My personal favorite? Chocolate chip cookies. Not by themselves, though. They must be accompanied by a tall, wide-mouthed glass of ice cold milk – for dipping, of course. It’s not a regular part of my daily intake, but there are those times when nothing satisfies as much as my personal "comfort food" favorite.
Studies have shown that age, gender and mood each play a role in the comforting choices. The most popular of the comfort foods are pizza, pasta, soup, ice cream, chocolate and cookies. Did yours make the list? There are a couple of reasons people turn to comfort foods. One is when they are feeling low and need a boost of serotonin, but the other is when they are happy. Don’t beat yourself up for surrendering to the wooing of the comfort food now and then. If you feel bad, you can increase your need for serotonin, and a vicious cycle of emotional overeating can erupt.
Cravings are your body’s way of alerting you that something is out of whack – physically, emotionally or even hormonally. The warning is usually brought on because of stress. Whatever form of stress enters your life, the tendency for many is to revert to emotional eating and old habits of reaching for comfort food. The problem is increased when your intake is increased.
Here are some practical tips to help you alleviate and eventually eliminate your unhealthy food cravings.
• Drinking water can curb hunger pangs and make you feel full. Keep water with you everywhere you go.
• Find the healthier alternative to your comfort food. If you crave potato chips, reach for the baked chips instead of fried. Have frozen yogurt on hand instead of ice cream. These choices are a healthier alternative while fixing the real problem and removing the stress from your life.
• Never eat directly from the package. Make yourself serve your comfort food in a bowl or dish and put the rest away. Train yourself to leave some of the food on the plate when you are through.
• Journal your cravings and the mood/emotions that stimulate them.
• Take a walk. Get your mind off your craving and release stress by moving your body. Call a friend as an accountability partner.
• Always have small, healthy snacks with you in your travels. This will keep you from stopping off for junk food and spending money you don’t need to.
Combining exercise, smaller portions, plenty of water and a healthier choice of foods to your life will help you relieve stress, release good chemicals from your brain to keep your moods up and increase your energy level. Try deep breathing exercises and step out into the sunshine to soak up some vitamin D to elevate your mood. Read a good book or call an old friend. You can do all of these things to take your mind off of the negative and keep your attitude positive.
So, it’s okay to pull out the old movies, get a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a cold glass of milk on a special occasion, but the rest of the time – choose something green and practice smiling.