"There are times in life when the North Wind blows,
When my spirit fades and my head hangs low"
This is the start of a poem written several years ago by my sister, and certainly there are times when life is hard - when it deals us emotional blows. At these times many people find that they "comfort eat". ... or more specifically crave sugar and give in to those cravings. Many of those people then feel guilt about their eating, adding to their emotional load and making the situation even harder.
But is "comfort eating" all bad?
I would tend to say no.
Nourishment - of body, mind and spirit - is more than just nutrition. Of course there is nourishment that is not even food based - prayer, meditation, exercise, sleep, social interaction are all ways to nourish ourselves - but even when nourishment centres primarily around food there is still more to it than the basic nutritional value of what we eat.
Studies show that eating the same food in different circumstances can give rise to different physiological effects in our body. Some of this to do with the physical elements, (We chew more and eat more slowly when in company than when watching the TV for instance.) whilst some is thought to be linked to the whole area of the gut-brain axis and levels of serotonin, dopamine and other hormones. When we are particularly sad, stressed or distressed we use up glucose faster and we can even have more difficulty (physiologically) releasing glucose stores from our cells. Due to this we may actually need foods higher in carbohydrate at these times in our lives. .. So choosing to eat a lovely fresh piece of cake or a just-cooked still warm chocolate cookie could well be exactly what we need.
However I am a great believer that our eating should be intentional. .. and oftentimes those who talk about "comfort eating" as a regular issue for them allow it to become non-intentional. By that I mean that a packet of biscuits was opened because "it was there and easy and sweet and kind of nice" and then it was left out and another biscuit was consumed every time the packet was walked past. This sort of "comfort-eating" rarely provides the comfort craved and certainly doesn't provide either the nutrition or the nourishment.
So if you are in a hard time in your life it's okay to splash out on cake, or even ice-cream. But choose (or make) your favourite, sit down with a slice / scoop and cup of tea; give yourself time; have a cry if you need to; savour the space, the ritual, the smell, the feel, the taste; Maybe even think about sharing it with a friend.
And be kind to yourself - enjoy it, don't feel guilty - it will have been good for you - and lastly put it away until your next intentional time.
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