Health
Snacking scuppers Britains bid to beat the bulge
Brits are suffering from a 5 o ' clock snack attack and sabotaging their new year diet plans. According to new research Brits are consuming an additional 73,000 calories a year (that' s one and a half dress sizes).
This is an average 200 extra calories per day, which over a week comes to 1400 additional calories. This clocks up a hefty 1 stone 5lb over the year - all because of one unnecessary snack a day. The 73,000 calories amounts to over an extra months worth of food per year, so the question is when and why is this happening?
This " snack-shot " of the nation conducted by Slim.Fast shows almost 50% of respondents are aware their self-sabotage is down to snacking. Although traditionally Brits are famous for elevenses and afternoon tea, according to this survey, 5 o ' clock is officially the time we are most likely to have our hands in the biscuit tin. With over half of Brits claiming they don 't know the calorific content of their snacks it's hardly surprising we 're losing the battle of the bulge.
When it comes to snacking hotspots just under a third said they ate most of their calories at work. Over half however admitted their serial snacking habit happens most at home. It seems however, that wherever we are we 've got food on the brain as more than three quarters of us think about snacking during the day. 1 in 10 of us enjoy a multi-task snack whilst doing the housework with the vacuum in one hand and a biscuit in the other.
As inventive as this is, it 's not great for our waistlines and with obesity warnings already predicting the worst; maybe it 's time to start making changes. When you snack, make sure you choose something that is healthy and low enough in calories. Although most of us switched off in maths at school, weight loss is a very simple equation anyone can master once they know the basics. Here to tell us how to do this is Nutritionist Fiona Hunter and life strategist Jenni Trent-Hughes.