That extra sweet, that piece of chocolate, that salty snack that punctuates the day. That drink that I particularly love. That morsel that comes back several times between stress, commitments, mood swings and as a reward between a project and a goal achieved. Health begins on the plate, as we always write on FoodCulture, and a lot has to do with our relationship with food. Any of us love to pamper ourselves with food but there is a point beyond which the comfort food it borders on pathology and dangerous forms of independence. Let’s see how to notice it and how not to worry unnecessarily.
Snack between one engagement and another (Photo Shutterstock)
“Comfort food” or the tasty daily cuddle
With the now very fashionable definition of comfort food (ah, English at all costs …) means the anti-stress value and reward that food can have on our life. In this special on FoodCulture we talked extensively about mood food, that is, foods that can influence our mood for the better and increase our sense of fulfillment. There’s nothing wrong with pampering yourself with a dessert or snack. And each has its own comfort food, linked to personal taste, childhood memories or the recall of that flavor to situations we have experienced and whose emotional result (happiness, euphoria, positive nostalgia) it is attracted by the food we choose. Our stomach sends a satiety signal to the brain within twenty minutes of eating. Usually sweet, very tasty, hot, certain pleasantly salty flavors are part of comfort food. And so far so good. When does the worry start?
The moment of daily pleasure: what is your favorite flavor? (Shutterstock)
When it is pathology
Food addictions and exaggerations also arise from bad habits and not giving oneself a measure towards what we perceive as comfort food. Statistics tell us that in Italy about 3 and a half million people (of which 90% are women) have eating disorders, who suffers from it a teenager his 10 with problems of obesity, anorexia and bulimia. A drift that marks body and mind. How to avoid it? The weight and values of blood and urine tests tell us clearly when something is wrong with our body. Especially if the changes in blood sugar, cholesterol, creatinine and inflammation of the digestive organs are manifest, there is a problem and must be solved promptly. It means we are way beyond the daily pampering and we are encroaching on pathology, with dangerous relapses (strokes, heart attacks, damage to blood circulation and other internal organs, repercussions on the emotional state). The need to eat continuously or too often is a wake-up call. Fear of losing or gaining weight, too. In these cases it is necessary to re-educate oneself in the right diet, withhelp from specialists which can go from nutritionist to psychologist. To begin.
Mood Food: food that influences mood. The deepening