How comfort foods trigger pleasure in our brains

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Poorhouse Pies, a bakery in Underhill, Vermont, is home to 50 different types of pie, each one somebody's favorite comfort food. The owner, Suzanne Tomlinson, has been quoted as saying that if comfort food were an Olympic sport, she'd be a contender. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd get a gold medal," she said. "I love to envision different varieties of comfort foods and then make them into pies."

From classic apple, to maple cream, a key ingredient is nostalgia, says Tomlinson. Take the chicken pot pie: "Chicken pot pie is one of my very favorite comfort foods, and it's probably because my mom used to make it with me. And I still remember her, and I remember the smell of her kitchen and her hands making it, and it connects me to her."

So, what defines a dish as a comfort food? "I think something that gives you that warm-and-fuzzy feeling, like, 'Oh, my stress is going to be relieved, and I'm going to remember a time when I felt safe and loved,'" Tomlinson said.

RECIPE: Chicken Pot Pie, from Poorhouse Pies

Chicken Pot Pie, from Poorhouse Pies in Underhill, Vermont. / Credit: CBS News

Poorhouse Pies can make from 150 pies a day to more than 1,000 around the holidays. Every pie contains memories, but that's certainly not all it contains. Tomlinson says there isn't anything you couldn't put into a pie. Take their pulled pork mac and cheese pie. "This sucker weighs three-and-a-half pounds. So, you're feeding your family with that," Tomlinson said. "You're not gonna run a marathon after eating that!"

So, what is the common thread to comfort foods? Are they high in sugar, fat, salt? "When we think comfort food, we don't see people reaching out for broccoli," said Dr. Uma Naidoo, an author and nutritional psychiatrist. She says the sugar in comfort food hits our brains in the same pleasure center as street drugs do, making us feel instantaneously happy.

"Sugar is almost more powerful in certain studies than cocaine," Naidoo said. "When someone tells me that they're addicted to sugar, I do take them seriously."

Being addicted to comfort food usually means eating more of it – which, Naidoo says, is of course a bad idea. "In the short term you may feel calmer or better, but in the longer term it's gonna wreck your mental clarity, your focus, your cognition, and actually you won't feel good," she said.

But there are comfort foods that are not high in fat or sugar, says Stefani Sassos, a registered dietician and head of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition & Fitness Lab. "If you look at kimchi or bibimbap, these are Korean comfort foods, and these have, you know, vegetables incorporated into them and at their core. Then you also have, you know, India cuisine, like dal, a lentil dish. The spices are so delicious. It's a nice plant-based option."

"Plant-based option" is a key refrain for Sassos, who demonstrated for "Sunday Morning" how to make a roasted cauliflower and mashed potatoes dish. She says most comfort food – even a butter-laden classic like mashed potatoes – can be made healthier by a simple tweak or two. In this case: Just add cauliflower!

Do you 'fess up? "I think it depends on the crowd, right?" said Sassos. "You could do a surprise, let's see what everyone thinks afterwards."

RECIPE: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower (from Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen)

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower. / Credit: Mike Garten | Good Housekeeping

The true surprise was in the tasting. "It's actually pretty good!" I said.

"It's not bad!" said Sassos.

"But it's gotta be better than not bad."

So, how does Dr. Uma Naidoo feel about comfort food? "I love them," she laughed. "I love comfort foods. I think they're great."

But are you supposed to admit that? "I'm only human," she said.

"I love to feed people their comfort food," said Poorhouse Pies owner Susan Tomlinson.

And what message does Tomlinson have for comfort food lovers as Thanksgiving approaches? "Enjoy in moderation," she laughed. "Make 'em with someone you love. Pass it on; they are passed from generation to generation."

RECIPE: Dr. Uma's Cherry Calm Smoothie

RECIPE: Air Fryer Turkey Breast with Gravy (from Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen)

RECIPE: Dr. Uma's Healthy-ish Mac & Cheese