A nation of unhealthy takeaway addicts

Feature

Vowing to eat a healthier diet is one New Year resolution that all too often falls by the wayside once January and February are over. As soon as all the healthy vegetables and fruit start to shrivel up in the fridge and fruit bowl, too many people go back to their old ways of eating. One of the easiest ways to fall off the health wagon is to be tempted by fat-laden takeaways. They might be convenient and nice, but they are most definitely naughty.

Ordering a takeaway has become a national institution, and one that is helping to tip the health scales towards obesity. Every year, Brits scoff over two billion takeaway meals. Forty per cent of us have a takeaway at least once a week whilst 14 per cent order two or more every week, it has been revealed in a survey.

The survey of 3,000 adults, conducted by WindSetlers, discovered that the nation’s favourite takeaway is a Chinese with 43 per cent of the votes. An Indian takeaway was favoured by 24 per cent and the old British speciality fish and chips got 14 per cent of the votes. The most popular dishes included crispy duck, sweet and sour dishes, fish and chips and tikka massala, all of which are high in fat and calories.

Over two thirds of people surveyed all over the country said the main reason they order a takeaway is because they are too tired or busy to cook, whilst 39 per cent said it was simply because they love the taste. Twenty-three per cent said they have a takeaway number stored on their mobile phone, whilst a staggering 21 per cent admitted their local take-away restaurant knows their name and order by memory.

It seems that ignorance is bliss when it comes to scoffing a takeaway; 58 per cent admitted that they have no idea of the fat and calorie content of their favourite takeaways. They have no idea that the average takeaway meal contains over 1,000 calories, which amounts to over half the recommended calorie intake for women needing to lose weight and half that of men.

Obesity is recognised to be a growing problem, literally, among the nation’s children. As Jamie Oliver’s School Dinners has found, children are growing up with a taste for junk food. Too many parents are ignoring their responsibility to help their children to adopt healthier diets, with a worrying 78 per cent of parents in the survey saying they would be happy to feed a takeaway to their children as part of their weekly diet.

Eating takeaways as part of your weekly diet has many implications for your health.
Nutritionist Dr Chris Fenn says, “People need to think as much about what types of food they are eating as how often and how much they eat. Takeaway food should be regarded as a rare treat, but they are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of reasons including people’s hectic lifestyles.

“Not only can takeaways contribute to health conditions such as bloating and indigestion in the short term, but consistent consumption can also lead to obesity in the long term. In Britain two-thirds of the adult population is currently overweight.”

Obesity is a leading factor in the rise of serious cardiovascular disease, which remains one of Britain’s biggest killers.

Picture caption: More and more Brits are incorporating unhealthy takeaways into their diets on a weekly basis.

MyVillage, 08th January