Can Cooking Heal Us? Here's What Experts Say.

In Elizabeth Gilbert’s 2006 bestselling memoir “Eat, Pray, Love,” the author dives into the flavors that make up Italian cuisine to deal with the grief spurred by a divorce and a sedentary life.

In Nora Ephron’s beloved 2009 film “Julie & Julia,” Amy Adams’ character vows to cook all 524 recipes that make up Julia Childs’ iconic cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” in an effort to assuage the frustration she feels toward her job at a local call center.

Taking on the role of successful restaurateur Jane Adler in Nancy Meyers’ 2009 rom-com “It’s Complicated,” Meryl Streep quite literally hides in the protagonist’s home kitchen and bakery when reflecting on (or avoiding) matters of the heart, all the while baking some truly delicious-looking treats on screen.

Food-adjacent plotlines abound throughout Hollywood. In some cases, characters’ creative arcs and ability to overcome periods of agony and sorrow completely rely on their devotion and relationship to food. In “Burnt,” Bradley Cooper’s character dives into the culinary arts to assuage his drug addiction; “Eat Drink Man Woman,” the 1994 Ang Lee film, uses a family’s standing Sunday night dinner plans as a point of reflection when it comes to dealing with sorrow and joy throughout life’s up and downs.