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| Yes | 67% | 37 votes | Total: 55 votes | |
| No | 33% | 18 votes |
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Add to FavoritesComfort foods fill both a physiological and a psychological need; that is why they are called "comfort foods." Of course they are good for you. Unlike the mindless snacking of boredom, there is no danger of over-eating a comfort food.
Shock, by definition, is sudden and unexpected. Shock of some sort is the usual catalyst for the need of comfort food. It induces both mental and physical trauma.
Whatever the reason for the trauma, which can have many causes - from injury to self, to the grief of sudden loss, to be the unexpected witness to a horrific crime -, comfort foods have one thing in common. At a time when a person needs physical warmth and mental tender loving care, these foods fulfill the sudden, urgent need.
Shock is always accompanied by a sudden chill, whether the shock be physically or mentally induced. Comfort foods tend to be something you can curl your suddenly chilled and shaking hands around: a hot drink in a cup, a hot bowl of soup. These foods vary wildly from place to place and from person to person.
A comfort food can be a bowl of hot chicken soup after the shock of falling through the ice on the pond. It can be a mug of hot chocolate after being pulled to safety from a capsized boat. It can be a thick bowl of stew after an accident or a soup bowl of baked beans and frankfurters when your mind fills with the shock of disbelief.
In England, it could be a hot plate of sausage and mash. In France, the comfort food could be a bowl of thick country potage. In Italy it might be a bowl of minestrone just like mama used to make. Or perhaps comfort may be a plate of hot pan-drippings on bread that reminds you of sitting with grandma in a warm kitchen as a child.
Frequently linked to some pleasant memory, comfort foods are warm and, well, comforting. The common denominator of comfort food is obvious: hot food, simple food. Comfort food is a physical and mental warm blanket wrapped around and within you.
Cold foods tend towards the opposite spectrum. They tend towards re-enforcing a mental abyss of cold feelings, such as, boredom or isolation. They also tend towards over-indulgence; typical of this is the mindless chomping on potato chips and other snack foods. Cold foods do not address shock, either physical or mental.
Comfort food is a warm security blanket at a time when someone has experienced a shock, either mental or physical. Yes, comfort foods are good for you. They fill a sudden and urgent psychological and physiological need.
Learn more about this author, Risa Wolf.
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No
That decadent brownie, fried chicken and creamy ice cream bring to mind times spent curled up on the couch, happily indulging in our comfort food of choice. What about after the food is gone though? How do we feel then? Usually, like most people, we feel guilty. I know that is how I feel after I have just gobbled up a bar of my favorite chocolate. Comfort foods taste great, we all know that, but are they good for us? I do not believe that the majority of comfort foods are good for us.
When we partake in the eating of comfort foods it is usually because we are needing emotional comfort. After all, that is usually the point of comfort foods. They make us feel safe and happy when the world has done us wrong. When we eat to feel comfort we are doing what is called emotional eating. I know from my own experience that emotional eating is not good in the long run. I gained over one hundred pounds because of emotional eating. Now I am having to fight like crazy in order to get the weight off. Let me tell you, it is not fun!
There are many ways in which comfort foods are not good for us. They are usually nutritionally void for one thing. There are not many important nutrients in french fries or Ben and Jerry's. It is okay to have a treat once in awhile but using it for comfort is a problem. This can lead to food addictions. This is an addiction that is very hard to break. I am struggling with my own food addiction and emotional eating. I do believe emotional eating is very common, this is why comfort foods are so popular.
I wish we lived in a world where comfort foods were actually good for us. Unfortunately, we do not. It is things like broccoli and brown rice that are good for us. Those foods could hardly be called comfort foods. Unless, you add a bunch of cheese. Then it is really yummy but it is no longer good for our health.
Do not despair, my friend, as healthy foods can be quite palatable when done right. I have learned to make fries from scratch that almost could be called a comfort food. They are healthy and taste really good. I almost prefer them over those greasy fries and the local fast food place. I have replaced my Ben and Jerry's with a low calorie yogurt. I really can almost believe this is a comfort food. However, with comfort food I can hardly stop myself from eating it. I have not had this problem with my homemade fries or healthy yogurt.
Comfort foods may be good for our souls, at least for the moment. However, they are not good for our health and can cause long term problems. Go ahead and induldge in some favorite comfort foods once in awhile. Just take it easy and remember that comfort foods are not good for us in the long run!
Learn more about this author, Nobody Good.
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