Preteen pressure

Vegetarian Times, Jan, 2004

The more anxiety youngsters feel, the more likely it is that they will eat unhealthful foods and fewer nutritious ones. "Children in the most stressed category are more fatty foods and more snacks. [and] they were also less likely to consume the recommended five or more fruits and vegetables or eat a daily breakfast," says researcher Jane Wardle, PhD, director of the Cancer Research UK's Health Behaviour Unit.

The study of more than 4,000 11-year-olds published in the August 2003 issue of Health Psychology determined that students under the greatest stress are nearly twice as much fatty food as those who were moderately anxious.