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Mothers under stress may be particularly prone to over-feeding their infants, a new study suggests.

Researchers looked at moms in low-income households and found that those who experienced certain stressors, such as depression or single parenthood, were more likely to add cereal to their infants' bottles, a practice that increases the risk of weight gain in childhood.

"These findings demonstrate that stressors prevalent in low-income households…influence feeding practices likely to promote obesity," said study researcher Dr. Candice Taylor Lucas, of New York University School of Medicine. "It is important to provide support for parents related to healthy feeding practices if we are to end the epidemic of childhood obesity," Lucas said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends feeding babies exclusively with breast milk for the first six months of life, and advises breast-feeding continue until the baby is at least 1 year old. Putting cereal in bottles, rather than spoon-feeding it to a baby, may lead the child to consume more calories than he or she needs.

Lucas and colleagues surveyed 254 mothers in low-income, primarily Latino households. Participants were asked if they ever added cereal to bottles to help their babies sleep longer or stay full longer.

Twenty-four percent of mothers said they put cereal in bottles. Those with symptoms of depression were 15 times more likely to add cereal than mothers who did not have symptoms of depression.

"Depression is very common in low-income mothers, and makes it more difficult to engage in beneficial parenting practices in general," Lucas said.

Mothers who were single parents, and those with said their babies had "intense emotional reactions to daily routines" were also more likely to add cereal to bottles.

The study was presented April 28 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in Boston.

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By Paige Greenfield
Men's Health

You know you should take a few deep breaths when you feel stressed. Instead you inhale a doughnut (or five). Strange? Not at all. Your strained brain craves instant gratification, often in the form of a quick fix like food or alcohol, says James Herman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the University of Cincinnati. "These things activate reward pathways while quieting the amygdala, the emotional, overwrought area of your brain."

The trouble with the Krispy Kreme cure, besides the inevitable risk of obesity and the powdered sugar on your neckties, is that it's really just a stress Band-Aid. In the long term you may feel more mentally steamrolled than ever. And when your psyche suffers, so does your body. In fact, in a new Oregon State University study, researchers found that chronically stressed middle-aged men were almost 50 percent more likely to die during an 18-year period than those who experienced fewer stressful events. Which of these guys do you want to be?

Good choice. Now follow this plan for replacing your current so-called coping strategies with techniques that'll feel like a shiatsu massage for your mind.

5 Hidden Causes of Stress

How you cope: Down a dessert
There's a reason you equate sugar with serenity. When you consume the sweet stuff, your prefrontal cortex, a part of your brain that helps control emotions, is activated, says Herman. The danger of a sugar binge: Men with higher anxiety are also more likely to have elevated glucose levels, according to scientists in Japan. In fact, the American Diabetes Association warns that long-term stress may push your blood-sugar levels into the diabetic range if they're already higher than normal.

Do this instead: Savor a small portion of ice cream
The stress-busting benefits of dessert are due more to the flavor than the fat and calories, says Herman. "High-calorie foods often taste better, but calories aren't necessary for food's effects on stress." Buy a single-serve treat and take half an hour to eat it; savoring the flavor can extend the calming effect.

14 Worst Desserts in America

How you cope: Pour a drink
After a few shots of Jack, the office jackass is the last person on your mind. When alcohol enters your bloodstream, it seems to activate reward pathways for temporary relief. Ultimately, though, it may intensify your depression, says William Pollack, Ph.D., a Men's Health mental health advisor. In a University of Chicago study, stressed-out men injected with alcohol felt anxious longer than guys in a placebo group. Booze may disrupt your body's calming process, prolonging the mental misery.

Do this instead: Self-medicate with music
A study in Nature Neuroscience found that listening to favorite tunes or anticipating a certain point in a song can cause a pleasurable flood of dopamine. Listen to a few songs in a row several times a day. "These doses of dopamine can lower your stress, removing the trigger that causes you to seek alcohol," says Edward Roth, M.T.-B.C., a professor of music therapy at Western Michigan University.

How Music Fights Depression

How you cope: Play Call of Duty all night
The lure of a record-breaking kill/death ratio isn't the only thing keeping you up till 3 a.m. Stanford researchers found that playing video games stimulates the brain's mesocorticolimbic system, a key reward region. And the more you win, the more the area lights up. The downside: Most video games are sedentary and mimic the competitiveness of a stressful job, which may negate any brain benefits, says Michael Addis, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Clark University.

Do this instead: Build a fence
Learn to braise meat. Practice the ukulele. Activities that give you a sense of mastery can also activate the mesocorticolimbic system, deploying a rush of dopamine. Plus, as you practice your new skill, you enter a healthy psychological state known as flow. "You lose track of time and are completely immersed in what you're doing," says Addis. "It's incredibly relaxing to the mind."

