This book is dedicated to mycousin Melissa. Her love for comfort foods led me to write this book.
Chapter 1- Comfort Foods- What Are They?
Intoday's world, people are becoming more and more stressed out; more so thanever.
Comfort foods are a common way that people help to alleviate theseailments. Whatever the issue, stress at work, unstable family life, lack ofmoney, or even breakups, comfort foods help people everywhere feel better.These foods typically contain high amounts of sugar or carbohydrates and giveyou the sense of personal well being that you might be lacking in other aspectsof your life. Everybody has different comfort foods. Menand women tend to prefer different comfort foods. Men generally prefer comfortfoods that give that full feeling with a rich and hearty taste, whereas womentend to find the most comfort in food that are more of a snack. This is notalways the case, as everyone has different preferences.
A lot of times, thesefoods can be something that Mom used to make every Sunday brunch after church,that you vividly remember smelling for hours while she prepared it. These foodsbring back memories of a simpler life, and time, and tend give you that warmand fuzzy feeling. WhyDo People Eat Comfort Foods? Alongwith all the stress of everyday life and their comforting properties, manypeople eat comfort foods simply because they taste good. A common comfort foodis chips and dip. This tastes good and is very convenient since there are nomore preparations than opening up a bag of chips and stirring up the dip. ComfortFoods for the Men of the World Sincemen tend to prefer comfort foods that are more hearty and filling, they naturallylean toward foods that are more commonly associated with meals. ComfortFoods for the Men of the World Sincemen tend to prefer comfort foods that are more hearty and filling, they naturallylean toward foods that are more commonly associated with meals.
Meatloaf is acommon one because it tends to bring back those memories from your childhood ofyour mom or grandma cooking it and getting together with the whole family for ahuge dinner. Fried foods, such as fried chicken, are also common comfort foods;add in Mom's homemade clumpy mashed potatoes and you have a whole comfort meal. Macaroniand cheese is loved by millions. The rich, creamy, cheesy dish warms the bodyand the soul, and gives you a fuzzy good feeling. Steak is another huge comfortfood amongst men everywhere. There is just nothing better than sitting down infront of your huge steak and going to town on its deliciousness.
Eating steakwill not only be comforting, but for a lot of guys even the grilling processprovides to the comfort. ComfortFoods for the Women of the World Thoughmacaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes are common comfort foods for men, theirlove of these foods does not even near equal that of the women of the world.The truth is, there are no gender specific comfort foods. But women do tend tolean towards a different side of the spectrum. Comfort foods for women tend tobe things that are sweeter in nature and tend not to be as filling as those ofthe guys. For this reason, ice cream is a safe bet to give the title of"#1 Comfort food." Whena woman is feeling down, whether she is you wife, your "bestie," oreven your sister, you just might go get her some ice cream. Maybe she will evenask you too.
Women swear by this comfort food for its soft, creamy, and sweetways of soothing the soul. Add some hot fudge or caramel to the bowl and it isonly bound to make you feel even better. Chocolateis another fan favorite comfort food amongst women everywhere. Chocolate isrich and sweet. This provides good feelings in anyone. Even better at doing sois dark chocolate.
Letting it melt in your mouth allows a rich and soothing,sugary euphoria to take over. Cheesecake is another favorite. It is rich andsweet, with a crumbly crust, and often fruits swirled throughout. Howdo These Foods Comfort You? Thereare a couple different ways comfort foods work. Eating food from your past willsubconsciously spark those memories. When these memories come to mind, younaturally feel soothed or calmed by the joy that you once felt back in the goodold days.
Other comfort foods are very rich in sugar, carbohydrates, and fat.Having a sudden abundance of these will result in your blood sugar going up.When this happens your brain's endorphin levels will rise, leaving you feelinggood. Aren'tComfort Foods Bad for You Whilemany comfort foods can be bad for your body, they do not have to be. Maybe yougrew up and remember all the time you spent in the garden with Grandma. A lotof times, since they will trigger those good memories, these vegetables can endup being a comfort food as well. Many people do not have those memories though.For those who prefer comfort foods high in fat and sugars, moderation isessential. Also, many recipes can be altered to not only give you the sametaste that you love, but to be a little bit healthier as well.
Comfortfoods are not just a good way to relax and kick the stress from your day, butthey can also bring back many of your cherished memories. Even though we allprefer different comfort foods, it is safe to say that food surely does have away of not only soothing our hunger, but our souls as well. Since many comfortfoods can be healthy ones as well, you don't have to worry as much about havinga diet that consists solely of sugar. But even if you want to indulge yourselffrom time to time, there is no harm in moderation. Food is, and will continueto be, a great source of wonderful feelings and ways to cope with life. Theytaste good, so why not?
Chapter 2- Can Comfort Foods BeHealthy?
Whenit comes to comfort food, most comfort food is often unhealthy.
However, thisdoes not mean that it is not possible to locate healthy comfort food. You justneed to know what kind of ingredients to use in order to reduce the totalcalorie, salt and fat intake. Just because you are consuming comfort food doesnot mean it has to be unhealthy to you. These foods do tend to be on theunhealthier side, but with a few different alternatives to the recipes you canchange these traditionally fatty and salty foods into daily, healthy options. Switchthe Potatoes Forstarters, potatoes are a very high source of starch, carbs and calories, andwhile mashed potatoes and other similar ingredients are tasty, these are notvery nutritious. Because of this, you need to look for alternatives topotatoes.