Winter comfort food: why do we crave it?

When we have cravings for comfort foods in winter, this likely comes from how these foods make us feel, rather than a physical need. In extremely cold temperatures, your body might use more energy but most of us in the UK don’t spend a lot of time outside in well below-freezing temperatures, so we don’t need more or higher energy (calorie) foods in winter.

Sometimes, a lower mood in winter can lead to emotional comfort eating. Or we might spend more time doing things where we tend to snack, like watching TV. We may also crave certain foods because we see them more at this time of year. We’re bombarded with images of cheesy pasta, chocolate puddings and other rich foods. And traditional festive foods are often advertised well ahead of time, encouraging us to be more indulgent than at other times of the year.

The good news is you can choose comfort foods that make you feel warm and cosy while also looking after your heart health: a warm bowl of porridge with some chopped or dried fruit, instead of cereal with cold milk for breakfast; vegetable and bean soups rather than salads for lunch. 

You could make healthy tweaks to comforting winter meals: Add root veg, lentils and beans to meaty meals like stews, curries, or chilli to help to lower the amount of saturated fat they contain in a portion. Cook with unsaturated fats like rapeseed, olive or sunflower oil instead of butter, lard, goose fat or ghee.

It's fine to treat yourself occasionally but planning ahead with a meal plan, or checking a menu online before you arrive at a restaurant if you're eating out, can help you cut back on unhealthy comfort foods.

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