Is There a Difference Between Soul Food, Comfort Food and Hearty Food?

Many people would argue that the answer is yes.  Notice this comment from one self-proclaimed home cook with 50 Years of Experience.  The answer was listed in Quora, a question and answer online message board, under the question,

“What is the difference between soul food, comfort food, and hearty food?”[footnote]Goldowitz, Beth. “What Is the Difference between a Soul Food, Comfort Food and a Hearty Food?” Quora, Quora, Inc., 31 May 2018, https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-a-soul-food-comfort-food-and-a-hearty-food/footnote] Click here](http://insert-your-link-here.com)) to view the full article.

Beth Goldowitz , home cook with 50 years experience Answered May 31, 2018

This is a world of subtle distinctions, with some overlap. All three categories will bleed into each other at the edges, but both soul food and comfort food have some distinct characteristics. I tend to think of soul food as a sub category of comfort food, and both as sub categories of hearty. Other people may have other ideas.

Soul food is a part of southern cuisine, mostly based on the cooking of African slaves who combined foods from their homelands with New World foods and techniques they adopted when they were brought to America. It’s an integral part of southern cooking, along with the Cajun influences brought down from Canada by Acadians. It’s probably the only truly original American style of cooking.

There are certain dishes associated with soul food, but there is also an attitude of “Come into my kitchen and you’ll never go away hungry.” It makes the most of what used to be the least expensive produce and meat to make tasty, filling food. Greens flavored with smoked meat (pig’s feet, tasso ham and the like) is one famous soul food dish. Think Jambalaya and po’ boys, hoecakes, whole hog barbecue, hot chicken with coleslaw and mac and cheese.

Comfort food has an air of nostalgia about it, and that same sense of stick to your ribs, filling, satisfying meals. It harks back to childhood foods, so it can include things your mother cooked like casseroles, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese. It isn’t necessarily healthy in the current meaning of the word (less fat, fewer carbs) but it will fill you up and make you happy. Soul food is comfort food, but so is the potato salad you find at every church supper and the hot dishes of the midwest and New England clam chowder and a bowl of Irish stew. Comfort food is working class, stick-to-your-ribs cooking that satisfies hearty appetites and carries with it an air of nostalgia.

Hearty is a word food critics use the same way they use rustic. It isn’t arranged beautifully on the plate, everything may not be cut into bite size pieces or wrapped in neat packages and set on top of a tiny puddle or swoosh of sauce or puree. Hearty food isn’t tall and it doesn’t have edible flowers or stems of chives sticking straight up from the puree of yukon gold potatoes. Hearty means decent portions, whole pieces of meat, like roasted chicken thighs or a plate full of barbecued brisket or pulled pork.

A bowl of clarified chicken broth with three slices of perfectly poached chicken breast, a couple of slices of shishito pepper and a sprinkling of minced tarragon may be tasty, but it isn’t hearty, even if it’s served with a golden brown garlic crouton on the side. A bowl of chicken soup with lots of shredded thigh meat and plenty of vegetables thickened with barley or rice is as hearty a meal as you will find.

Both comfort food and soul food can be hearty. In fact, they should be hearty. It’s part of their “Everybody come to the table, eat good food, have a good time,” vibe.

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What Are Binaural Beats and Brainwave Entrainment

This article has one of the best explanations of Binaural Beats and Entrainment. Below is an excerpt.

Binaural beats are actually an auditory illusion that occurs when you play two tones of similar but not identical frequencies, one in each ear (binaural means relating to both ears). The brain wants to reconcile the two sounds, so what you end up perceiving is actually a third tone that’s the difference between the two, an illusion produced in the brainstem. For example, if a 400 hertz (Hz) tone and a 410 Hz tone were played into your left and right ears, respectively, you would perceive a 10 Hz rhythmic pulse — the binaural beat. (To hear what binaural beats sound like, click here.)

Here’s where the seemingly magical part comes in: Activity in the brain starts to match the frequency of the binaural beat. In the example above, the brain would begin firing at 10 Hz. This process is called brainwave entrainment, and it’s one way people are trying to hack their brain state to achieve a desired mental state.

With entrainment, brainwaves start to match the frequency of an external stimulus, like a binaural beat, and brain areas that might ordinarily fire at different rhythms become synchronized. The goal is that by getting your brain to fire at the desired rate, you’ll begin to embody the corresponding mental state. For example, if you need to study for a test or focus at work, nudging your brain activity into gamma or beta waves could enhance your attention. At the other end of the spectrum, people with insomnia might try to trick their brain into slowing down to a theta or delta frequency to help them fall asleep.

