The study of 2,000 people explored our relationship with food and found the average Brit will mull over their hunger, meal choices and eating habits for an average of two hours and 13 minutes every day - which equates to 34 days a year.
Avoiding comfort food, looking for a sugar hit and deciding whether something is healthy were top reasons Brits can’t stop chatting about food with family, friends and colleagues. In fact, four in ten adults even confessed they’ve tried to cut back on their food chat – with almost half the nation (45%) saying they often feel food-obsessed.
The poll, commissioned by Weight Watchers UK, revealed the first focussed thoughts towards food come in at 8.55am, while potential lunch options come at 10.33am. They’ll first wonder ‘is this good for me?’ when mulling over a snack at 11.21am – while the evening meal is first imagined at 1.03pm.
The biggest reason to want a snack was shown to be boredom (47%) – while over a fifth confessed to needing a sugar hit, or just to cheer up when sad or stressed. Social pressure to indulge at events such as birthdays or weddings (18%) was also a reason for British minds to go into overdrive thinking about food, the poll showed.
And four in ten admitted their feelings over food needs tweaking – either by feeling less guilty when eating sugary snacks, or in contrast – avoiding seeing food as a comfort.
Zoe Griffiths, head of public health for Weight Watchers, said: ‘’It’s great that we give food and mealtimes such prominence in our lives. With food blogs, health trends and new restaurants galore, of course food is an exciting topic and chatting about it can give us new and ingenious ideas.
‘’But when it comes to our thoughts over food, it’s important to be mindful. Why we’re thinking about a snack, for example, is a useful question to ask yourself, as it could be boredom that causes you to eat mindlessly or stress triggering you to comfort eat rather than a need. At Weight Watchers, we believe that healthy weight loss is about more than just what you eat.’’
The study of 2,000 was part of Weight Watchers’ ‘Brain Boost’ campaign, to help adults understand the mental barriers faced when starting or maintaining a healthy weight loss plan.