How to do Everything Better

How you cope: Drive too fast
Why do guys love Vegas? Or consider cliff jumping a worthy pastime? The same reason they speed: Risk taking produces a surge of endorphins, which numb pain, says Cleveland Clinic psychologist Michael McKee, Ph.D. But if you chase those thrills while you're stressed, they could kill you. Your judgment tends to become clouded, so it's harder to take calculated risks, explains Addis. "You're more likely to put yourself in unnecessary danger."

Do this instead: Hightail it to the gym
But don't default to your regular workout. If you're bored with your routine, you may not experience the normal post-gym endorphin rush, making exercise less effective as a stress fighter than it could be, says Addis. So try something new: Sign up for a martial arts class, check out an indoor rock-climbing center, or go mountain biking. These activities combine physical exertion with a bit of benign risk taking.

The Best Workouts to Relieve Stress

How you cope: Bury yourself in work
It's tempting to battle the stress of a massive workload by immersing yourself until it's done. Don't do it. "Concentration and productivity suffer when your brain doesn't have a chance to unwind, relax, and reset," says McKee. And your work performance may not be the only thing to suffer. In a new British study, people who worked 11 or more hours a day were nearly 70 percent more likely to develop heart disease over a 12-year period than those who worked 7-to 8-hour days.

Do this instead: Take a 60-second vacation
Each hour, spend a minute perusing a funny blog. (We like passiveaggressive notes.com.) Periodic breaks help you process and absorb new information, increasing your efficiency, says McKee. During your hiatus, take 10-second breaths, inhale 4 seconds, exhale 6, to bolster your heart's ability to recover from stress.

10 Ways to Beat Stress at Work

How you cope: Hibernate in your cave
If stress makes you want to retreat and hole up at home, here's why: Research shows that men generally favor the fight-or-flight stress response, whereas women are more likely to "tend and befriend" when they feel stressed. Which way is better? A 2009 British study linked social isolation with a more prolonged spike in heart-straining systolic blood pressure after a stressful event, and higher stress-hormone output throughout the day.

Do this instead: Watch the game with your buddies
And don't spend halftime bitching about your boss. Venting can actually be counterproductive; with men, it often turns into a stress-inducing "who has it worse" showdown, says Addis. Besides, the social aspect alone is enough to activate your brain's GABA receptors, which control fear and anxiety, in turn triggering feelings of calm and satisfaction, says Pollack.

More Links:
19 Ways to Live a Stress-Free Life
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It's only Tuesday, and yet the manic pace of this two-day-old week is already about to make you collapse. If you're seeking de-stressing strategies, you're in luck -- yoga instructor Wendy Rubin and TODAY's diet and nutrition expert Joy Bauer revealed the best poses to do and food to eat to keep yourself calm. 

As Rubin puts it, stress isn't something that happens to you -- it's the absence of calm in your life. These poses are designed to relieve muscle tension, quiet the mind and calm the body. They can each be done at home using pillows and blankets you have lying around the house.

Stress-busting yoga poses from Wendy Rubin:

1. Bridge pose

Lie down with your back on the floor. Bend your knees and walk your heels in so your knees are directly above your ankles. Press the inner edges of the feet and arms actively into the floor as you lift your pelvis up towards the ceiling. Now place the block directly under your sacrum. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute as you take deep cleansing breaths.

Benefits: Relieves tension in the lower back. Excellent pose for treating headaches, insomnia and fatigue.

2. Child's pose

Kneel on the floor behind a large pillow. Open your knees so you can slide the bolster between your legs. Gently rest your torso down on the bolster while you hug the pillow with both hands. Gaze to one side. Stay in pose for 1 to 5 minutes.

Benefits: Relieves back and neck tension. Recommended for dizziness and fatigue.

3. Alternate nostril breath

Sit in a comfortable position on the floor. Gently close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril. Now close your left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through your right nostril. Keep the right nostril open, inhale, then close it with your thumb, and exhale through the left. This is one cycle. Repeat 3 to 5 times.

Benefits: Perfect relaxation tool! Lowers the heart rate and calms an over-stimulated nervous system.

But incorporating these calming yoga poses doesn't excuse unhealthy eating. What we eat has an enormous effect on our stress levels -- luckily, adding these delicious items into your daily diet can help soothe stress and elevate your mood naturally, Bauer explains.

De-stressing foods from Joy Bauer: 

1. Steel-cut oats. 

 A warm and cozy bowl of oatmeal makes the perfect comfort food breakfast on a chilly winter's day. But the soothing effects are more than psychological. Oats are a healthy, whole-grain source of carbohydrates, which stimulate production of serotonin, a feel-good hormone that helps you relax. All varieties of oats are great, but I particularly love the steel-cut type because they're minimally processed and cause a slow, steady rise in blood sugar, which also helps regulate mood.

You'll love my technique for Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oats-you start them the night before and they're ready and waiting for you the next morning! (Combine 1 cup dry steel-cut oats and 4 cups water in a slow cooker and cook for 8-9 hours on low setting.)

2. Grapefruit. 

Swapping your apple or banana for a juicy, sweet grapefruit may help you chill out. This everyday citrus fruit is a top source of vitamin C, a nutrient that may help people better cope with bad nerves.

