Comfort foods: Do you know what are they? Cause they are dictating your future!

Quote from Wikipedia:” The term "comfort food" (first used, according to Webster's Dictionary, in 1977) refers to foods consumed to achieve some level of improved emotional status, whether to relieve negative psychological affect or to increase positive.[1] More generally, comfort food can be defined as food that brings some form or measure of comfort, sense of well-being, or easy satisfaction”

During childhood every time we were sad or whenever our parents wanted to quiet our crying and nagging down we were given soothing foods such as chocolate, homemade cake, biscuits, candy, potato chips, ice cream, and fast foods. Such foods, usually high in sugar or fats, were highly appreciated under such circumstances depending on the emotional trigger. These foods, with time, started to be associated with a personal and special meaning for us. As such they came to be known as Comfort Foods.

In times of sadness, comfort foods may trigger positive memories of childhood meals bringing us the same emotional comfort as that of having a bar of candy when we were younger or the same jubilance of passing an exam and celebrating in an Italian restaurant with pasta and pizza! Comfort foods may involve foods that have a nostalgic element varying considerably from individual to individual.

Ice creams, candy bars and cereals are all examples of comfort foods and as such comfort foods are generally not designed to be healthy. I suggest that you future parents out there will not give your children candies and chocolates to make them stop shouting and crying, but rather talk to them, try to find out what is their problem, maybe your kids just want to drink or is cold or wants to sleep. Otherwise, when they grow up they will directly go for candies and chocolate when there’s something wrong, and we know you that high doses of those can lead to obesity and its countless complications…

Calm your kids with some good music or a pleasant walk outside, it will do!

Samia Khoury Dietitian