Dear World
TODAY is World Food Day – 16 October 2023.
What does that mean to us and what is our relationship with Food?
Simple Living Global are ON the pulse of what is needed to bring awareness to humanity about topics that are relevant and prevalent to what is going on in our world.
This article titled COMFORT EATING is posing some serious Questions1 for us to consider.
These foods are categorised as SNACKS AND CONFECTIONERY.
$9.36 TRILLION – GLOBAL FOOD MARKET
$1.66 TRILLION – SNACKS AND CONFECTIONERY MARKET LARGEST SEGMENT 2023.
https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/food/worldwide
WE ARE WHAT WE EAT
https://simplelivingglobal.com/we-are-what-we-eat/
JUNK FOOD FAST FOODS
https://simplelivingglobal.com/fast-food-junk-food/
BREAKFAST
https://simplelivingglobal.com/breakfast/
DO DIETS WORK
https://simplelivingglobal.com/do-diets-work/
GLUTEN IS A GLUE
https://simplelivingglobal.com/gluten-is-a-glue/
DAIRY
https://simplelivingglobal.com/dairy/
CHOCOLATE
https://simplelivingglobal.com/chocolate/
FOOD WASTE
https://simplelivingglobal.com/food-waste/
WATER
https://simplelivingglobal.com/drinking-water/
We seem to take eating food quite seriously.
All other animals that reside on our planet do not indulge or do ‘Comfort Eating’. They know their design and they stick to it.
We never get to see a lion seeking foods to bring ‘comfort’.
They just know what to eat, when to hunt and never over-eat.
On that note –
Have we noticed that we have become a world that Consistently over-eats?
We label foods ‘comfort foods’ which give us some kind of false relief and we forget the side effects as we are way too busy salivating for what is about to hit our mouth.
We have books, apps, audios, events, podcasts and so much more flooding the market and there is always more for those seeking whatever our desires and fantasies are when it comes to food.
Comfort foods has its own category and that includes our favourite ‘Comfort Eating snacks’.
For some it can be fried chicken and chips and we want more soon as we finish eating.
For others it is the creamy custard and sticky pudding with heaps of Hot Chocolate sauce.
Some associate Comfort Eating with childhood memories like mashed potatoes.
Cheese on toast may not cut it, so we add what those celebrity chefs tell us by adding a sauce or chutney and bingo we are eating within a few minutes, because comfort for us means minimal cooking with lots of Dairy.
On the Dairy note – what is it we love so much?
The comfort that we feel when that double cream enters the mouth or is it swallowing lashings of our hot desserts that grandma used to make? Or we may have the savoury version of a thick n creamy cold yogurt or stinky matured cheeses with a tipple of port or sherry.
Why do our famous chefs that write weekly in those national newspaper supplements talk about being “in need of comfort food” but they would much rather order a take away or get someone else cooking for them?
What exactly is “in need of comfort food” and are we being influenced in any way, or are we seeking this kind of advice and direction because these are our celebrities in the food world and they know what we want?
What is it about these chefs that give us even more ‘comfort’ advice by saying they turn to “another source of comfort” and watch their favourite TV series or the full box set.
What message are we giving out to a world that is already on the trajectory of not wanting to work or looking for ways to indulge in anything that is sedentary and going to guarantee fatigue?
Sounds crazy but let us not be Fooled – eating foods that our body requires a lot of energy to process through our digestive system will ensure we get tired.
How amazing would it be if these kinds of basic 101 lessons were presented at school from day dot?
Teachers themselves are to be Real role models and that means Walk the walk and talk the walk. In other words, live what comes out of the mouth.
No point a teacher who is overweight and not drinking any Water throughout the day telling the kids what they need to do and not do when it comes to food and hydration.
If we told children from a young age that comfort foods are not going to bring them Consistent vitality levels and it can lead to all kinds of illness and disease, we could end up with the new generations living differently to where we are currently at.
Next –
We have a whole page in a national newspaper dedicated to a top celebrity chef saying they have become “smitten with the deep fried jam sandwich” which came from a fish and chip shop.
And another celebrity chef has their own version hailing it as “softer and more interesting than a doughnut”.
This is great for so many of us seeking new ways to indulge and gain comfort from what we eat, but with zero consideration to our body and how it operates and what it is calling for.
We have the masses now with Sleep problems.
We have more and more addicted to Junk Foods.
We have multi-symptomatic issues and that means we are presenting signs that cannot just be linked to one particular disease.
Back to Comfort Eating…
We want toppings sauces, extras and anything that brings on the comfort factor.
We demand comfort from the hurt, the grief, the pain, the ill, the distress, the agony, the misery or whatever it is that is UN-Comfortable. We need freedom even if it is momentary, we want it and there are plenty of comfort foods that will deliver this satisfying feeling, even if it lasts a few minutes. Creamy Chocolate bar or two anyone?
AND when it comes to our cravings and wanting it immediately – we have created the solution – apps to get the doorstep delivery even for a snack or two or three to indulge in while we wait for the takeaway delivery a bit later on – all at the tap of our screen and multiple eateries can be used in one delivery.
Winter nights means stay warm and eat comfort foods and that means baggy clothes are ok as not much to flaunt so we get away with it.
Next –
Back to another celebrity chef on their take about a comfort food snack that they eat as they no longer go to the gym and it is “best enjoyed with a side helping of trashy daytime telly”.
