Comfort food (noun): Food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking. (Source: Google)
Do you have a favorite comfort food that you lean on in times of stress?
Do you make a big bowl of pasta? 
Or sit yourself down with a delicious bowl (or two) of ice cream?
Or do you want something salty like potato chips?
Most people have a favorite food they think will help them feel better for awhile. Food will ease our stress, and every bite will melt away our problems.
That is emotional eating.
Finally, I'm in a groove of eating healthier, learning new ways to deal with stress other than relying on comfort food. I don’t want to slide backward into the pounds I worked very - VERY - hard to take off. (And it is hard work. Every single ounce of it!)
There's so much in our lives that's not in our control. We all would love to have something that is.
So I’m working hard on fighting my urge to reach for comfort food during times of crisis. It's not always easy. I’m filling my plate with more vegetables, eating more fruit (I love summer fruit and will miss nectarines and peaches), eat at regular intervals (including healthy snacks to keep me from feeling hungry between meals) and drink more water.
According to an article in WebMD, Jane Jakubczak, a registered dietitian at The University of Maryland says that emotions trigger eating instead of the physical symptom of hunger initiating it.
Jakubczak goes on to say that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions.
Wow, that’s a lot of overeating.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t crave what my husband and son eat at dinner. The aromatic smell coming from their plates – heck, from the oven – are enough to set my palate in motion. I’ve had bites of their meals and they do taste delicious! And while those bites taste good, I’m also happy to go back to my own delicious meal.
My nightly dessert: Jenny Craig Triple Chocolate Cheesecake. Photo Credit: Jenny Craig
Being on Jenny Craig has allowed me to learn better eating habits, and there's a lot of comfort in that!
What is your favorite comfort food?
*I received a free month on the Jenny Craig program and a discount on food for this review. There was no compensation. All opinions are solely my own. NOTE: Clients following the Jenny Craig program lose, on average, 1 -2 lbs. per week.
I was raised by an emotional eater so it's always been a challenge for me. My go-to comfort food is ice cream.
Weight Watchers worked for me, but you're spot on about the perils of emotional eating.I do best when I can control what food is around which was difficult when our sons were growing teenagers.
I know that much of my overeating is due to emotional triggers. It's been a lifelong battle. So proud of you for your weight loss success! Keep up the great work!
I am very much an emotional eater. If anything is going wrong, I head straight to food. I will eat whatever I can find. I was doing so well... had lost 15 pounds, and then I gained 25 back. 🙁
It's ice cream, though I generally only have frozen yogurt...you know you can eat twice as much (though that's not really the point, is it?)
When I'm stressed or upset or happy, my go-to friends are always Ben and Jerry. Congrats on sticking to Jenny. That nightly triple chocolate cheesecake definitely helps, doesn't it?!
Congratulations on staying on your diet! I have a sweet tooth and ice cream is my favorite food.
For me it's "mood and moment."
I love to cook - and I love to eat. I was just about to grab a bowl of ice cream, but now maybe I'll wait an hour or two. I think a lot of the problem goes back to when our moms told us to "Clean up your plate!" I always did!
Hi Cathy! Congratulations about getting more conscious about food and what you are eating....it's a big issue for most of us. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I've had to watch myself carefully in the last couple of weeks with my sprained ankle. It's so easy to "reward" or placate ourselves with food when we want to comfort ourselves. And it sounds like you have it a bit harder with two men in your house eating other food....I'm fortunate that my husband eats just about anything I put in front of him...so he's easy when it comes to food. My biggest challenge is ME! 🙂 Stay the course!!! ~Kathy
I love chocolate as comfort food, though sometimes a lice cup of tea works so much better!
EL
I go for the cheese! I'm not a sweet toothed person.
I have a serious weakness for BBQ fritos and coffee ice cream (yes, eaten together). After my divorce I sat under a tree by a lake and polished off a whole bag accompanied by a coffee ice cream shake from Baskin Robbins. Now THAT is emotional eating. However, I find that I now have problems with late night eating. Not sure if it's tied to emotions or just lack of will power.
Red Licorice!! Or red and black mixed, even better. But, my husband was diagnosed with diabetes and I am borderline. I haven't purchased red licorice for months--I'd eat 21 oz every 3 days. I still buy chewy type candies, but keep nuts in my purse. I love fruits. When I eat them, I wonder why sugar grabs me so. Fruit tastes way better. Good for you on your weight loss and new disciplines.
That cheescake looks amazing! Anything sweet is my food of choice.
I can't wait to see you next month at Women Get Social. I may splurge though and have a piece of cake and try to tempt you to join me.
Estelle