Why does food make us feel better?

I have a very bad habit of eating when I’m very stressed or upset about something. But what it is about foods that make them so comforting?

A randomized, double-blind placebo trial that was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology studied the “effects of cocoa polyphenols on cognition and mood,” (Pase). A polyphenol is basically a nutrient in our diets that has been linked to helping prevent cancer and other degenerative diseases. The researchers gave out 3 dark chocolate drink mixes, the only difference in each being the amount of polyphenols in it- 500 mg, 250 mg, and 0 mg. The 72 participants, who were all considered to be healthy, middle-aged people, consumed the drink everyday for 30 days. After 30 days, the participants who received the highest dose reported feeling more calm and self content than the participants who received no polyphenols. The study also went on to say that the results made a case for exploring wether the same polyphenols could help with anxiety and depression. Since the study was so well done, I think it makes a really good case for eating chocolate to help you feel better. And there’s more research to back this up.

This article also talks about studies done that name coffee, fruits and vegetables, foods rich in probiotics (live bacterias and yeast that’s good for you), and a few others can improve your mood if you make them common staples in your diet.

study done by researchers in Belgium found that when patients were hooked up to fatty-acid solution and showed pictures designed to make them sad, they reported feeling less sad than patients who were just hooked up to saline solution.

So, next time you reach for the Ben and Jerry’s pint or jar of Nutella when you’re feeling down and your roommate gives you a weird look, you can tell them you have science to back up your stress-eating habit

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8 thoughts on “Why does food make us feel better?

  1. Patrick Hryckiewicz

    It’s nice to know that there is a scientific aspect behind eating and our mood. Is polyphenol in many foods? Or is there a specific food we should eat when we are feeling sad? According to this Huffington Post article, there are certain foods that can improve your mood. Foods like saffron, chocolate, and oranges can help people who are depressed feel better, due to other factors, like vitamins. I think that reverse causation could be a factor in this study. It’s possible that people treat themselves to better foods when they are in a good mood, or do something successfully (which could boost their confidence). Nice post!

  2. Holly Rubin

    I also did a blog post about stress causing us to eat food, but did it at a different angle. I studied why we crave food when we are stressed rather than why it makes us feel better. I like how your article is relatable, making me understand why I just want to sit down and eat chocolate on testing weeks. But, is it healthy to depend or think of food as something to help us cope with stress?

  3. Sarah Elizabeth Pettoruto

    Wow this makes me feel a lot better about myself haha! It is really interesting they have these studies to back up their theories about this subject. I would’t mind participating in it! Even though this could be okay sometimes, I don’t think that stress eating with chocolate should be happening everyday, five times a day. Some people may use this as an excuse which could lead to obesity rates increasing. Here is a link that gives examples of healthy foods that are high in polyphenols!

  4. Bailee Nicole Koncar

    Hi Colleen!
    Your topic was super interesting because it is quite obvious that most people like to eat to feel better about themselves. Consuming good food results in making us feel better inside. However, this is often associated with obesity. People who tend to eat a lot are more likely to gain weight. It would be better if people consume foods that are generally good for us such as fruits. Ice cream may make us feel good in the moment but the extra calories and fats can make us feel worse later. Also, I don’t find your study to be entirely accurate. Yes, the people who received the highest dose of polyphenols may have reported that they feel better, but they easily could have given false information or believed that they were more calm but in reality were not. Also, the study merely could have been due to chance.

  5. Shannon G Mcclain

    Your opening statement drew me in because I also eat when I’m stressed! I’m glad you focused on chocolate, because who doesn’t like that? I have known that dark chocolate was healthy, but I never quite understood why. This study shows me that polyphenols are one reason why. However, I wish you would have included exactly how those polyphenols work in the body and the mechanism in which they use to make us feel better. I also think it’s interesting that you included studies dealing with fatty-acids and probiotics, but again, more details would have been helpful.

  6. Eric Choi

    Food and chocolate are what basically attracted me to this blog post. As a huge fan of chocolate anything, I can feel less guilty knowing that the polyphenol in chocolate can reduce the chance of cancer. However, It is still extremely high in calories and can make one fat which is why I still feel guilty. I know your post was short and sweet, but to further your blog post you should go into detail on what types of studies they did for the second and third study you posted. Study design is very important. The results from the first study seem very legit since it came from a double blind randomized experiment. One thing I’ve always wondered about chocolate is that if it has all types of health benefits, then why does it have the potential to kill pets? Check out this article to find out, you could probably do your next blog post on this topic: http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/toxicology/f/FAQ_choctox.htm

  7. Angelique L Santiago

    Haha, I love your ending! Also, I love how your post is short sweet and to the point. Not to mention that you seamlessly worked in what we have learned in class. I think your blog post does a good job of answering the question of, “Why Does Food Make Us Feel Better?” especially because the trials that you talked about were experimental instead of observational which means that chance and confounding variable can be ruled out.
    All in all, I agree with you post because I believe in comfort food! Definitely read this article from WebMD to learn why comfort foods are so comforting. It is really interesting!
    http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/20110725/why-comfort-foods-are-so-comforting

  8. Devon Amber Macdougall

    Considering I am the biggest problem eater in the world whenever I am upset, it makes me happy to learn that food indeed makes you less sad. It was cool to read about the science behind why food makes us happy, especially chocolate. No wonder I’m addicted to chocolate…. Next time I am questioned for eating like a 400 pound mad when I’m sad I am literally going to pull up your article.

    Here is an interesting article published by CNN that specifically focuses on chocolate as a comfort food… it even goes on to say that chocolate is a literal joy-booster! Check it out! 🙂

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