"binge eating" news and stories

Sarah mentioned yesterday that there are some healthy foods that work as mood elevators, but those foods aren't necessarily what people turn to when they're feeling low. A new study calculated that people who are sad "eat larger amounts of foods they consider tasty, but unhealthy."

The trial was put on by researchers at the University of Mississippi, who invited participants to watch either a tearful romance, Love Story, or a romantic comedy, Sweet Home Alabama, and monitored the amount of buttered, salted popcorn they ate. Unhappy viewers, those watching Love Story, are 28 percent more than their Reese Witherspoon-watching counterparts. A second experiment drove the point even further home by demonstrating that students reading about a tragedy (accidental deaths caused by a fire, not the Greek sort) were 4 times more likely to reach for M&Ms than raisins when both were set out as options.

It is certainly something to keep in mind the next time you're heading to the theater and are wondering whether to get popcorn and candy or skip the snack bar altogether.

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When we're busy, it can be hard to pull ourselves away from work. Some days it seems to just pile up much faster than we can possibly deal with it. Eating at your desk or in the car can seem like a good way to save a few minutes, but new studies show that working long hours has a negative impact on women's health - especially when it comes to food. And while overworking has an impact on men, it is a greater one on women. Women who work extremely long hours are likely to overeat, craving fatty, sugary, unhealthy snacks more often than any other group, and even stressful events (giving presentations, etc.) can trigger a craving.

But there is an easy solution for anyone, male or female, to controlling emotional eating: think about it. Don't mindlessly reach for another candy bar, but instead take a few minutes to de-stress and evaluate whether you really should eat it.

A survival strategy? Keep a piece (or two or three) of fresh fruit on your desk at all times. That way, even if you give in to the cravings for noshing at your desk, you can polish of a handful or two of grapes before even thinking about heading for the vending machine.

While overeating is something that we can work on, being busy is sometimes a fact of life. Check out our best foods for busy women for a few ideas on how to get through a jam-packed day.

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