Alyssa Horrobin
Human beings eat for a few reasons.
Necessity of course - food keeps us
alive. We work hard to fill our bodies with
healthy things like green smoothies and the
proper servings of the recommended food
groups.
Eating socially has been around for
years and done all over the world, taken
pretty seriously in some countries.
And then there’s comfort food. You’ve
heard the term, perhaps, and experienced
its magical powers, but let me break it down
a little. I’m a firm believer that almost
everything in our daily lives can be
explained with science and this is no
different.
Serotonin is one of the body’s “happy
chemicals” and not enough of it is produced
when we are under stress or emotional toil.
To make up for it, our brain finds ways to
self-soothe (science!) and bring our
hormone levels back to normal. One of the
solutions it comes up with is eating foods
that make us feel good.
Sometimes these are foods your mama
cooked when you were growing up and
therefore provide comfort through nostalgia
and a little taste of home.
For the most part though, these
hole-filling remedies are simply foods
containing fats, carbohydrates and sugars.
Ironically the most unhealthy foods you can
eat provide the most comfort, but nobody
said life was fair.
I wouldn’t consider myself to be in
need of comfort all the time, but carbs are
my favourite friends to party with.
Specifically pasta.
I like pasta so much that I took a course
(pun intended) on pasta names in my flash
cards app so I could be more educated on
the different kinds there are and thus more
fully enjoy the experience. Pictures of really
good mac and cheese have also been known
to provoke an emotional response from me.
When I am stressed out or feeling
down, I make pasta. Homemade mac and
cheese or a entire box of Kraft Dinner
(“feeds a family of four” clearly excludes my
appetite) or a pot full of capellini with
anything in the fridge I can make into a
sauce.
The thing is, pasta does make me feel
better. I may not need as much as I
consume, but our bodies do need that dose
of serotonin. For you maybe it’s cookies or
ice cream or perhaps you’re coming over to
eat half of this pasta with me.
“Everything in moderation” is a good
slogan and all, but I don’t think I’ll ever eat
a small portion of pasta. Especially when it’s
for comfort. And on that note, it’s time to
make myself a box of KD in the name of
science.
Tell us on Facebook about your adventures with food this month,
or tweet us @thehubWE #foodmatters
February 2018 - The HUB 7