Of the adults who overeat unhealthy foods when stressed, 33% say they do it to distract themselves from the stress. The survey finds that these behaviors are higher in women, who are more likely to report unhealthy eating behaviors as a result of stress. The percentage of those skipping meals due to stress is also higher in women, in teen girls, and in millennials.  When referring to stress here, we’re not just talking about a hard day at work. Stress encompasses feeling lonely or emotional turmoil, and then also work stress, relationship stress or caretaking, etc. There’s nothing wrong with eating foods that are less nourishing sometimes, but it can become problematic -- to our health, to our relationship with food, to our trust around food --  if we consistently use junk food as the way to regulate our emotions.

I’ve been my dad’s nutrition coach for a little over two years now and while working with ALL of my clients is rewarding, working with my dad has been especially rewarding in its own way. And while you may think I’m here to boast about how I’ve helped my dad lose a bunch of weight and finally get back to his high school football weight and body composition, I’m actually here to tell you that he hasn’t changed much physically and hasn’t really lost any weight at all.