Well Together: Comfort food was always medicine

Something happens to our appetites as we move into the longer and colder days of winter. Suddenly the light and refreshing crispness of a cool summer salad loses its appeal. Instead, we crave heavier, full-bodied meals that “stick to your ribs.” We turn to slow-cooked stews full of root vegetables like potatoes and carrots, and we trade burgers for pot roast and popsicles for pie. 

Our go-to comfort foods are not only staples in our communities but also a point of pride, especially around the holidays. We are not eating just anyone’s greens, and only certain people can bring the mac and cheese to Thanksgiving dinner. There’s a reason a bowl of something warm settles you: Familiar foods calm the nervous system. 

Your nervous system has two basic settings: on guard and bracing, or resting and digesting. Chronic stress keeps us in a constant state of bracing for what’s next. In this state, digestion slows and inflammation simmers. Warm, familiar foods help nudge your system toward that gentler rest-and-digest setting. Research on comfort food suggests it can ease feelings of loneliness. For instance, when you eat your family’s gumbo, your body is taking in nutrients as well as memories, safety and belonging. The physical act of slowing down and eating with loved ones carries it further. These positive inputs help bring the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) back online, and that’s the mode your body needs to digest, absorb and repair.

Easing the nervous system is only the beginning. Further down the line, the food we eat continues to work by supporting gut health and immunity. The foods our families reach for in winter, like greens, beans and root vegetables, happen to be some of the best gut-healing foods. They are full of fiber, and beans add protein, too. Fiber is food for the gut. When it is broken down, fiber can help calm inflammation and help keep the gut lining intact. Our food is our medicine, and traditional wintertime cooking is both comforting and healing to the body and the soul. 

For generations, families have passed down recipes. We learn the ingredients and how to prep them, which pot to use and how long to let it cook. The foundation is good, but over the years some less healthy habits have crept in, making some of our favorite foods more harmful than helpful. Too much salt can raise blood pressure, too much saturated fat can raise cholesterol, and too much sugar can raise the risk of Type 2 diabetes. 

That doesn’t mean we have to stop enjoying the foods we love. Instead, these gentle shifts can help keep your favorite wintertime meals on the healing side:

Reduce fried foods. Bake, braise, roast or air-fry on weeknights. Save the deep fryer for Sundays and celebrations.

Add more vegetables and protein. Load the dish with vegetables and add beans to stretch the meat. Use greens as well as rice as the base for your meals. 

Build flavor before reaching for salt. Garlic, onion, thyme, scallion, pepper, paprika, Scotch bonnet and a splash of vinegar or citrus all add flavor without adding sodium. Add salt at the end, after tasting. Rinse canned beans to cut their sodium, and use as many fresh, in-season vegetables as you can find. If fresh isn’t available, choose frozen vegetables over canned. 

Go half and half on the starch. Try half white rice and half brown or wild rice. Use whole-grain cornmeal in the cornbread and start with a third less sugar. 

Serve it in a bowl, at a table, with people. Eating slowly and in company is part of why our food is so healing. 

Enjoy the celebrations. You don’t need to overhaul the holidays to make them healthy. One small change to one dish is plenty.

Don’t forget the healing herbs. Garlic, onion, ginger, thyme, turmeric, black seed, cayenne, honey and more show up in kitchens across the African diaspora and beyond. They survived centuries of migration and serve as both food and medicine. Using them daily, rather than waiting until you’re sick, is a great way to support your immune system during cold and flu season. 

Ginger, lemon, honey tea: Grate fresh ginger into hot water with lemon and honey. Keep a jar of grated ginger, lemon and honey in the fridge through the season, and stir a teaspoon into a warm cup for everyone in the family each morning. (Never give honey to babies under 1 year old.) Lemon gives you vitamin C, ginger is rich in antioxidants and helps calm inflammation, and honey has antibacterial properties and can soothe a sore throat. 

Garlic and onion: Use them in almost every meal. Together they make a great aromatic base and bring rich flavor to any dish. Their benefits include reducing inflammation, supporting digestion and aiding immunity.

You don’t need to give up comfort food to be healthy. Our elders cooked this way for a reason. These foods support our immune defenses and steady our nervous systems, and eating together protects health in ways no supplement can. Our traditions were carried in kitchens, across oceans and through hard winters, and are now with you. This season, cook what your family has always cooked and carry it a little further. Keep the dish, adjust the method and invite someone to share a warm meal with you. 

Take care, Nurse Felicia

Felicia Permenter, APRN, NBC-HWC, is a family nurse practitioner at Right Spot Wellness in Roseville. For questions or comments, contact her at 651.313.5857, admin@rightspotwellness.com or www.rightspotwellness.com.