High Spirits - Yum

It's long been known how food can have an impact on a person's mood and how a person's mood affects one's food choices. The saying, "you are what you eat", fits this statement. Meaning to say, there are scientific reasons as to why we choose specific food but at the same time, there's also a reason behind the reason we chose to choose such. Get it?

The food we eat contain certain nutrients that when absorbed by the body results in the release of certain neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are molecules that transmit signals between neurons or simply, brain cells. The amount of these neurotransmitters in the brain at any given time has an impact on our mood. Endorphins and endogenous opiates are certain neurotransmitters of our body whose amount determines whether or not the brain is signalled to take food. These neurotransmitters also have an effect on our mood when they are released in the limbic system of the brain (i.e. seat of emotion) and produce a euphoria that lessens anxiety and melancholy. Thus, they are known as the body's feel good chemicals. Since its discovery, endorphins were used to counter stress. So when you eat certain food that trigger the release of such neurotransmitters resulting to an improvement in mood, this experience would be stored in your parietal lobes so that whenever you get down in the dumps again, your experience of being relieved from stress because you ate such food will be retrieved, and you will then use this information to counter whatever problem or conflict is causing you stress at the moment.

One of the things that never fail to lift up my mood would have to be my own choice of "comfort food". Everyone has their own choices of comfort food. Among many others, here are my top 10 comfort food of all time.

10 - Pizza (NEW!)

I used to really hate pizza. But after I went through progressive desensitization by my friends, I have been made immune and kind of 'used to' it, and thus, I kind of learned to like eating pizza. But, well, aside from the past me, who doesn't?

Universal Studios Sentosa - SG

9 - Puto Cheese

This particular food choice actually has an emotional significance, which also has an effect to our food preferences. It actually has the same name as the nickname of my used-to-be biggest crush during my 2nd year in college. I learned that when there's emotional attachment to something, you'll learn to love it yourself even if it has given you no sufficient reason to.

8 - Spaghetti with meatballs

This is one classic comfort food. Well, the main reason why I really love this food is because my mom, who is a great cook, makes one hell of a spaghetti when we were still kids, and I used to remember how divine it tastes. Up to now, I still believe that my parents are the best cooks in the world who will never fail to satisfy my taste buds.

7 - Fried Chicken/Buffalo Wings

I used to believe when I was just a kid that everyone loves eating fried chicken. And up til now, I still hold such belief. I'm sure at one point in each of our lives we all had that thought that we'll be able to survive even if what we eat everyday consisted of just fried chicken or buffalo wings for that matter... I know I did (and still do). (wink-wink)

Sunrise Buckets - Madison Square

6 - French Fries with Coke Float

Who doesn't like to eat carbs, I mean, McDonald's finest combo ever made: french fries dipped in chocolate fudge atop the floating ice cream of the coke float? I believe again that the answer is EVERYONE loves this combo. I mean, it's so available everywhere, not to mention it's relatively affordable.

5 - Burger

Hamburger is like one of the greatest food inventions ever. I just love sinking my teeth into those scrumptious crabby patty, I mean, burger patty.

Johnny Rockets - Tomas Morato

4 - Cheetos

Flamin' Hot Cheetos to be exact is my most favorite junk food. It's hot, it's crunchy, just 21 o'these and you'll be asking for liters of water. Still --- awesome! Not everyone can handle this heat.

3 - Chocolate chip Cookies

This one's also a classic comfort food. Well, chocolate chip cookies contain chocolate chips which induce the release of oxytocin and serotonin resulting to an elevation of our mood. It's just oh-so-heavenly good to munch these cookies and taste those little explosions of sweet surprises.

2 - Caesar's Salad

I have just recently learned to fall in love with this meal. It's easy to do, it's relatively cheap depending on your chosen ingredients, and it's quite healthy. I just love it that I never fail to order one from any kainan offering such!

1 - Any kind of Chocolate

It's the number one comfort food of all time. One of the unique neurotransmitters released by chocolate is phenylethylamine. This so called "chocolate amphetamine" causes changes in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels leading to feelings of excitement and alertness. It works like amphetamines to increase mood and decrease depression, but it does not result in the same tolerance or addiction. Phenylethylamine is also called the "love drug" because it causes a rise in the pulse rate, resulting in a similar feeling to when someone is in love.

The aforementioned comfort food were just among the endless number of my food choices that can help to counter stress and alleviate pain, sorrow and depression. For me, the effects of such food further increase when I indulge them at a place where I feel totally at ease, such as within the confines of our home or perhaps in a comfy coffee shop.

According to an article by L. Acurantes,  it turns out, it’s not about the food but about the people one thinks of when eating their comfort food. “We have found that comfort food are food which are consistently associated with those close to us,” says Troisi, a graduate student at the University of Buffalo. "Thinking about or consuming these food later then serves as a reminder of those close others". "Throughout everyone’s daily lives they experience stress, often associated with our connections with others," Troisi says. “Comfort food can serve as a ready-made, easy resource for remedying a sense of loneliness.”

For those persons who might have caused your sorrows, here's your comfort food.

Enjoy! But whatever the reason for your dysthymic mood may be, always remember this one wonderful quote: "When you laugh, the whole world laughs with you. When you cry, you cry alone." So why not just indulge in happiness and forget thy worries? Life, after all, is both too short and too long to waste or spend time in worrying.

- Keso