impossible to label just one or two things as a comfort food for all. We all have different tastes and these preferences are not only individual, but social and cultural as well.

There are, however, some similarities. There are some foods that are commonly loved by a large number of people. I'll list some of them below along with their benefits.

Benefits of beans



Many people like beans. Some comfort food with beans include, stew peas and white rice, the Jamaican comfort food I like best, and others such as black bean stew, chili con carne, and soup with beans. According to an article on Delish, beans are a magnesium-rich food that helps to boost the happiness hormone, serotonin. They are also rich in antioxidant and loaded with other good-for-you nutrients like iron, fiber, copper, zinc and potassium.

The Sweet Stuff - dark chocolate and ice cream

A family eating a chocolate mouse dessert. Delicious food.

Who has never had a craving for something sweet? I think we all have at some point, especially when we are feeling a little down and in need of comfort. Or simply when we are in need of a quick boost in energy.

Along with giving you an instant boost in mood and concentration, dark chocolate also improves blood flow to your brain, which helps you to feel more vibrant and energized. Ice cream also makes us less vulnerable to sad emotions. So, no need to feel too guilty about that sweet tooth. It’s really only making you happier. Well, at least that’s what I tell myself.

Banana


Bananas are good for so many things. In this case it can be an alternative for those who want to have something sweet without the sugar high or calories that could come with chocolates and ice cream. Bananas are considered a low-glycemic food, which according the Glycemic Index Foundation means that it causes a lower and slower rise in blood glucose and insulin levels. They are also an excellent source of potassium, which helps to reduce anxiety and stress. So, a banana a day keeps the doctor … or maybe the stress… away.


For the meat lovers

One pot meal- beef stew. Beef and vegetables, tomato and cilantro cooked up served in a bowl with a spoon. Looks very delicious.

Red meat boosts iron, which helps with energy. Healthline states that meat is an excellent source of protein and several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12, niacin, and selenium. For a lot of us, most of our comfort food meals includes meat. So thankfully there is some nutrients to be gained from it.

Green tea

A beautiful girl sitting and reading, while having some tea. She looks very comfortable.

Another of my favorites that never ceases to lift my mood is a cup of green tea. Green tea has naturally occurring caffeine that gives you a boost and according to research the epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG, found in green tea has been linked to improvements in mood. Nothing relaxes me more than a cup of green tea in the morning or at the end of a long day. Now that is complete comfort for me.

Conclusion

A boil of delicious hot soup. Steam coming from it.

Comfort comes in different forms and we should enjoy them as much as possible, in whichever way we can. Food is such an important part of our daily life and routine, and we can gain so much from it. The nutrients, taste and nostalgia that we can get from food is nothing short of amazing. A hot bowl of soup can heal an ailing body, as well as a mournful heart. A plate of stew can conjure up memories of family members, or Mom or Dad cooking in the kitchen. And a serving of ice cream can remind us of the laughter and joy of simpler times. These are moments we treasure, so let’s embrace them and have our comfort food whenever we can. Even if it means ordering it from our favorite restaurant. We won’t tell anyone. Promise.


Share with us in the comments some of your favorite comfort food and subscribe for more content.



Sources:






H.S. Wagner, B. Ahlstrom, J.P. Redden, Z. Vickers, T. Mann The myth of comfort food

Health Psychol., 33 (2014), pp. 1552-1557


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2 Comments


Kimberly Clarke
Kimberly Clarke
Dec 07, 2020

Thank you! And yes this is that good West Indian food. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

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As a west indian woman this is my kind of food.....love this.

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