How Has Lockdown Changed Our Eating Habits?

The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown has changed many aspects of life in 2020, including the way in which people eat. Working from home, the service industry being closed and even a shortage of certain ingredients have all had a lasting impact, so here is a closer look at how the lockdown and pandemic have changed people’s eating habits this year.

Treats

One of the most notable aspects has been that people have been treating them-selves more often, which is not hugely surprising when you consider what a stressful and challenging period it has been. Kitchen specialists Hammonds recently carried out a survey of 2,000 people which revealed that 32% of Brits consumed more unhealthy calories than they did prior to lockdown and almost a fifth admit-ted to having a treat every single day since lockdown started.

Types of Snacks

So, what kind of treats have people been eating? People are indulging in things like chocolate, sweets, ice cream and baking, but instead of popping to the store to pick these up, they are performing much larger shops which is partly why there have been so many shortages at the supermarket with people buying a lot more than usual but visiting less. Living up to its tagline, Dairy Milk emerged as the nation’s favourite treat with 21% of people choosing it as their number one snack since lockdown.

Time of the Week

Unsurprisingly, it is the weekends when people were “most likely to allow our-selves something naughty-but-nice” with 30% stating that Saturday night was when people gave in to temptation closely followed by Friday evening (23%).

Eating at Home

It is not all bad, though, as the lockdown has also changed people’s eating habits in a positive manner in some ways. Obviously, people are spending more time at home and in the kitchen which means that they are making more meals at home which allows them to save money as well as eat healthier – 25% of respondents stated that they had improved their cooking skills during lockdown.

Health Conscious

People have become more health-conscious since the pandemic, so many are now cooking up healthy meals in the home, but equally, takeaways have also been popular as a treat so there have been both benefits and drawbacks to people staying in the home. Not only this, but many people have been able to eat more meals with family which is important particularly during challenging times like this.

As you can see, people’s eating habits have changed drastically since lockdown with both benefits and drawbacks to the current situation. Lots of people have been snacking and treating themselves, but there has also been a rise in people cooking healthy meals at home and then sitting down to enjoy them with loved ones which is a huge plus in difficult time like these.