Tips for Parents and Advice to Curb Stress-eating
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Most of the country is sequestered in their homes to flatten the COVID-19 curve and protect communities. This phenomenon has produced many hilarious social media posts from parents attempting to homeschool their children and from people who are stress-eating their entire COVID-19 grocery runs. Both of these issues are areas where University of Tennessee Extension can offer advice to assist parents and to curb appetites for snacks as well.
“The kids are out of school, adults are working from home, and social distancing has everyone quite bored,” says Christopher T. Sneed, assistant professor with UT Extension. “This is the situation many Americans finds themselves in these days. But, parents can take advantage of this time to teach their children about money.”
Sneed has co-authored a new UT Extension publication along with Ann A. Berry and Marci Hethmon, all from the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Learning While Away from School: Resources for Teaching Children About Money (Publication D 82) provides six online resources for parents with lessons and activities about personal finance and planning, saving and investing, and how to use credit.
“Many people in our nation are experiencing extreme levels of stress right now, with health concerns, layoffs and routines disrupted,” says Kristin Johnson, nutrition specialist with UT Extension. “This can lead to overeating and eating to satisfy emotional needs rather than hunger,” continues the expert.
A publication from UT Extension nutrition expert Kristen Johnson can help families tempted to snack through their grocery runs in a short time span. Eating Well During Stressful Times (Publication D 83) offers tips and suggestions to choose healthy snacks and asks questions to help consumers identify when they begin to overeat or eat due to stress.
Other publications and resources to help families navigate the COVID-19 crisis are available online at utextension.tennessee.edu or by contacting your local county Extension office.
Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. utia.tennessee.edu.