Comfort Foods
You’re sick in bed and longing for some of your mother's homemade chicken soup. Or…your daughter just broke up with her boyfriend of several months and is diving into the bag of M & Ms like there’s no tomorrow. Or…your son just lost his high school championship football game and he asks you to make him his favorite dinner – homemade macaroni and cheese! What do all these scenarios have in common? Comfort food – food that makes you feel good, like a favorite childhood security blanket or a warm, lingering hug from Grandma.
Comfort foods tend to be gender specific. While men generally opt for hearty stews, meat and mashed potatoes, and soups when they need to “feel better,” women typically go in for the “quick fix” like chocolate or ice cream, foods they typically can just “grab” and don’t have to spend time making for themselves.
Comfort food preferences are usually established in early childhood and are carried forward into adulthood. They are based on associations that evoke pleasurable psychological feelings that are soothing and result in physical comfort as well.
What’s your comfort food?
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