Ask Dr. Denton: Why Do I Love Comfort Food ...and What Should I do About It?

Dr. Denton explains why we are so drawn to those foods that taste so good but have little nutritional value

Dr. Denton Weiss explains why we are so drawn to those "comfort foods", what we should do when the urge strikes, and how we can develop a way of life that enables us to be fully human as well as truly healthy in body, mind and spirit; beautiful living!

P>PORTSMOUTH, VA (Catholic Online) - Dear Dr Denton: I really love your articles, but I have the hardest time staying on a healthy diet. HELP!

The Christmas season is here, New Years is just around the corner (Oh today) and a little touch of chill is slipping into the air. I rush home after a busy day at the office and put on those old jeans and my over-worn cotton sweater (p.s. wool makes me itch). Comfort clothes-  now all I need is some COMFORT FOOD! I know shame on me! Dr D you are leading the world down the road of momentary metal and physical bliss ...WHY? How could you, when your patient just asked for guidance!

I just can't help myself... It's CHRISTMAS PEOPLE! Once in awhile I need some mac and cheese, thick buttery potato soup, a plate of nachos smothered in cheese and sour cream.

Sometimes... I just need a beignet from the French Quarters with a cup of chocolate coffee MOCHA. Sometimes... I just need to be alone with my food and not feel a bit guilty about what's in it!

The KEY? SOMETIMES.

BUT WHY do I love comfort food?
 
Ah how I do love you sweet thick oatmeal right before bedtime. OK so I've lost myself in food bliss. Hey, I am human. Off to the treadmill in the morning, but tonight pleasure foooooooooooood, and maybe one hot toddy!!
 
In the winter the summer sun has left us and cold air chills our bones. The pressure of the Christmas season and the financial burdens we place upon ourselves are at their peak. The bodies Vitamin D, and serotonin levels drop, while cortisol levels increase.  Vitamin D plays a role in bone production and our immune system. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a role in sleep patterns, mood, and physical energy levels. Cortisol is our stress hormone that is great in small doses but has deleterious effect at constant high levels.
  
Our bodies don't want to be depressed, they want to be euphoric, happy, at peace. We were designed to live life and live life fully = beautifully! Unfortunately, the stress of the season leads to lack of sunlight, poor sleep patterns, excessive alcohol intake, and feelings of brokenness and fatigue from financial worries. It doesn't matter how much money you make the human condition is the same. We often place these and other stressful factors on our plate. Knowing this, I still try to see as many patients as possible prior to taking a week off at Christmas. The result is exhaustion on Christmas day. Doctor HEAL THYSELF! So why do I want that comfort food? Come on, I am feeling sorry for myself and want that immediate gratification my brain gets from those carbs!

This can be the season of exhaustion, but it really needs to be the season of joy and excitement. Well, it's the New Year and the Christmas season is now before us not behind us. This is a time of renewal people! Start fresh  - and with good cheer.

Some interesting facts about Comfort Food (Food high in processed carbohydrates and fat) are found by examining their effects on the brain. Carbs have the ability to force the brain to increase serotonin levels. That warm sleepy feeling you get after the sugar high from refined sugars is in part due to the serotonin release and loss of sugar from the responding insulin surge. You know guys, that.. I am going to watch a little football after dinner snooze.

Earlier this year, researchers from UCSF presented data indicating why we love comfort foods. From the US comfort food capital of sour dough bread and Ghirardelli chocolate comes some fascinating answers to stress, comfort food, and tummy weight gain - in that order.

The UCSF research looks at the response to stress on an animal model. Rats were exposed to a chronic stress.  The rat's initial response was an increase in the release of the stress hormone corticosterone (in humans this equates to cortisol). The rats then began eating high energy type foods, high in fat = lard, and carbohydrates = sucrose.  With time, the rats developed abdominal obesity. Interestingly, the greater amount of abdominal fat appeared to diminish the deleterious effect of corticosterone on the animals.

