Love chocolate? It's a female thing!

Published: 01 December 2010

With sub-zero temperatures wreaking havoc across the country, it is all too tempting to reach for that chocolate bar and comforting hot chocolate or order a take-away pizza after a long journey home from the office in the snow.

Us ladies at the FAB office, for example, love an indulgent biscuit or two and we’ve always wondered why our other halves don’t seem to have those wild, frantic ‘must have chocolate NOW!’ moments. It seems we may not be alone in our thoughts as, when it comes to comfort food, researchers in America have discovered that there are indeed fundamental differences between men and women.

• Whilst men have a natural tendency to reach for hot meals such as pizza or pasta, steak and casseroles, women favour sweeter snack foods such as chocolate
• Perhaps, not surprisingly, women were much more likely to feel guilty about indulging in their comfort food habits than men, especially when it comes to sweet foods such as chocolate (51% of women feel guilty about this sweet treat compared to just 35% of men) or biscuits (40% of women feel guilty compared to just 25% of men) and were more likely to feel unhealthy after eating their preferred choice.
• Young people often have a limited range of food experience (and perhaps a limited range of food appreciation) and hence tend to choose comfort foods based on their hedonic qualities. They are much more accepting of extreme salty or sweet tastes than older adults who are able to appreciate foods with a greater taste complexity.

Unfortunately, if the results of this study are anything to go by then we won’t be kicking our comfort food habits any time soon.

If you just can’t make do without chocolate, then why not try the Flour Advisory Bureau’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies. With only 134 calories and 4.6g of saturated fat, they are a lot healthier than most chocolate bars.

Alternatively, if you’re a meat and two veg kind of man, then why not try our recipe for meat and potato pie. Serve with mash, gravy and a refreshing, cold beer.