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One should not underestimate the extent to which stress, depression, and anxiety can make us crave comfort food, and rob the energy to do things like cook your

One should not underestimate the extent to which stress, depression, and anxiety can make us crave comfort food, and rob the energy to do things like cook your own meals. Especially if you're a working poor and already tired when you get home.

qwsxyh 7y ago
Not to mention mental health issues can also make "healthy" meals just taste like shit making everything worse and driving people to get more unhealthy food.
- Sharlin 7y ago
  Definitely! Depression has a habit of blunting sensory experiences, including taste.
Reedx 7y ago
True, but that's a self reinforcing feedback loop. Eat junk -> Feel like crap, low energy -> Eat more junk Not a good long term strategy. There are widely available low cost foods that can help break that loop. Rice, beans, eggs, frozen vegetables... In fact frozen vegetables are often more nutritious than non-frozen, unless you're eating close enough to picking time.
- qwsxyh 7y ago
  Eat junk -> Feel like crap Put a bunch of effort into making good food -> Feel like crap Seems obvious what I pick.
- yellowapple 7y ago
  > Not a good long term strategy. That's exactly the point. When you're poor, you don't have the luxury of considering a long term strategy.
- Sharlin 7y ago
  > that's a self reinforcing feedback loop. That's exactly the point. You don't break out of those just by deciding one day to be rational.
  - loco5niner 7y ago
    People do it all the time. It's unfortunately the exception, not the rule.
fromthestart 7y ago
One should also not underestimate the roles that culture and ignorance play in food selection. Don't bend over backwards to excuse people of personal responsibility.
yegle 7y ago
Looks like we should stop saying "comfort food" and just say "high calories/high carbohydrate unhealthy food"?
- Sharlin 7y ago
  What you call it is immaterial, what matters is how it makes your System 1 feel. Comfort food is just a phrase I chose to use because that's what it is.

qwsxyh 7y ago

Not to mention mental health issues can also make "healthy" meals just taste like shit making everything worse and driving people to get more unhealthy food.

Sharlin 7y ago
Definitely! Depression has a habit of blunting sensory experiences, including taste.

Reedx 7y ago

True, but that's a self reinforcing feedback loop. Eat junk -> Feel like crap, low energy -> Eat more junk Not a good long term strategy. There are widely available low cost foods that can help break that loop. Rice, beans, eggs, frozen vegetables... In fact frozen vegetables are often more nutritious than non-frozen, unless you're eating close enough to picking time.

qwsxyh 7y ago
Eat junk -> Feel like crap Put a bunch of effort into making good food -> Feel like crap Seems obvious what I pick.
yellowapple 7y ago
> Not a good long term strategy. That's exactly the point. When you're poor, you don't have the luxury of considering a long term strategy.
Sharlin 7y ago
> that's a self reinforcing feedback loop. That's exactly the point. You don't break out of those just by deciding one day to be rational.
- loco5niner 7y ago
  People do it all the time. It's unfortunately the exception, not the rule.

fromthestart 7y ago

One should also not underestimate the roles that culture and ignorance play in food selection. Don't bend over backwards to excuse people of personal responsibility.

yegle 7y ago

Looks like we should stop saying "comfort food" and just say "high calories/high carbohydrate unhealthy food"?

Sharlin 7y ago
What you call it is immaterial, what matters is how it makes your System 1 feel. Comfort food is just a phrase I chose to use because that's what it is.