23 Cozy Winter Recipes For When You Just Need Something Comforting (2024)

FAQs

23 Cozy Winter Recipes For When You Just Need Something Comforting? ›

Fried chicken: a classic comfort food because of its crispy texture and the positive memories of picnics and gatherings. Mac and cheese: macaroni noodles in cheese sauce are simple to cook and perfectly balance carbs and proteins. Kebab: meat, veggies, spices, sauces — all mixed on a plate or rolled in a flatbread.

Fried chicken: a classic comfort food because of its crispy texture and the positive memories of picnics and gatherings. Mac and cheese: macaroni noodles in cheese sauce are simple to cook and perfectly balance carbs and proteins. Kebab: meat, veggies, spices, sauces — all mixed on a plate or rolled in a flatbread.

You may have heard a healthcare provider (or maybe even Mom) talk about the BRAT diet. That's short for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast—all carbohydrate-rich, easy-to-stomach, and easy-to-digest foods. Bananas pack a lot of nutrients and healthy calories into a not-too-sweet package.

Comfort foods, the study found, actually do make us feel less sad. So what were the top seven items on my poll? Mac and cheese hit the No. 1 spot, followed by beef stew, apple pie and ice cream, chicken and dumplings/chicken pot pie, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, bread pudding and fried chicken.

Foods containing complex carbohydrates are thought to boost serotonin in the brain, contributing to a calming effect, the Mayo Clinic explains. To get more of these, look to whole grain bread and cereal, as well as quinoa and brown rice. In particular, the experts recommend eating oats and oatmeal to get complex carbs.

The rich amounts of vitamin C in oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes can help fight fatigue and depression. Cherries and dark berries are also great mood enhancers. Loaded with antioxidants, berries are rich in folate (also known as B9 or folic acid), which helps the brain produce serotonin and dopamine.

Fresh, plant based foods, such as berries, are good sources of antioxidants. A diet that is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, soy, and other plant products may help reduce the stress-related symptoms of depression.

What food do you like to eat to warm yourself up in winter? ›

If you call something comfort food, you mean it is enjoyable to eat and makes you feel happier, although it may not be very good for your health. For me, spaghetti bolognese is the ultimate comfort food.

Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone and may be characterized by its high caloric nature associated with childhood or home cooking. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a specific culture.

Comfort food is the name given to food that we simply associate with good. It gives us great pleasure and joy because it evokes positive emotions in us. Comfort food makes us feel good, it activates the reward area of the brain, which can improve mood and reduce stress when we eat these foods, in the moment.

Defined as food that gives emotional comfort to the one eating it, these tend to be favorite foods of childhood, or linked to a person, place or time with which the food has a positive association.