Comfort food

Comfort food is defined as food that is satisfying because it is prepared in a simple traditional way and
reminds you of home, family, or friends.

Quite often when people talk about comfort food, the first thing that comes to mind may be foods high
in calories or carbohydrates, such as ice cream, chocolate, or fast food. However, that’s not what makes
these foods ‘comfort food’.

Studies have shown that comfort food is eaten as an emotional response to stress or feeling of guilt.
Comfort food helps to reduce stress or make one feel better. Men often eat different comfort food from
women.

Mood is often associated with eating comfort food. If someone is in a negative mood, they tend to eat
unhealthy food. By contrast, someone in a positive mood tends to eat healthy foods. However, it has
been shown that many who reach for unhealthy foods tend to have feelings of guilts that may last for
days.

Comfort food is often specific to an individual or to a particular culture. People often associate food with
family, social gatherings, or people taking care of them. This is why there are a lot of comfort foods that
are traditional meals.

Since some people associate certain foods with family or holiday gatherings, when they are lonely or
separated from their mother culture, they crave those foods.

For others, the scent of certain foods may trigger emotional memories of the past and thus, make a
desire to eat those foods.

Activity 1
Vocabulary practice

Use the correct words to complete the sentences.

comfort/mood/crave/trigger

1. The great news brought ____________ to the people.

2. Chocolate is a ____________ for migraine headaches.
3. We are all relieved when the boss is in a good ____________.
4. The smell of vanilla makes me ____________ ice cream.

Activity 2