What does feel good food mean to you? Is this comfort food, or a slice of your childhood memory? Or its about flavour and balance? For a long time, feel good food is associated with pleasure but also guilt, thinking about the likes of cake and chocolate. But the concept of food that makes you feel good has long been embedded in traditional foodways which sustain our humanity. Food that is simple, that do not compromise on taste or texture – perhaps it’s exactly these two factors which are missing in modern food systems which are laden with ultra-processed foods these days.
Now science tells us that food and mood can be explained by the trillions of microbiota which support our modulation of our neurotransmitters that can pose a positive effect on our mood. I refer to the concept of shufu (舒服), food that renders a sense of comfort for the belly and palette which is really about including plenty of vegetables, cooked in the right flavours, that boasts well with our body.
For Lee Kum Kee’s Europe summer campaign, I wrote about Feel Good Food, and how taste, especially xianwei （鮮味) (umami) can play a part too. To read more, visit:
https://uk.lkk.com/tastes-good-feels-good
For a copy of the Feel Good Food booklet, view here: