We all have our fair share of sickness and sadness. And more often than not, at those certain points in our lives, we cling to our go-to food, our comfort food, and everything just seems better. They make us feel calm, relaxed, and of course, comforted, as they touch our palate.

Chocolates are known to be the universal comfort food.  And chocolate's reputation as a mood-booster makes it a common and appreciated gift, especially to those who are going through tough times, say, breakups.

The term “comfort food”, which was added to the Webster’s Dictionary in 1972, is defined as “food that gives a sense of emotional well-being,” or “any food or drink that one turns to for temporary relief, security or reward.”

Science explains that the brain releases feel-good hormones into the body to compensate for the bad vibes that overpower us in our everyday life like stress, illness, fatigue, among many others. The said hormones are also released in our brains during happy times such as when we hug someone, as bizarre as it may sound.

One's comfort food is another's dieting archenemy. We all know how figure-conscious people muster everything they can just to avoid a single scoop of a cold and delightful treat, ice cream, and not just ice cream, but chocolate ice cream. And these figure-conscious people include celebrities.

Apparently, they should be watchful with their weight because all eyes are on them, but not Rihanna. The singer reportedly prefers to eat chocolate ice cream even when she is on a strict exercise regime as she considers it her comfort food, according to her personal trainer, Art Nunez. Even though she is not on a certain diet, she eats healthily, especially when on tour.

Nunez said: “She loves protein-rich foods, water, olives and fruit. She's in tune to how her body reacts to different foods." But Nunez knows better as he never deprives Rihanna of this calorific treat as it might lead to disaster.

These comfort foods don't necessarily have reasons why they give us comfort and uplift our spirits as we eat them, but they do make our lives a little easier and get us back to our sense of self.

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Joanna Maligaya

Staff Writer/Content Developer at Chocolate University Online

Ever since she can remember, Joanna has always considered chocolate as the ultimate food for her soul. She believes in the saying, “9 out of 10 people love chocolate, and the 10th always lies.”

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