Why comfort food makes you feel better
I love to cook, there is no questioning that. I would like to think of myself as the advanced level of the home chef on Epicurious videos where they make different people make their versions of the same food. I also live with my mom and sister who I would classify to the same level, just with lots of added patience on me. So going into quarantine didn’t really leave me craving too much food from the outside world. However, eventually, I did turn my back on the beautiful breakfasts mom was making at home, to my peanut butter jelly sandwich and oatmeal breakfasts. And then I realized, I just wanted some comfort food to think everything was all right.
While it is completely okay to eat more and exercise less in quarantine there is a reason we all just want to be eating comfort food to be feeling better more than normal. First of all, we have lost our normal. While this is something we have been hearing, this means that we no longer have a routine, no fixed time for sleep, meals, work, or anything else that took place. On top of that, meals that had the opportunity to be social gatherings have been deprived of that option. This means we not only miss being able to do what we were doing but also how we were doing it. There is no more sharing of food, or meeting friends for dinner for the near future and that truly sucks.
While this doesn’t add up to why we crave comfort food it kinda does. First of all there is research that suggests 95% of serotonin is produced and stored within the cells of your gut. Additionally, while we are under the stress of trying to do our best to stay alive while also keeping up with all sorts of work we already want to eat more? Carbs are quick energy and make up the basis of most commonly classified comfort foods across the world. Further, it also shows that eating does have the ability to alleviate stress to an extent in most people. For me, I’m almost 100% that’s true because when I’m hangry I am the absolute worst person to be around. The food/mood paradigm is real.
While we are sometimes led to truly believe we can achieve our food cravings by eating out, I’m sure this quarantine has taught the best of us that the ones that we crave from home just hit harder. Some of the foods I just WANT to eat when I’m a little sad/scared/happy/grumpy are cereal milk, or a burrito or some of my mom’s homemade burgers and, while I’ve been thinking about eating them very often, the theory behind it has all added up. We’re all just looking for a warm hug and some comfort at the end of the day.
While I, like many others am blessed to be at home with some people I love, sometimes that’s just not compensation for what I don’t have around me. While I do not mean to be disrespectful or ungrateful for what I have that’s just the truth of the matter. We’re often so guilty of our cravings that we don’t recognize them for what they are and take the time and care to address the, but maybe f we think about it a little more, it would make us feel better about them and better about ourselves. If that means having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich which I toast after I make it after I’ve eaten dinner and that just makes me feel better, that’s what does it for me. A little comfort goes a long way.
What are some of your favourite comfort foods? Share them in the comments below. Also don't forget to subscribe to our website, you're doing great!