Stressed? Snacking Can Help ... Put On Weight

BALTIMORE -- Snacking under stress can contribute to weight gain, and new research shows the snacking doesn't stop for women when the pressure slacks off.

Jennifer Waugh, a clinical nutrition manager at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, said stress is a common trigger for snacking, especially eating comfort foods, including sweets, pastries, soft drinks or chips.

"It seems like people either want sweet, bland, salty, chocolate, high-fat things that are not healthy and are very much considered junk food," Waugh said. "You can have a bottled water, that's always good, or yogurt or milk because it has protein that can make you feel satiated."

Dr. Jonathon Rich said while stress snacking happens to both sexes, women succumb to it more often.

"The first thing is to recognize that you're doing it, that when you're stressed, you're going to be eating something. So, if you're gaining extra weight, stop and look at your habits," Rich said.

"One thing is to figure out what your body wants and what works for you," Waugh said. "If it's chocolate you want, can you be around chocolate, or can you buy the little individual portions? Just eat that and be done with it? Or, should you not be around it at all?"

The experts also suggested substituting other activities for snacking, like taking a 10-minute walk, reading a good book, meditating or simply calling a friend -- anything that will take your mind off the food.