Why do we find comfort in carbs?

[egnue]

Just wondering why some of us find comfort in carbs when we are sad or bored.

Any thoughts??? Why not exercise, endorphines are released then as well.

[Nancy LC]

Its probably a physical thing. Sort of like asking an alcoholic why they drink alcohol.

[NJNicole]

Its probably a physical thing. Sort of like asking an alcoholic why they drink alcohol.

Amen! That is what it is like for me. It is out of habit that I turn to carbs. Breaking the trend for myself is why I am doing Atkins right now.

[DianaO]

I agree,.... it's a tough one...

[stacyfitz]

I think too that some carbs (home baked pies and cookies, bread) evoke the comfort of what many of us were raised with.
Somehow they connect to love - if you love someone bake them a cake.

Ok - if you love me, bbq me a sausage!!

SF

[HogarthNH]

While there is a certain psychological effect from Comfort Food, the reality is that the biochemical processes associated with Comfort Food are far more insidious than any of us might've realized.

Carbohydrates and insulin are closely linked to a brain chemical called Serotonin. Serotonin is one of the major chemicals that control happiness and mood, amongst other things.

When you're not low carb dieting, and you have low serotonin levels, you are depressed. Eating "comfort food" will provide a quick serotonin boost, and make you feel better, while it lasts.
(The Insulin spikes will generally make you feel terrible -- and more hungry -- after, and then you'll eat more. Great, isn't it?)

Many depressed people have brain chemistry problems where their brain uses up serotonin too fast -- and thus, this has relatively limited usefulness. (Most antidepressant medication are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.)

Low carbers tend not to have spikes in insulin, and thus not spikes in carbohydrate intake, and will generally have a more even level of serotonin in the brain at any given time.

Exercise also can assist with serotonin production, but it's a slow general boost.

Think of it as a comparison between coffee and a good night's sleep. Sure, the coffee can get you going, for a little while, but if you're more rested, you may have more of your own energy to use. You won't "crash".

It's certainly easier, for the average person, to eat a half pint of ice cream than it is to jog for an hour, or eat right every day.

[scthgharpy]

mmmm...serontonin. There are other ways of getting that lovely hormone released-but UNFORTUNATELY the government doesnt think we can handle feeling good, so they made MDMA illegal.

<tongue firmly planted in cheek>

maybe because we would abuse it? Not like sugar. No one I know eats too much sugar or grows addicted to it, to the detriment of our health.

<removing tongue from cheek>

Maybe SUGAR should be considered a class A drug! Whats the number to my congressman again? Oh yah, only the big wigs like conagra and p&g have that one.

[Dodger]

I wonder if we had not been raised in a high-carb society, then would carbs be a comfort food. What did the Inuit do when they had a bad day on the ice flow? Perhaps they would be comforted by eating a piece of fish.

[kidnj]

There's even more to it...
In a lot of people who grow overweight without a great deal of effort, there is a chemical reaction to gluten of sorts. When your body does not have the ability to break down gluten (this is more the case than not so, actually), what remains in your system are short-chain peptides, as opposed to the very necessary (and very helpful in repairing everything in your body) amino acids. People with gluten intolerance do not break down these foods completely (and technically, you really need a digestive system like that of a cow to effectively do this -- casein, or cow's milk protein is chemically nearly identical to gluten -- one where you ingest, regurge, chew the cud for a week, then swallow, and continue the cycle until the food value is garnered from said stalk of wheat). Back to those short-chain peptides... these behave in our bodies like opiates. Literally. This is why these foods become addictive -- because all opiates are addictive. And this is why you need to eat more and more of them (how many of us have eaten an entire bag of cookies and just couldn't seem to stop, like something was compelling us?) -- to get the same response.

The opiates take over our brains, just like morphine would, and they make us tired, foggy, spacey, and sometimes euphoric to a degree -- the degree depends on your intolerance and repeated exposure. The Atkins plan is devoid of gluten and actually most casein (unless you really get into the cheese or low carb products, that is), and lo, it works to break the cycle. The Atkins Flu is really not unlike withdrawal, if you think back...

