Hooked on Comfort Foods?

When you're feeling uneasy or a mite depressed do you reach for chips or chocolate? Perhaps you've noted other people, or even you, begin to nibble or "pig out" on food in tight spots... Sweet and junk foods seem to ease negative feelings. Researchers are unlocking the puzzle as to why many folks are hooked on comfort foods...

Eases negative emotions In one study, researchers showed either a sad or neutral film to a group of overweight participants. Afterward, they conducted a "taste test." Results showed that folks watching the sad movie ate considerably more than those viewing the upbeat film. Do you fill up with candy and popcorn before taking your seat? Maybe you've already established a pattern in your brain's hippocampus, which stores memory patterns.

Cuts sense of stress and anxiety Stress and a bad diet in combo can boost folks' weight. Here's how... sweet and fatty foods seem to depress the stress response, so people may nibble or pig out on them subconsciously to lift their spirits, according to Mary Dallman, neuroscientist.

Boosts mood By eating carbs such as breads, pasta, bagels, pretzels and chips, the amount of tryptohan increases in the brain. Tryptophan in turn produces the hormone, serotonin, which brings a sense of well-being. So when the extra roll at dinner seems delightful, you may want to picture the roll of belly fat it'll bring. Worst part is that low carb diets usually fail because they induce a serotonin deficiency, which in turn can trigger even more carbohydrate cravings to correct the imbalance. So you see the real dilemma...

Where do you stand?

Quick Survey to Gauge Your Eating Behavior The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire's frequently used by researchers to see patterns in eating habits of large populations of participants. See where you stand....

Here's how it works... Choose the number [1 to 5] that best shows how often you experience the inclinations listed below. [1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often and 5 = very often]

Desire to eat when depressed or disappointed
Desire to eat when feeling lonely or let down
Desire to eat when worried or emotionally upset
Desire to eat when restless or bored
Desire to eat when afraid
Desire to eat when irritated or angry

The larger the total, the more prone you are to emotional eating. Good news is that by recognizing a pattern, you can begin to change your behavior. The brain has great plasticity and can rewire new patterns.

Start a new pattern by questioning your desire to eat each time you sense you're hungry. Is it because you've worked hard physically all day and it's now meal time, or are you attempting to lift your mood? When you step out of an intense desire to eat and question what's going on, you can consciously begin to build brain dendrites for the new pattern you want to establish. It takes focus and stick-to-it-iveness for success.

You may need professional help if a comfort food pattern's long established. New Dialectical-Behavior Therapy offers new hope for folks who tend to binge.

I'm on a roll to reduce my pangs for sugars and carbs... since junk foods can clog capillaries, especially those in the brain, and results of accumulating belly fat scare me.... I'm questioning what's going on when hunger pangs arise. You?