Stress Eating and other curses...

Stress is a part of everyday life, but there are times when it gets the better of you. When I was younger (much!), and the stress in my life was tests and presentations, a date (or not having one), a bad haircut or a breakout, my body reacted by not eating. I had little or no appetite and the less I ate, the less I wanted to eat. Before eating disorders were "extreme dieting", I didn't eat because that was one of the few things had control over in my life.

Food is more for humans than just survival and sustenance. It is comfort, security, nostalgia, and love. We use it to fill other holes in our lives, to stop pain, to relive better times. It is a way to celebrate, to share good times, create friendships and cement family. It can even help win over enemies. Breaking bread together has been a way to build alliances since Biblical times, and sharing a meal is a universal way of showing mutual respect.

We live in a world now that glorifies thin-ness over healthiness, where bony protuberances are preferred over gentle curves. We are a nation of extremes- home to both obese children with growing diabetes rates and young women starving themselves to meet an ideal they can never attain. There must be a middle ground... a place where children can enjoy a variety of foods, an occasional snack or dessert or guilty pleasure, where we can all enjoy bacon, or a juicy cheeseburger, or a potato chip without overindulging. This is one of the reasons I started Play With Food, to encourage families and young people to get over their fear of food and cooking, to help people to use food as a part of a way to meet their needs for fun, community and family as well as nutrition.

Which brings me back to where I started- stress and eating. Contrary to my teen years I find the older I get, the more my response to stress (6 kids, 2 jobs, 3 mortgages, 2 dogs, 1 blog...) involves junk food. When I am down or overwhelmed I crave a can of Pringles or a bag of Cheese Doodles or a box of Fiddle Faddle no matter how much peanut butter and celery and carrot sticks are in my fridge. I don't know if it is the trans fats, the sugar, (the crack!) that draws me, but I honestly don't know of anyone who eats healthy food when they are stressed! Whether it is cookies, french fries or Ho-Hos, it is junk food that stressed people crave. How does stress affect your eating habits and what calls to you when you've had a bad day (week)? I've fessed up.... now it's your turn!