What is comfort food and why do we eat it?

It is an easy food or drink that's usually cheap, uncomplicated and easy to prepare (often just opening a packet!). Many people turn to comfort food for familiarity, emotional security or special reward. Adults eat comfort food for a sense of continuity. Young kids often seem to latch on to a specific food or drink and ask for it repeatedly in high stress situations. For some, comfort food can often be the easiest, most convenient means of stress relief.

What are comfort foods made of?

Generally comfort foods are made of carbohydrates and fat. Carbohydrates are foods like sugar, rice, refined wheat, potato, etc. This means they are generally very fattening and can dramatically affect your health and weight.

How do comfort foods affect your mood?

There is more to eating comfort food than you'd think. Some activities and certain foods cause the body to release biochemical compounds that affect the mood. For example, exercise and chocolate both make the body produce endorphins - which make you feel happy! And we all know what is easier and more readily available when you need a pick-me-up - that's chocolate and not exercise unfortunately.

How do your memories affect what you eat?

Comfort foods can also be linked to memories. Some people take comfort in certain foods due to a link to a positive experience or loved one from the past. For example, a child who is given chocolate when they have done well may continue to use chocolate in later life to bring up those same positive feelings. The positive memories can sometimes be enough to trigger the central nervous system to produce chemicals that have positive effects on mood and performance.

Why is comfort food eating in our genes?

When you look at evolution comfort food also makes sense. Most comfort food tends to be high energy. Usually these give the body a sudden energy boost. People eat high-energy foods during moments of stress and anxiety as it is part of our natural survival instinct. When you are stressed your body does not function as well as normal so the quick boost of energy from comfort foods could be what the mind needs to stay sharp.

Strategies to limit the impact comfort food has on your health and weight...

Science tells us that in times of stress it is likely we will still turn to comfort foods - here are some ideas to ensure it doesn't negatively impact on your health:

• Have healthier high energy snacks on hand like fruit and nuts

• Go for a quick walk around the block to get your positive hormones going

• Have your comfort food on hand in small serving sizes. Rather than eating a whole block of chocolate, buy snack-size chocolate bars (<25g) and have just one of these instead.

• Savor every moment and really enjoy it - this way you'll feel more satisfied!

Eating the right foods makes you feel great and full of energy. Yet many people find it hard to do - which leads to poor health, weight gain and potential serious illnesses and diseases. Below are some simple ideas to help you eat right and feel great.

1. Stay between "slightly hungry" and "satisfied". Don't allow yourself to become "very hungry" as this can lead to overeating and eating what ever you can get your hands on - usually something fast and unhealthy. To avoid this plan ahead and always having something you can snack on in between meals like fruit or nuts. Also, don't let yourself get to "full" or "stuffed" as this is a sign that you've overeaten.

2. Do not eat fried foods. This means using low fat cooking methods like dry roasting, dry frying, grilling, steaming and my favorite - BBQing. It is OK to use a little olive oil when cooking but only enough to just coat the pan. Try using olive oil spray.

Instead of fried foods, like battered fish, try grilled and instead of chips have baked sweet potato, rice or pasta.

3. Eat real foods. This means eating minimally processed foods like fruit, veggies, meats, cereals, nuts, fish, eggs,

etc. Processed foods like chips, biscuits, chocolate, cakes, pastries, pies and most desserts are high in fat and/or sugar. These high energy foods are the main cause of being overweight so avoid them.

4. Eat low GI, high fibre carbohydrates. Glycaemic Index (GI) is a measure of how quickly carbohydrates are broken down in your body. Low GI foods break down slowly which helps you feel fuller for longer and gives you longer lasting energy. Below is the GI rating of some foods:

5. Listen to your body. Work out what food suits you most. Some people perform better on a high protein diet while others do best on a high carbohydrate diet.

If you feel full and sluggish after a high protein, low carb meal such as steak and salad, you should include carbohydrates (like rice, bread, pasta, sweet potato) in every meal to keep you body happy and your energy levels up.

If you don't feel satisfied after a high carb meal like vegetarian pasta or get headaches or jittery, you should include some protein (like lean meat, eggs, nuts) in every meal to be satisfied.

6. Be realistic and good to yourself. Some people give up on a healthy diet because they think it's too hard and means never having the things you love. Allow yourself an occasional treat as part of your healthy diet to help keep you on track and stop bingeing.

See www.vitaliseyourhealth.com for more information