Excerpted from the May 2023 issue of the Sonoma County Gazette: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research over the past 20 years shows the same result time and time again: when we\u2019re stressed, we want what researchers call high energy and nutrient-dense foods\u2014those snacks, treats and meals that are high in fat and sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comfort foods improve mood, reduce loneliness and connect us to cherished memories, often linked to childhood. A craving for comfort food typically stems from an extreme emotion, including happiness, meaning we reach for comfort foods even to celebrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comfort foods often trigger our reward system by releasing dopamine, a hormone and neurotransmitter. When we take a bite of that comfort food, whether it\u2019s a hot fudge sundae, peanut butter and apples, tikka masala or a double bacon cheeseburger, dopamine floods the brain and gives us a huge boost of pleasure feelings. Any negative feelings we may have been experiencing before\u2014stress, anger, sadness or anything in between\u2014is diminished thanks to that hit of dopamine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more info, you can read the entire article, \u201cWhy do comfort foods make us so happy?\u201d<\/a> by writer and editor Amie Windsor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today\u2019s Prompts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Write about food that brought you comfort as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Write about food that brings you comfort now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have replaced comfort food with an activity, write about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stressed is desserts, backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you backed into an activity that offers a hit of dopamine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I discovered GROOVE dancing with Diane Dupuis (link to her Facebook Page)<\/a> and love the endorphins that dancing produces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Share your writing on my Writers Forum Facebook<\/a> page. Note: There is no apostrophe on my Writers Forum Facebook page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Posts on The Write Spot Blog about comfort food and activities that produce endorph<\/a>ins<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comfort Food<\/a> and the results of my informal poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideas for activities to get a dopamine fix:<\/p>\n\n\n\n