Why comfort eating doesn’t make you happy

Eating processed comfort foods can briefly make you feel better about yourself. The sugar fat and salt they contain can affect the brain’s mesolymbic reward system, giving you a nice sensation.

But the mood improvement is only brief because your body will quickly release insulin, which takes sugar out of your bloodstream, and causes a slump.

If you try to stop the slump by repeating the cake or biscuit dose, your weight will spiral, which is not good for mood.

My comments for an article in The Times on comfort eating during lockdown.

Why Comfort food doesn’t make you happy. The Times Weekend Section January 21, 2021.