Sounds funny, hilarious and just the prescription for the low mood, stress and anxiety we are feeling?
How will this bring a nation with an Obesity crisis back, if we have this kind of commentary going on?
Let us not forget, those seeking this kind of ill advice will find it and then they feel confirmed and justified in taking time out of work for a Comfort Eating snack with heaps of melting cheese and bread, instead of exercise and then indulging in useless (trashy) TV as apparently we are told there is plenty of that on a weekday.
What are we encouraging, fostering or bringing to all those that read these types of weekend national newspaper supplements full of colour photographs?
Next –
More now on the famous B list chefs that write weekly and have to come up with what we the public are demanding.
Gummy bears (main ingredients sugar and corn syrup) – absolutely nothing of value, quality or nutrition.
Stick them in the freezer and then ‘throw them in a bowl with yoghurt, frozen raspberries and lots of broken chunks of Chocolate. This is called a ‘guilty pleasure picnic’.
Advice is to “eat in front of the Television or naked on a bed in front of a fan”.
Hello
Time we got a wake up call and Reality Check.
Is this sensible or is this taking us down the guaranteed ill road?
We all know anything that is not supportive and enriching for our body seems to be what we do repeatedly. In other words, we always crave the crap foods which have zero nutrition for our body.
That repeated food choice is what leads to addiction, so we can go about our day and boom, we hit a breaking point for reward or something has come up or another reason. We head straight for our form of ‘Comfort Eating’ and it can be from anything mentioned above or it can be something else, but nevertheless ALL Comfort Eating.
Next –
Let’s keep going through this Comfort Eating magazine supplement.
Chocolate fudge cake with generous lashings of hot custard – who on earth can resist that and even better as it is homemade?
The selling point is “as the cake bakes, it transforms into a soft and airy sponge with a rich, decadent surprise at the bottom”.
With 4 colourful photographs most would have the saliva working overtime in our mouth.
Enough said – we like Comfort Eating and it suits our Lifestyle.
We hate the thought of having to take Real and proper responsibility for this body that we have been given that is going to be around until our last breath.
We jump on the bandwagon of what we read and forget that our body did not get a say in whether this kind of eating is going to support our vitality or health and well-being.
We can Blame those chefs that keep on coming up with more and more comfort food recipes or Blame the Media, the TV programs that are now available 24/7 all about cooking and eating, or the supermarkets for tempting us with their selection of comfort foods. But the Truth is we make the demand and they just supply.
It seems clear with a booming trillion dollar industry on confectionery and snacks, we are a long way off from realising the real harm of what food does to us and why and where it is coming from.
Comments 1
Mail Online – 11 November 2023
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12736613/snacking-UKs-poor-health-office-workers-healthy-foods.html
Snacking on the go is fuelling the UK’s poor health.
Expert warns that busy adults and office workers should consider preparing healthy foods at home.
The professor warned that a reality television series encourages people to snack while watching TV and said it is a reflection of our time poor society and constant food advertising that make these foods attractive to us.
Offices are usually surrounded by snack foods or have vending machines in them – so the food environment and lifestyles many lead are the perfect recipe for snacking culture.
The modern way of life for many is get a snack from the shop or vending machine, eat at the desk, on the street, in the car or on public transport.
Quick, easy convenience food consumed on the go between activities or walking home from work, tends to be unhealthy and much less thought is given than usual meal choices.
Other countries in Europe do not have snacks at a bus stop as it is not part of that culture.
85% report snacking during the day.
2.5 snacks per day average person in UK has
75% of calories from snacking come from unhealthy, ‘ultra-processed’ options like chocolate bars, biscuits, crisps and ice cream.
It is often rushed and we pick foods that are quick and easy to eat. Eating fast leads to eating more calories than if we ate slowly and realised when we were full.
Snacking is now seen by many experts as a major source of unhealthy food, which can contribute to overeating and obesity.
Snacks are often ultra-processed, which means they contain artificial components like emulsifiers and flavourings rather than ingredients you could find in the average kitchen. These types of foods are linked to a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure and poorer gut health.
Dear World
As the author of this website with no formal medical or academic claims being made here – can we start to ask some questions?
Firstly – much has been presented and the questions are worth considering on our Junk Foods, Fast Food article.
https://simplelivingglobal.com/fast-food-junk-food/
Next – WHY are we craving snacks during a working day and what is it that moves us to snack and then again and again?
Has anyone considered that our body is exhausted and the food gives us a burst of energy to simply keep going and function? Possible?
We all know snacks are generally designed with the perfect combo of sugar, salt and fat and the fat is not what is classed as healthy fats. Even those savoury snacks tend to have sugar added.
Let us not be fooled into anything. Time to become the scientist and ask our body why and what it does what it does when it comes to eating any foods.
This is not a commentary of having a certain diet, but without a serious line of questioning where are we heading if this has now become our normal? Just because the masses are heading down this ill road, it does not mean we have to accept it or go along with it.
A nation that is showing no signs of decline in areas of illness and disease ought to make some serious changes and it starts with each of us – the individual.
So if we are snacking during the day with absolutely no responsibility to make changes or adjust then let’s not bark at the kids or have a go when others are doing the same.
We need to walk the talk and then there is a chance others can or will be inspired because they have a real living reflection of another walking the steps they could also walk.
No amount of legislation and cutting back on advertising is going to turn the tides if we still seek out foods that numb us, bloat us and harm our body.