While it sounds great in theory, just how effective binaural beats are at entraining the brain, and whether entrainment actually makes a difference in mood or cognition, is still up for debate.

To continue with the article click here.

What places do you visit for beautiful sights?

Some of my favorite places are looking at the nature channel, clip art, or screen savers on major electronic equipment such as TVs, computers, tablets or mobile devices.

Relax Melodies

This app is available on IOS and Android platforms. It include many resources for help users relax including, guided meditations, ambient sound, bedtime stories, Chillhop melodies, pillow moves for sleeping and binaural, and isochronic beats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKC3IpI0Fo8&feature=emb_title

Further Research on Brainwave Entrainment

Click this link for more information on Brainwave entrainment along with a warning for people who may want to try the therapy.

Below is an excerpt.

A Japanese television station broadcast a light and sound ‘strobe effect’ as part of a cartoon in 1997. In only 5 seconds, it put 700 children into hospital with seizures, and untold thousands more experienced headaches, dizziness, and nausea.

As learned from Japanese cartoons, do not use brainwave entrainment if you are prone to seizures (or if you’re pregnant, in case you are prone to seizures and unaware of it). Take extra caution if under 26 years of age, as the brain is still developing and is more sensitive.

If the following general guidelines are followed, it will greatly limit your risk of discomfort.

Don’t overdo it; most cases of side-effects come after overuse. A fifteen minute session is sufficient to begin (or 3-5 minutes if using audio/visual entrainment). Everyone reacts differently, and you will need to determine your sensitivity before jumping in. If you experience increased anxiety, convulsions, overwhelming subconscious images, nausea, headaches, dizziness or increased heartbeat, discontinue use immediately and permanently. Do not use brainwave entrainment if you have any brainwave hyper-arousal or instability symptoms (listed near the bottom of the page here… )

What is Music Therapy All About?

Check out this article about how music therapy has been use to treat patients with trauma and COVID. Below are some interesting excerpts.

https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/how-music-therapy-is-easing-anxiety-and-isolation

When Tom Sweitzer tested positive for COVID-19 over the summer, he ended up in the hospital for a week with a case of pneumonia. After two or three days, he did what he would tell any of his clients to do: He put on a song, listened, and breathed along to the music.

Jesse Dollimont, a clinician who works for Canadian practice JB Music Therapy, says that when a person listens to a song, the music simultaneously engages with regions of the brain involved in memory, emotion, physical movement and communication. Two brain areas that respond most strongly to music are the amygdala and the hippocampus, core parts of the limbic system which controls emotional processing and memory. As a result, music has a strong ability to help people tune into their feelings quickly and help them express those emotions to others. Through the application of music, therapists can help patients build confidence, relieve stress or anxiety, process trauma or deal with other mental health issues.

Have You Tried Chillhop or Low-Fi Beats?

Check out this interesting article:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/why-lo-fi-music-draws-listeners-in

To everyone that wants a soundtrack to their lives just like all their favorite TV characters have, you’re in luck. Lo-fi music streams are drawing millions of listeners on YouTube. If you want, you can tune in and let the subtle, complex and soothing rhythms set the tempo for whatever you’re doing. 

https://youtu.be/7NOSDKb0HlU

Guide to Fragrance Strengths and Types

https://www.perfumedirect.com/pages/a-guide-to-perfume-strengths-and-types

FDA Comments on Fragrances /Aromatherapy In Cosmetics

Click the link below to view a discussion about the FDA's official stand on fragrances and essential oils in cosmetics.

https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/fragrances-cosmetics

Micheals Sells Positive Intentions Fragrance Diffuser Jewelry

Positive Intentions has a line of necklaces, bracelets, pendants, keychains, and rings that you can customize with your favorite fragrance. The pieces are ventilated so that you can sell the diffuses fragrances all day.

Take An Aroma Journey With Zents

You can try all of the fragrances and mix and match your favorites.

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Did You Know That Bath And Body Works Has A 100% Satisfaction Guarantee?

They are also connected to the White Barn Candle Company. They often have $5.00 sales on products online.

The Aromatherapy Line is curiously strong. You may not need a room spray after a shower with these products.

Make your own Room Spray

https://www.naturalvitality.com/blog/make-your-own-aromatherapy-room-spray/?SID=gvf0lo50d05l77g4h4p2m9gmd2

How To Use Aromatherapy

https://www.fragrancex.com/blog/healing-aromatherapy-scents/

Back Rub For Beginners

Watch this video for couples massage techniques that you can do in your home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SLGvlDVkRA&feature=youtu.be

Give Your Loved One A Massage

https://vimeo.com/487136867

Use this quick demonstration as a guide for giving a loved one a massage.

