Researchers fed people either a high fat or a low fat meal with equal calories. Then they subjected them to a stressor a couple of hours later – like math problems, public speaking or sticking their hand in ice water. People that ate the high fat meal had higher blood pressure after the stress than those that at the low-fat meal.

We have also known for some time that a high fat diet increases your odds of developing hypertension and heart disease.

Try a new salad and chill outThis doesn't mean that you are doomed because of that time you went through drive through and then got stuck in traffic – and went into a cheeseburger induced road rage. But it does place more immediate pressure on being careful about what you eat on a regular basis – especially if you know you may be facing a stressful meeting after lunch.

Continue to expose yourself and your kids to new, healthier foods until you find some that you really like. Developing a taste for variety is one of the best things you can do. It increase your odds of getting balanced nutrition and increases your new experiences, which in turn help build brain circuits that buffer you against stress. Variety, as the old adage says, is the spice of life.