We know that chronic stress leads to many deleterious effects on the body. Weight gain, depression, obesity = type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even loss of brain tissue. If we transfer the animal study to humans the facts are frightening. Stress in the acute phase leads to the fight or flight response. We become extremely alert, our bodies blood flow increases and cortisol is released to supercharge our bodies. With chronic stress the acute responses slow, cortisol levels stay high, and we begin to physically breakdown. The immune system weakens, the brain fatigues, and cardiovascular disease develops. Unfortunately, the body develops the classic 40 something abdominal fat. If the animal study is equated to humans, then the increased fat actually diminishes the cortisol effects on the brain.

Simply stated, why do we crave carbohydrates and fatty foods when we are stressed? In the initial acute stress state these foods have an energizing effect because the sugar load is high and our brains get a quick fix. In the chronically stressed environment the increased abdominal fat from eating high energy foods diminishes the negative effects of cortisol on our brain.

Wow, this is a tough one to get my head around Doc! So Dr Denton, you're saying that having a fat belly is actually helping to protect my brain from cortisol released with chronic stress?

Yep, that's right. I really hate to say that, but there is strong evidence supporting this statement.

In this scenario losing that abdominal fat is not easy. If you're chronically stressed the body wants that fat to somehow (feedback from fat cells to the hormone systems of the body) diminish cortisol release and its effects. So you crave high energy foods = candy bars, cookies, cakes, thick potato soup = bummer for me. You crave COMFORT FOOD.

OK great my body wants to be fat so I am not damaged by being stressed Dr D? You're STRESSING ME DOC!!!!

Professor Mary Dallman, PhD, and co-author postdoctoral fellow Norman Pecoraro PhD, studies are the beginning of a fascinating understanding of why we love comfort foods. Knowing the bodies craves these foods and in some ways works to keep that fatty tummy to relieve stress is the key to fixing the problem.

The cure!

We know in a world of constant change stress is inevitable. How we cope with stress is the answer. In our desire to stop the endless action of eating for stress relief, (eat, feel good, obesity, eat, feel good, obesity) we have to change the way we deal with stress. It is much easier to stop at the drive through fast food restaurant on the way home than meditate for an hour on the mystery of Christ and beauty of our world. It is easier to grab the candy bar from the vending machine than make love to your spouse.

Wow... Little over the edge on that one Doc!
 
Please let me explain.

We have to relieve stress in ways other than eating. Stress relief comes from changing your environment or adding to your world. For example, by giving yourself away in love to the one you love. 

30 minute ideas for Stress relief:

* Meditation and Prayer 30 minutes per day
* Exercise 30 minutes per day
* Make love to your spouse as often as you can (30 minutes or..hee hee hee)
* Take a power nap 30 minutes per day
* Stretching Exercises with meditation on our Lord is ideal. 30 minutes
* Tai chi 30 minutes
* A hot bath or Jacuzzi 30 minutes
* Sit in front of a bright light (Use a Natural light bulb) 30 minutes

And as for comfort food:

Barry Sears, the author of the Zone and a man I consider true to his research, takes a break once a week and eats whatever comfort food appeals to him. Staying on a Zone diet or any healthy diet is relatively impossible without leaving a little room for fun.. a little room for a comfort break every now and then.

Some simple tricks to help you not indulge too much during those once a week this one's for me moments with food:

* Have a glass of water before eating or drinking your favorite comfort.

* Try to have that moment with food earlier vs. later in the night.

* Think natural. real cheddar cheese (not processed on a cupboard in aluminum foil) in your mac and cheese, butter (not white stuff in can) when you make those cookies, Dark chocolate in that Mocha something. Get the idea?

In the end, the desire for comfort food is tied heavily to the stressful world we live in. Please... as the new year opens, put a 30 minute relief in your schedule, and keep your comfort food runs to once a week. Your tummy might just go away!

-----

Dr Denton D. Weiss, M.D. is board certified in both Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Weiss' approach to his medical practice flows from his convictions about the meaning of life which are deeply rooted in his Catholic Faith. He and his wife, Michelle strive for an integrated approach to life which recognizes the unity of the body, mind and soul. They call this approach "Bella Vitae". or "Beautiful Living". He is a contributing writer to Catholic Online. Visit him at http://weissbellavitae.com/

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online