Patrice Hicks is a licensed massage therapist at the Naperville South Massage Envy.

Sources for Home Health Care and Relaxation Equipment

HoMedics is a great resource for home healthcare equipment. View their site here.

The Sharper Image is another source for massage and personal care products.

Try these stores for massagers, fountains, sound machines, and other home spa equipment.

You Don't Need Exercise Equipment to Relax. Try Stretching.

This article describes some types of stretching that you can do to help relieve stress.

http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_4.html

As always check with your doctor first before beginning any exercise routine.

The picture was take from the 5 Types of Stretching article. Read it here.

Caution

For individuals with an eating disorder, food can be a source of stress and not stress relief. Families with individuals who have eating disorders may want to seek counseling to learn how to cope with this illness before insisting that an individual partake. If you or someone you know needs help coping with an eating disorder, please contact NEDA -National Eating Disorder Association.[1]

Dinner With The Chef

Have you ever had a descriptive dinner instruction with a Chef? This is an experience where the chef prepares a meal, describes to you what was used and why they chose to use each ingredient. I have had the opportunity twice in my life. Chefs know how to enrich the eating experience because they specifically select each ingredient for a particular reason. When they share those reasons it enriches the experience. If you have ever had this experience share what you learned. If you have not, why not make plans to do this today. It need not be an international chef from a 5 star restaurant. It can be a close family member or friend. Encourage them to enrich the experience by sharing the details with you.

Mother's Tea

When I was younger, my mother would always insist that I drink a cup of tea if I was ever in pain. I used to ask her why, doubting that the tea had any affect, but I obeyed anyway. She would tell me that tea relaxes the muscles and clears the mind. To this day, I still brew a cup of tea if I am in any pain. I still do not know if it really works, but I have grown accustomed to it and it is part of my routine. It is like her kiss on the forehead promising to make it all better. Do you think tea really relieves pain or is it our expectation of relief that lessens the pain?

Participate in the Zoom Poll

What is your favorite way to relieve stress with food? Do you prefer to prepare food for others to eat or do you prefer to eat the delicious food that others prepare?

Is There Something To Light and Sound Shows. Click here to see one.

Read the following article about how light and sound affect the brain. This website also includes an online shop for essential oils and a research on brain wave entrainment.

Below is an excerpt from the article.

The science behind brainwave entrainment, its ability to naturally influence the mind in healthful ways, and its power to deepen our meditation practices has been peer tested repeatedly with great success for many of years. Today NASA provides their astronauts with sleeping eye masks which use light pulses to help the astronauts maintain a healthy sleep cycle. In fact, entrainment is a universal phenomenon which humans have been experimenting with since the dawn of time. We have always altered our minds by way of percussive & melodic phrasings in our music as well as the surrounding influence of the rich ambient pulses of nature. Machinery influences our minds daily as well. That fan mounted to the ceiling, the hum of an automobile, the buzz of a refrigerator, or the squeal of the desktop computer all have pronounced rhythmic pulses that can change our brainwave patterns unpredictably. B.W.E. is an evolved way of taking back power over our own mental frequencies.

Give Yourself Permission to Self Soothe

Notice what one article comments about self soothing using the senses.

http://www.thinkclinicalpsychologists.com.au/2017/09/04/using-your-5-senses-to-self-soothe/

If someone close to you was upset, you wouldn’t berate them or criticize them for feeling distressed, you’d show them care and support. When you’re upset and stressed, it’s important to show yourself that same level of respect and care, and you can do this by practicing self-soothing activities.

When did you last take 5-minutes for yourself? What Are Self-Soothing Activities? A self-soothing activity is any activity that helps to calm or relieve you of some of your distress. The 5 senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch) can be used for this purpose. There are very few steps to take. All you need to do is: (1) Be present, (2) Focus on your senses, and (3) Allow yourself to be fully immersed in the sensory experience Sensory Soothing It can be helpful to compile a list of self-soothing activities ahead of time to make life easier for yourself. Some ideas are listed below for you, but reflect on what you find soothing and add these ideas to your list as well.

My Personality Quiz Results

You may share yours, if you like.

You're an innately creative and visual person. You experience the world directly through sight, and while you may forget a name, you can never forget a face. You perceive the world through shapes, colors, and movements, and have formed deep emotional connections with specific colors and images, making you a complete visual learner.

https://www.ba-bamail.com/quizzes/quiz.aspx?quizid=283

Personality Quiz

Take this personality quiz to help you determine your most powerful sense.

Click here.

This is an interactive book so feel free to add your comments and annotations.