Earlier this week, we talked about how a lot of people are chowing down on comfort foods to ease their money woes. Now a new poll from the American Psychological Association shows the stress from this rocky economy is hurting our emotional and physical health. In the survey, more than half of Americans said they were irritable or angry, tired and not getting enough sleep… and almost half said they self-medicate by overeating or indulging in unhealthy foods. So, I thought it would be fun to do our own survey here at FFTV:

Me – I’m making sure to keep exercising so I don’t get extra stressed since I’m a known worry wart. And I have noticed I’m eating a little more chocolate than usual, but that may be because my husband bought me a big box for our anniversary…. oh, and one of my favorites (Lindt hazelnut) has been on sale (just trying to save money, you know?!) Looking forward to your votes and comments!

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With the markets all a mess, are you digging into a big bowl of mac and cheese to make yourself feel better? Apparently, a lot of people are not only eating comfort foods, but investing in the companies that make them, too.

I just saw that Kraft Foods Inc., who makes the popular Macaroni & Cheese, and Procter & Gamble, which makes another comfort food – Pringles potato chips – are both doing well in terms of stock value.

And a warm bowl of soup is always comforting, right? Especially when it’s cheap. Which may explain why Campbell Soup Co. was the only member of the S&P 500 to see its stock go up when the markets tanked last week.

Of course, these comfort foods will not make you feel too comfortable in your jeans if you have them too often. Except for a warm bowl of healthy soup…

So how about you? Have you been reaching for any comfort foods to cope with these tough economic times? Or are you sticking to your normal healthy eating habits? Me, I’ve had a few more pieces of chocolate than usual… gotta watch that!

Photo Credit: Kraft Foods

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Here’s more proof of what stress can do to your family’s health. New research from the University of Illinois finds millions of poor children in the United States may be getting fat before age 10 because their moms are stressed out and the kids turn to unhealthy comfort food to escape.

Researchers say the stress is rooted in poverty and can be brought on by things like money problems, working too much, and not having good health insurance.

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