r
MEET RICHARD SCHWINN
Today! 4 to 6 Pm, at our 152 W. 5th store
Meet bicycle industry
legend Richard Schwinn.
Check out his remarkable
Gunnar, road racing,
touring, and mountain
bike frames.
Our terrific Gunnar Sale ends 02/28/02!
Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life
2480 Alder & 152 W. 5th
& Oasis Plaza
Unique Eueene
013529
Educational
Become a Peer Advi
viser
n
JC
a
3
n
75
0
CO 75
® 4>
00 j
O Ol
to
o
Become involved in your
department and help
your fellow students - be
a Peer Adviser! This class
will assist you in learning
effective techniques for
advising and offer insight
into academic, social, and
health issues. EDLD 199
gives you the opportunity
to build your resume and
gain valuable work
experience. You can earn
1 to 3 credits.
For more information contact your
major peer advising department or
Carolyn Moraveh in the Office of
Academic Advising (346-1066).
HEFTIER
THAN
A
TRASH
BAG
Adam Amato Emerald
Junior Ryan Lewis munches two chocolate chip cookies—his favorite—to relieve the stress of a recent business midterm.
‘Comfort foods’ can help
eat away stress, depression
■While high-fat foods can offer
reassurance, they may also lead
to dependency and problems
By Jen West
Oregon Daily Emerald
Some of the most popular cures
for stress, depression and anxiety
can be found in a pint of Ben & Jer
ry’s, a Hershey’s chocolate bar or
mom’s homemade mashed pota
toes. For many people, this tasty
vice can even alter their moods.
“Food is seen as comfort and a way
of sharing and caring about those
near and dear,” said Dr. Vivian Bar
nette, senior staff therapist at the
University Counseling Center. She
said that many cultures prepare
food for celebrations and acknowl
edgment of accomplishments, and
many families place great impor
tance on eating meals together or
serving food to show hospitality to
friends and guests.
But many people also eat certain
foods as a way of dealing with
stress, conflict and feelings, Bar
nette said.
“Comfort foods may help people
cope with life by alleviating anxi
ety, pain or sadness,” she said.
Shannon Lynch, a senior at the
University, said she often eats com
fort foods after experiencing a bad
day. She said her personal favorites
are “mac ’n’ cheese,” mashed pota
toes, chocolate, rice crackers and
ice cream.
“Mashed potatoes remind you of
home,” she said. “(They’re) good
for homesickness. ”
But she also said that foods high
in sugar and caffeine are popular
comfort foods.
Lynch said eating comfort foods
seemed normal among the people
she knew, though she said there
could be some guilt associated with
the consumption of foods high in
calories, fat or sugar.
“In our culture, there is a lot of
guilt associated with splurging,”
she said.
Food can also be used as a posi
tive reinforcement, according to Ro
hanna Buchanan, a skills trainer at
Oregon Social Learning Center. She
Adam Amato Emerald
People who use ‘comfort foods’ such as snack foods to alleviate anxiety or sadness should
be careful not to develop eating disorders, according to health professionals.
nniJ l,_• 1_U-_] _ . •_ A • .1 .11... 1
UlUl HI XACA JUU OllC 11111C
with teenagers who have mental
health problems, and sharing a meal
with one of her “kids” is fun for
both her and the teen.
“If you feed them, they will asso
ciate food, which is good, with
you,” Buchanan said. “Food equals
a good time. ”
She said she has noticed that
kids who are high-strung or anx
ious often calm down when they
share a meal that consists of their
favorite foods.
Buchanan said the comfort
foods that help her relax are teas,
Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food ice
cream and pasta.
Though comfort food can act as a
positive reinforcement, Buchanan
said those who eat comfort foods
on a regular basis need to be aware
of the possibility of developing an
eating disorder.
“A lot of people’s comfort foods
are high in fat, high in sugar,” she
said. “Few people have healthy
comfort foods.”
.ns wiui musi iiauns, iuu muon ox
anything can become problematic,
Barnette said.
“If all a person ate was carbohy
drates, then he or she would lack
other important nutrients in his or
her diet, ” she said.
Though the consumption of
comfort food appears to be more
popular among women, some men
also relieve stress by eating their fa
vorite foods, said University senior
Justin Ginsburg. But, he said, men
often do not recognize the behavior
as eating comfort food.
“Comfort foods are more of a girl
thing,” he said. His comfort foods
are more like “feel good” foods, and
include biscuits with gravy, chick
en fried steak, stew and other
“hearty” foods, he said.
“They’re foods I don’t eat very of
ten,” he said. “(They’re) kind of
home-y.”
E-mail reporter Jen West
at jenwest@dailyemerald.com.