What makes food memories so powerful (and how to use it to battle mental illness)

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I was six and we just moved to another city. Lost in my own world, terrified of everything, I looked for comfort, for my good place…

At the same time, my mom started a new job for a nature conservancy-oriented organisation for talented kids. Yup, sounds complicated but that was my safe place. Anyway, once a year, just before Christmas, they used to organise a charity fair. I was selling my handmade toys there and it felt so good. To give me more stuff to sell, my mom made pastries. And not just any pastries, but little perfect kinda croissants, with bun-like dough, cherry filling and powdered sugar on top 🥐🍒

Mom has made cherry “croissants” for the fair for the next 10 years. Still, I will always remember the very first ones. I think that is my taste of home, I’ve been seeking everywhere ever since…🥺

Some foods may bring back the very special memories hidden deep inside of our mind. What's more, those memories are basic and very strong. They live within that parts of our subconscious which makes us us. For me, trying that “croissants” isn't just eating, it is the whole life I want back. Emotions, it evokes, are strong enough to make me feel better, even at my worst.

So what are they - your “happy food memories”? Try and bring back a comfort food into your life ❤️ You can make it a bit healthier or just enjoy it the way it had always been. Because if you could manage just one more step away from the dark place, does it really matter that you had a croissant for lunch? 😌

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder - not a picky eater

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ARFID is a little-known eating disorder. But unlike anorexia or bulimia, people with this condition aren't trying to control their weight. Individuals who experience avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder share a fear of certain foods as well as limited eating behaviour. Usually someone with ARFID has a list of “safe” foods and tend to avoid “unsafe” foods because of their sight, smell or taste.

Of course, if the “safe food list” is short, there might be serious issues with not eating enough calories, protein, vitamins or minerals. In this case, what we need to do is to expand the list, step by step. Mixing a new food with a favourite one can help. You might also explore how certain “less unsafe” foods make you feel or experiment with textures of the same product.

Eating your feelings: is there a silver lining?

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“Good food is good mood”. You’ve heard this dozens of times. I also use it as one of my hashtags. If eating good food makes us feel better, could that possibly mean the opposite is also true? Could positive emotions and good mental state make us want healthy food? Well…not really and not always. And here's why!

It's easier to think about applying healthy habits being in a good mood. When we're full of energy and motivation, changes don't seem that scary anymore. And the other way around, when feeling low, healthy meals and all that “sticking to the plan” stuff could be an impossible task. Now, try to remember the time you felt very very happy, full of excitement and even euphoria. What was happening with your diet then? I doubt it was really healthy either.

In both cases we are reaching to our favourite foods. And the moment our favourite food is consumed, the body is producing dopamine - neurotrotransmitter, responsible for the feeling of happiness, that is hard to deny. So why should we!

A healthy diet have to include foods that are not only good for your body and mind, but also make you feel better. The key is moderation. Getting the dopamine dose from a bowl of ice cream is completely okay, getting the dopamine dose from a pint of ice cream… erm….not really.

Sometimes, it's okay to eat in order to regulate emotions. But it's possible for comfort eating to turn into an unhealthy mechanism. Food never should be the only option for dealing with problems. It's always better to discuss whatever difficult emotions you experience, than eat family-size chips on your own.