If you’ve had a long day, or you’re too wiped to cook, do you ever reach for a fresh salad?
Probably not. Like most people, you may head to the panty to grab a box of mac and cheese or perhaps the freezer for a tub of ice cream—no bowl.
That stuff may help take the pressure off and make you feel all right, at least initially. High carb “comfort” foods send tryptophan to the brain, an amino acid that helps produce serotonin, a feel-good hormone.
But those effects are short-lived. Those foods contribute to inflammation and can promote depressive effects in the long term. They also become addictive and increase the likelihood of weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes.
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