There's a whole bunch more to this, but this is the nutshell version... you can probably guess what I plan to pontificate on in Vegas. :D
d.

[Dreal]

Those are some interesting posts. I think it may be hard at times not to eat something because I "can't". So far it hasn't been (a little over 3 days). What is the Atkins flu? I eat cheese daily this is ok right? My doctor said it was.

Some of you have lost so much weight. That is so encouraging!

p.s. i think breads etc are so yummy, easy on the stomach, and the textures are desirable too.

[rachelratz]

There are economic reason also. Starch is very cheap and filling for a large family. I maintain that the reason many poor people are obese is because of diet of starch.

[tie_guy]

I have spent some time thinking about the way life used to be. When I cheat I feel like crap and I realize that before I started LC I felt pretty much that way (to a more or lesser degree) all of the time and just thought that was normal.

I also realize that part of the reason why I had a sweet tooth (used to love to eat candy all day long) was because I liked the way it made me feel. I didn't realize it at the time, but I think I actually got a small buz of the stuff. I think of myself as being an X sugar addict. Now I feel like I have a mild sugar rush 24/7. And best of all the buz doesn't wear off! I would stay on this WOE even if I didn't loose any weight.

[surrealme]

I associate simple carbs with my dearly departed Mother :angel: who owned a catering company. I remember as a 7-year old looking with awe at a 3 foot tall Queen-Anne Cake.
(Think...tower of creampuffs drizzed with chocolate and caramel)
So the sucky days where I miss her are the worst. I have de-carbed her choc-peanut butter cookie recipe and make that when I have to.

[Pandora23]

For me I don't think is necessarily the carbs but I love sweet foods, candies etc. I could just as easily overdo it on LC pastries etc. They just sound so much more appealing than steak or chicken or veggies, lol!

[coolwater]

There's even more to it...
In a lot of people who grow overweight without a great deal of effort, there is a chemical reaction to gluten of sorts...

So do you think it'd be wise for one to avoid gluten even if they don't suffer from Celiac?

I notice some LC breads/wraps list wheat gluten in their ingredients, and I find that when I eat them it kicks of the same out of control cravings as regular bread would. I'd like to eventually introduce a bit of grain when I'm in maintenance, would it be safer to make sure it's gluten free?

[kidnj]

So do you think it'd be wise for one to avoid gluten even if they don't suffer from Celiac?

I notice some LC breads/wraps list wheat gluten in their ingredients, and I find that when I eat them it kicks of the same out of control cravings as regular bread would. I'd like to eventually introduce a bit of grain when I'm in maintenance, would it be safer to make sure it's gluten free?

That was the key to my own personal success, and I don't have Celiac. I am merely gluten-sensitive, and am quite certain that more people than know it are -- if you think about it, 1 in 133 people has Celiac, and yet, only 1 in 4000 is diagnosed. If Celiac is that prevalent, wouldn't it be appropriate to assume a milder form of intolerance would be equally as prevalent? Once I removed all gluten from my diet, all my allergies disappeared. I mean all of them. Many people find that this also is the beginning to "recovering" from thyroid disorders and other auto-immune disorders as well. If you want more information, by all means PM me...
d.

[HogarthNH]

Those are some interesting posts. I think it may be hard at times not to eat something because I "can't". So far it hasn't been (a little over 3 days).

We have a natural tendency to rebel against "I can't.".

Try "I don't want to, because I want to be successful at this."

You'll feel better, I promise.

[Dreal]

HogarthNH

That is a wonderful outlook. Thank you. I will definitly keep that thought.

I think coming here helps enforce and encourage the diet.

I went to a birthday party this weekend and became that girl that wouldn't even eat a piece of birthday cake. Not a great feeling. I did end up eatting a bite. But still, it's uncomfortable.

[carabajalk]

I think too that some carbs (home baked pies and cookies, bread) evoke the comfort of what many of us were raised with.
Somehow they connect to love - if you love someone bake them a cake.

Ok - if you love me, bbq me a sausage!!

SF

I totally agree think about it when you visit someone you bake them cookies or cupcakes or birthday parties what do you have cake hmm see the connection I do! lol