German researchers reported that students who took vitamin C supplements for two weeks showed fewer signs of stress-including lower blood pressure-in response to a nerve-wracking task (public speaking combined with a math test!) than those who didn't take the vitamin. But I don't advise adding a supplement-instead, you can soothe away worries naturally by eating more vitamin C-rich produce.

3. Wild salmon and chickpea salad. 

This salmon combines two foods that can help ease anxiety and elevate mood naturally. Salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3s-and studies have found that fortifying your diet with omega-3s from fish oil decreases levels of adrenaline and other hormones associated with anxiety during stressful experiences like test-taking.

A one-cup serving of chickpeas provides more than 70% of the daily recommended intake for folate, a B vitamin that helps regulate mood. Low blood levels of folate have been repeatedly linked to higher risk for depressive symptoms.

Wild Salmon & Chickpea Salad Recipe

1 can (6 ounces) wild salmon, well-drained (remove skin)

1 can (19 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

In a medium bowl, mash the salmon. Mix in the chickpeas, onion, and red pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar. Pour the dressing over the salmon mixture and stir thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

4. Chamomile tea

Nursing a mug of naturally caffeine-free chamomile tea is the perfect way to wipe away the worries of the day. This calming brew appears to act as a mild sedative and may help relieve muscle tension and ease anxiety and irritability. Take advantage of this tried-and-true herbal remedy by making chamomile tea part of your evening ritual.

5. Dark chocolate hot cocoa.

To really get your zen on, sip on a mug of my Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa at the end of a long, tense day. It combines two ingredients with stress-relieving properties-dark chocolate and skim milk-in one deliciously rich drink. Peptides found in milk may help ease anxiety and boost mood by lowering blood pressure and increasing serotonin activity in the brain. And one study found that consuming 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate per day reduced levels of certain stress hormones in individuals with high anxiety levels.

Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa Recipe

3 cups skim milk

2 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch kosher salt

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate bar)

Whipped cream & dark chocolate shavings (for garnish)

Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the milk is hot and starting to steam. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, salt and chocolate chips, and continue to whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Pour the hot cocoa into three mugs. Top each mug with a squirt of whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings if desired. (Makes 3 servings.)

What's your favorite way to de-stress?

by Cindy Kuzma
Men's Health

It may be hard to look on the bright side when you’re mid-divorce or post-pink slip. But traumatic life events can actually benefit you in the long run, according to a new research review.

Compared with people whose lives have been a cakewalk, you’re tougher if you’ve faced a few challenges, points out the study in Current Directions in Psychological Science.

This resilience changes your body and mind so you’re less likely to be overwhelmed by the next stressful situation, says study author Mark D. Seery, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University at Buffalo. “Experiencing some adversity may create a sense of mastery over past adversity, teach coping skills, establish effective social-support networks, and promote cell growth in brain areas relevant for coping,” he says.

Outsmart Financial Stress

Even physical pain may be easier to take. In one experiment discussed in the paper, Seery and his colleagues asked men and women to report the number of traumatic events—including illness or death of a family member, a natural disaster, or being assaulted—they’d endured in their lives. Participants then plunged their hands into ice-cold water.

Those who’d faced a few challenges—“more than zero, but not a high number, either”—reported less pain during the dunk and also had fewer bad feelings afterward. In another study, people who had experienced some negative events were less disabled by back pain than those who either faced lots of adversity or none.

Life's Biggest Little Stressors

It’s similar to the way you get stronger after a workout, Seery says. “Just as the body requires exertion to improve fitness, there is no opportunity for toughness to develop if someone has never coped with stress; likewise, physical overexertion can be harmful, and too much stress disrupts toughening,” he says.

It’s not completely clear exactly how many, or what type, of bad experiences build resilience instead of pushing people over the edge. And it’s not likely you’d start chasing tornadoes just to make stress at work seem more manageable. But you can use the findings to encourage yourself in the midst of a struggle, Seery says.

“Things may seem bad now, but there really can be a silver lining. Not only might the current difficulty eventually dissipate, but it is possible to emerge better off than you were before,” Seery says. “According to our results, experiencing even very serious, negative adversity can help someone to be more likely to be resilient—and thus better off—in the future.”

Coping with Financial Hardship

Related:

• Stress-Relief Tips: Go Outside
• Where Stress Hides and How to Fight Back
• 6 Easy Ways to Beat Job Stress

The holidays can be emotionally overwhelming for anyone. For fractured families, separation, divorce or other difficult life changes can make the "most wonderful of the year" almost unbearable.

Psychotherapist Sarah Brokaw says the economic downturn is causing even more pressure for people to create happiness as a way of overcompensating for hard times the rest of the year. And having children amid a divorce multiplies the pressure.

Brokaw and psychologist Dale Atkins advise how to create fresh traditions that bring the spirit of the holiday to a new family. How do you make it through the holiday rough spots? Share your thoughts with TODAY Health's Facebook friends.