Self-care Challenge- Day 10: Comfort

There’s some science behind why comfort food makes us feel happy.

When we’re stressed, we crave our favorite comfort foods. One reason is because part of the body’s stress response is to release the hormone cortisol. Cortisol’s function is to help the body handle emergency situation, including making fuel more available to be burned. So, we wind up craving higher calorie foods so we can create more fuel. Often times, our comfort foods are high calorie.

Also, comfort food satisfies our emotional need for security and safety during stressful times. Comfort foods can trigger positive memories or feelings, helping to reduce the impact of stress hormones. This emotional connection makes comfort food a way to help regulate our stress responses.

What I hate is when people demonize eating comfort foods. Food isn’t inherently good or bad—it has no moral value. It contains calories, nutrients, flavors… but not a sense of right or wrong. If eating a cookie makes you happy, enjoy that cookie! Health is about more than just maintaining a certain weight—emotional health matters too.

Today, find a snack that gives you some comfort today. Improving your mood is a healthy and important part of self-care.

What comfort food are you reaching for today?

If you’re interested in more info about the self-care challenge, check it out here.

Thank you!

^{((Cover Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash))}

^{((The cover photo is of a kamayan style Filipino meal. As a Filipino, I love this image so much and it makes me hungry… haha))}