iiThere’s just something about comfort food. We can’t help but wonder if there isn’t something magical in the mix. We seem to feel better after enjoying a dish of macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, or chicken soup. It can’t possibly be as simple as the ingredients, right? Well, in many cases, yes, it can. But there are also many other psychological and physiological reasons why comfort food helps us heal. Here are just a few of them:
Comfort Food Triggers the Reward System
When we get something we enjoy, we feel rewarded. It might be a piece of candy for one person or a warm pumpkin spice latte for someone else. For many people, it’s comfort food. Obviously, everyone’s comfort food is slightly different, though there are a few shared basic elements that make them up. Most of these meals are warm and include herbs, spices, and rich broths, sauces, or gravies.
How to Provide Comfort: If you want to trigger the reward system in this way, figure out the best comfort meal for the person you’re cooking for. If it’s yourself, think back to your favorite childhood meal. If it’s a loved one, ask about their warmest food memories from their childhood home. You can recreate that meal with minimal effort just by including the basic elements of the dish. It doesn’t have to be exact. The goal is to create the visual, olfactory, and taste memories, which will trigger the reward system.
Familiar Tastes Evoke Happy Feelings
In addition to the reward system, comfort food also brings happy feelings to the person consuming the meal. It could truly be any meal or snack the person has had in the past, on multiple occasions, that centered around happy experiences. It’s for this reason that many people love Thanksgiving. It’s not even that the food is so great. And it’s the happy feelings of being together that make the meal great.
How to Provide Comfort: You can evoke these happy feelings by offering one of several kinds of sympathy gift baskets. Fill the basket with foods your loved one has long enjoyed. It could be candy from a dime store, warm teas, freshly baked cookies, or the old reliable chicken soup. You could make the basket yourself, or, if you’re far apart, you can order a care package to be sent. In any event, make sure your loved one knows you look forward to seeing them happy again.
High Energy Foods Offer a Physiological Boost
One factor people don’t often consider when it comes to comfort food is that many of them increase energy levels. Think of foods like macaroni and cheese, lasagna, chili, or even oatmeal. These dishes are calorie and carbohydrate-dense. They offer a physiological boost that makes you feel both emotionally well and physically energetic. Those temporary feelings are a great time to start making plans for moving through the healing process.
How to Provide Comfort: It’s a great idea to choose a high-energy comfort meal as your contribution to a loved one. You can use this opportunity to talk through difficult feelings. It’s also a chance to invite your loved one out for a walk, after the meal, which will sustain those positive, energetic feelings for even longer. Consider a dish that’s high in both protein and carbs, like meatloaf and mashed potatoes, or homemade pizza for a double boost.
Shared Foods Stimulate Feelings of Connectedness and Belonging
If you live near your loved one, or you can take the time to travel, one of the best ways to enjoy a comforting meal is together. Sharing a warm, hearty meal is even better than enjoying the dish alone. It helps the people eating the meal feel connected and like they’re part of a community. That sense of belonging encourages healing and growth through even the most difficult times. It can stave off depression, anxiety, and stress.
How to Provide Comfort: If you’re able to share the meal with your loved one, or have a friend come over to comfort you through a tough time, make the date. You can even shop for ingredients and cook the meal together for added feelings of togetherness. Play music while you cook, enjoy a glass of wine if you partake, and sit for a movie after the meal. Centering an entire lovely experience around a favorite meal can positively reshape someone’s entire outlook on their healing.
Many Comfort Foods Contain Genuine Healing Properties
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, most comfort foods do indeed heal for real. Ingredients like tomato, avocado, egg, blueberries, garlic, onion, basil, ginger, and turmeric can be considered superfoods for many reasons. They not only help you heal a broken and ailing body, but they’re good for your gut. And gut health is directly connected to brain health. Eating healthy, nutrient-rich comfort foods can actually elevate your mood and help you heal on every level.
How to Provide Comfort: Take the comfort food you want to prepare and give it a power boost, if it doesn’t already have one. You can add garlic to your cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese. You can prepare your red sauce for spaghetti with fresh garlic, onions, basil, and paprika. For a dish like fried rice or ramen, you can add ginger and turmeric. It’s a real-life magic you can add to virtually any meal, and it will only add more amazing flavors to an already spectacular dish.
In the end, comfort food truly does comfort the person eating it. This is especially true when you add elements like sharing the meal, adding more nutrients, or including more high-energy ingredients. First, you’re telling the person you’re cooking for, or sending a care package to, that you love them. And second, you’re literally contributing to their wellness. This is true even if you’re the person enjoying the comfort food. You deserve comfort and healing, too.
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