In popular media, comfort food is often portrayed as chocolate cake, macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle soup, ice cream, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken pot pie, fried chicken, French fries, gravy, pie, chocolate pudding, cheeseburgers, tomato soup, pizza, taco, mashed potatoes, grilled cheese sandwiches, and the like. And those comfort foods are often disparaged as being high in trans fat, refined sugar, and salt.
Depressed people usually turn to comfort foods listed above for, well, emotional comfort. Binge eating on these high-calorie comfort foods with a depressed mood and low desire for physical activity leads to unwanted weight gain, which becomes a vicious cycle of binge-eating, depression, high levels of stress, and weight gain.
But there is one part that just doesn't seem right. And that is childhood upbringing. We can't expect that everyone from all over the world would eat those kinds of "comfort foods". In fact, the foods listed on American comfort foods. In Japan and China, children may be brought up on beef bone broth with white radishes, lotus roots, tofu, shitake mushrooms, and carrots. The soup may be low in sodium, sugar, and no trans fat and high in fiber. Or they may consume mung bean soup that is sweetened by raisins and goji berries. Again, low sugar and high in fiber.
What this tells us is that our concept of "comfort food" is based in culture. Therefore, if we have low-calorie, high-nutrient, high-fiber comfort food to turn to, then any weight gain that may arise from overeating during depression will be much slower. It will still be possible to become overweight or chubby, but being obese will be very difficult and may take much longer time unless one has a broken hypothalamus that tells the body to store energy regardless of diet and exercise. In addition, we should not rely so heavily on food for emotional comfort. No amount of food can heal emotional pain. Instead of using comfort food as the first go-to source, we must be more collectivistic and group-oriented, so that the stresses of everyday life are felt and distributed by the group rather than fallen overwhelmingly on the shoulders of the individual. Then, comfort food will come in as part of the kindness of friends rather than as part of the object of comfort.
In America, the comfort foods are almost always factory-made, and they are the go-to sources for sugar and salt cravings. For some reason, people rarely consider the potential addictiveness of perceived "healthy foods". It is possible to make something in an unhealthy manner and in a healthy manner, so any type of food cannot be judged as "healthy" or "unhealthy" by its name only. Instead, we must evaluate the food's constituents and understand why the food is "unhealthy".
It is definitely possible to prepare a very unhealthy food at home. Just dissolve 50 grams of refined sugar in warm water to make sugar water. Then, drop in some peeled citrus fruits, because dropping in fruits is cheaper and simpler than using a juicer. Tada! Instant junk food! You have made something with 50 grams of refined sugar, and your daily allowance for added sugar should be much less than that! Drinking lukewarm fruit-infused sugar water is considerably cheaper than drinking juice or soda, because sugar and water can be collected in public places, so all you're buying is really just the fruit for flavor enhancement.
Likewise, it is possible to make a hamburger very healthy. The bun may be made from whole wheat flour, water, yeast, some kind of plant oil, and sesame seeds. The hamburger patty may be made from beef without any seasoning. The toppings may be the traditional vegetables, but non-traditional vegetables like mushrooms or bok choy are okay. Such a burger has low-sodium and low-sugar.
The bottom line is, the healthiness of the food really is subjective. It is dependent on various factors - how it is made, how much of it is eaten during one sitting, and how addictive it is to attract people to buy more of the same product. To make sure that the food is healthy, the food must be made simply, eaten mindfully, and low in addictiveness. Food may be made more appealing, if it has some kind of emotional attachment. So, if a low-sodium, low-sugar, simply prepared dish is served during a time of sickness, that person may associate comfort with that food. By changing how "comfort food" is perceived by mainstream America and by emphasizing more on relationships than material items, people may have a healthier relationship with food and thus live healthier and happier lives.
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