The Psychology of Comfort Food Cravings | Thurmont Kountry Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is the psychology behind comfort foods? ›

Many individuals rely on comfort foods when they're depressed, anxious, or simply in need of a little mood boost. Comfort foods can evoke coziness and comfort as they are frequently linked to carefree memories.

You may turn to food for comfort — consciously or unconsciously — when facing a difficult problem, feeling stressed or even feeling bored. Emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. It often leads to eating too much — especially too much of high-calorie, sweet and fatty foods.

For instance, seeing an advertisem*nt for chocolate might trigger a craving for it. The brain regions responsible for memory, pleasure, and reward play a role in food cravings. An imbalance of hormones, such as leptin and serotonin, could also lead to food cravings.

“When we experience stress, our body releases stress hormones like cortisol. Cortisol can increase our appetite and drive cravings for calorie-dense 'comfort' foods, particularly those high in sugar and fat,” said Dr.

THE BRAIN AND COMFORT FOODS When we perceive that we are safe and our needs are being met (by eating comfort food, for example), our brain chemicals begin to change. When we eat our comfort food, our hypothalamus releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter.

Key takeaways: Comfort food can bring up happy memories, connect people, and celebrate family and cultural traditions. And this can have a positive impact on your mental health. Craving comfort food is also a common response to stress, sadness, and loneliness.

Emotional eating, also known as stress eating and emotional overeating, is defined as the "propensity to eat in response to positive and negative emotions".

Comfort foods are called comfort foods because they're, well, comforting. Eating these foods provides emotional and physical comfort. Comfort foods stimulate the brain's reward system and make you feel good. The term comfort food first appeared in a 1966 article in the Palm Beach Post newspaper.

The psychology behind eating for pleasure

“Pleasure of any kind, including pleasure from food, leads to a release of dopamine in the brain,” explains therapist, dietitian, and Certified Body Trust provider Aleta Storch, RDN, MHC, of Wise Heart Nutrition and Wellness.

What are your food cravings telling you? ›

In general, a craving can signal something is out of balance, but it doesn't always mean you need a certain type of food. A craving might mean you're dehydrated, stressed or lacking sleep. If you crave a snack, and you eat it, but you don't feel any better, your body was never needing that food to begin with.

People might “comfort eat” when they're stressed or sleep deprived. Meanwhile, hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy can also trigger food cravings. And research suggests that people with certain personality traits, like impulsivity, may be more likely to have food cravings.

But what exactly makes them so irresistible? According to research, our cravings for comfort food are deeply rooted in psychology. These foods often trigger feelings of nostalgia and emotional comfort, providing a sense of security and familiarity in times of stress or sadness.

According to Sydney scientists, stress combined with calorie-dense 'comfort' food creates changes in the brain that drive more eating, boost cravings for sweet, highly palatable food and lead to excess weight gain.

Dark chocolate contains magnesium, which can help reduce stress and help you cope with anxiety. Bananas, avocados and almonds are also high in magnesium. Lean proteins. If you've ever felt hangry, you'll understand how eating a meal or snack containing protein can help calm you.

Once ingested, fat- and sugar-filled foods seem to have a feedback effect that dampens stress related responses and emotions. These foods really are "comfort" foods in that they seem to counteract stress — and this may contribute to people's stress-induced craving for those foods.

A recent study found that while in a bad mood, participants who ate comfort food and participants who ate other foods described feeling better after a few minutes. In fact, eating comfort foods and eating no food at all wielded the same emotional results.

Comfort foods can be nourishing, too

Many comfort foods also contain lots of beneficial nutrients, such as protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Childhood favourites such as chicken soup, curry, baked macaroni and cheese, or congee are examples of comfort foods that provides pleasure, enjoyment and nutritional value.