Are Comfort Foods Good for You?

The mere fact is that they are exactly what we call them — a food to comfort us. Anything that is used in excess is very rarely good for us and that includes exercise too, moderation is what’s called for and a look at the reason behind the need for excess of anything.

A lot of people comfort eat without even realizing they are doing it.

The people in the office sitting at their desks doing the same old thing over and over again, they quite easily turn to that bar of chocolate, bag of crisps or packet of biscuits.

At first, it seems a method of alleviating the boredom, then it becomes a habit, and really it is just something to do to give us comfort from our daily lives.

It’s not just jobs that lead us to comfort eating though, sometimes it is sadness, insecurity, lack of understanding, sheer loneliness, or bereavement. Losing someone dear to us whether through bereavement or the end of a relationship, even our children leaving home, can very often leave a void in our lives that somehow needs to be filled with something.

The comfort of a sweet biscuit with a cup of tea has always been a favorite to relieve the shock of bad news and can also be used as a comfort aid afterward.

In this case then, comfort eating is, in my books good, for you. It relieves a deep need within the body at a time of great stress, and although tablets can do the same I would then have to ask the question of whether they were good for you or not, as I feel they are far harder to stop.

Comfort eating for loneliness can be good for a while as it takes away that loneliness feeling for a little while, but of course that’s the real problem isn’t it for it is only a little while and then the need seems to come back, this is not good and obviously if continued can lead to other problems.

Continual comfort eating, without assessing the real problem behind it, is not going to do anyone any good as it can lead to obesity and other medical problems, but just for a while it can help tremendously, just as long as you don’t get addicted to it.

We all comfort eat sometimes, because we need to feel that release from everyday things, how many of us can deny that chocolate bar halfway through a boring afternoon or that bag of crisps curled up on the sofa with a sad film after a romance end.

Comfort eating can be good for us but only if not taken to extremes.